Written by Aarohi Narain
Held for the first time in 1993, French May has been celebrating fine art, music, dance, film, and gastronomy in the Fragrant Harbour for over a quarter of a century.
What happens?
With multiple programmes presented across a few months, French May attracts more than one million visitors, keen on seeing the wide variety of exhibitions and performances coming out of France. French May aims to reach out to not only the French community in Hong Kong, but the Hong Kong community at large, making it a true cultural exchange.
Over the years, French May has given people the opportunity to see world-class performances and artwork, including Masterpieces from the French National Collections, paintings by Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, and performances by the National Opera Ballet of Lyon and the Jean-Claude Gallota Dance Company, to name just a few.
Although this is a great chance to see some of France’s most famous works, French May also embraces new and emerging artists, performers and bands, including those from Hong Kong.
Schedule
This year’s theme is “Re/naissance”.
Here’s a quick look at the events for this year:
- VOÛTE: One of the more intriguing family-friendly picks in the programme, this contemporary circus work by Cirque du Corbak blends acrobatics, Chinese pole, and physical theatre to explore cooperation, tension, and resilience through the body. It runs from May 8 to 17 at Parade Ground, Tai Kwun.
- Youn Sun Nah feat. Bojan Z: Korean jazz vocalist Youn Sun Nah joins celebrated Franco-Balkan pianist Bojan Z for a concert that moves between jazz, chanson, and cross-cultural improvisation. It takes place on May 1 at Hong Kong City Hall.
- Yekwon Sunwoo & Quatuor Elmire: South Korean pianist Yekwon Sunwoo teams up with the award-winning French Quatuor Elmire for an East-meets-West chamber programme featuring Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, and Franck. This one is on May 12 at Hong Kong City Hall.
- In Between – Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey: A large-scale cross-disciplinary dance work inspired by Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, this Hong Kong Dance collaboration turns the artist’s dots, lines, and planes into movement, music, visuals, and light. It runs from May 22 to 24 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
- The Sutherland Test: This immersive theatre piece sits somewhere between performance and digital art. Set in a public space and built around a fictional startup and a strange VR device, it gradually turns into a sharper reflection on technology, control, and perception. It runs from May 22 to 25.
- Alliance Cosmique: A short immersive performance that mixes electronic music, visual art, and interactive technology. It runs from May 30 to 31 at Black Box Theatre, Tai Po Civic Centre.
- THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 2.0: Belgian choreographer Jan Martens’ breakout work returns with a new cast. It runs from June 26 to 28 at The Box, Freespace.
