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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-08-06 Daily Xml
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OzAsia Festival

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:27): My question is to the Minister for the Arts. Can the minister update the house about the upcoming OzAsia Festival?

The SPEAKER: I hope the Minister for the Arts will apprise us of information that is not already obtainable from the program which landed in my electorate office last week.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: we have just had a 10-minute rendition of what has happened on a review, which is on the website.

The SPEAKER: Was that a kind of after-the-fact point of order?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:27): Our annual OzAsia Festival will be taking place from 3 to 20 September at the Adelaide Festival Centre and will host 21 performances and 36 events, featuring over 250 artists and presenters from across the globe. The OzAsia Festival is an important event on the South Australian festival calendar not only for its role in offering rich artistic opportunities for our local audiences but also for the role that it plays in strengthening our relationships with our Asian neighbours.

This year, the festival will have a particular emphasis on Shandong and will engage audiences through theatre, dance, music (both contemporary and traditional), film, percussion, food and calligraphy. Audiences of all ages will have the opportunity to learn more about this province, which is the centre of Chinese civilisation, and gain insights into the eternal charm of ancient Shandong and the many facets of its contemporary culture. Some of the highlights from this year's program include:

Red Sorghum, winner of the 2014 Wenhua grand prize, China's Ministry of Culture's highest award for professional arts;

Dream of the Ghost Story by the Shandong Acrobatic Troupe—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: How do you say that in Mandarin?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I don't know how you say that in Mandarin, but Tom behind me will tell you—

Tan Dun's Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, which will feature composer and conductor Tan Dun joined by our very own Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; and, of course

there is the Moon Lantern Festival, which this year falls on Monday 8 September from 3pm to 8:30pm. The Moon Lantern Festival will include 10 schools and 48 community groups, and will transform Elder Park with rich light streaming from hundreds of lanterns and the full moon. I am sure there will be many people hoping for better weather than the torrential downpour that washed out the event last year.

I am pleased to inform the house that as well as the artistic component, a high level delegation from Shandong will come to South Australia for part of the festival, including the Vice-Governor, who has taken a keen interest in developing social and cultural links between our two states.

I would like to acknowledge the Adelaide Festival Centre as the host of the OzAsia Festival, and thank Douglas Gautier and the team for all the hard work they are putting in during the lead up to this great event. OzAsia has grown over the last eight years and has been embraced by local Asian communities and mainstream audiences alike. It has enriched the experience of South Australian audiences by providing a more diverse range of artistic expression while also helping our understanding of Asian culture and traditions. I encourage all members to come along and get involved in this great event.

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