Ling Guiming Dance Workshop＇s Academic Visit to Hong Kong Academy 19/12/2008

Ling Guiming dance workshop is built under the support and care of leaders in Shanghai Theatre Academy. The workshop aims to better step up the overall level of dance education in the STA College of Dance. It’s a useful part and supplement for the dance education in the way of gathering experts from home and abroad and stimulating their ability to drive forward educational development and build up teaching faculty. At the same time, the expert workshop＇s establishment initiated the platform of dance development exploration and from this platform, new dance creation concepts, education concepts and subject promotion concepts will be tried in full swing. This experiment will help to sum up experience we get in time and expand to wider teaching section. Now the work in the workshop starts comprehensively. From the setting up of projects to ways of implementation, all work has had a detailed plan and implementing steps.

To further promote the characterized dance school work through expert workshop as well as the positive development of subject construction and to clarify the idea and way of teaching in College of Dance, the dance workshop paid a four-day academic visit to Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on December 9 after a few negotiations. The delegation is made up of Ling Guiming, Zhu Meili, Zhang Lin, Dong Jie and Xing Sang. During their stay in Hong Kong, our members researched in the curriculum and teaching feature as well as students＇employment, hardware facilities and scientific management. The research consists of: visiting campus hardware facilities and class teaching, discussion with president of dance college of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and directors of different faculties, interviewing students and analyzing curriculum arrangements.

Four days passed quickly. Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts attached much importance to this visit and thus organized a welcome group composed by president of Dance College, Dr. Anita DONALDSON as the leader and other directors of various majors and faculties. The schedule every day starts from 9 a.m. and ended at 6p.m. At nights, members of the delegation made use of the rest time to have discussions about their interested parts with teachers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts is a local university for art majors and has a good reputation in the world. What＇s more, its flexible brain cultivation mechanism and format is worth drawing upon and contemplation by Chinese art schools, which are built up under the traditional educational system in Mainland China. Various curriculum arrangements and diversity of talent cultivation of the school impressed members greatly. Besides, the hardware facilities and highly effective management also left members a deep impression.

The attentive attitude and curiosity in study of the delegation members also won praise from teachers in Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Dr. Anita DONALDSON said，＂many schools from mainland come here for a visit but mostly with an obscure purpose or just for fun. Only you come here for study and communications. Therefore, we also feel much honored.＂At 1p.m. of December 12, president of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Prof. Kevin THOMPSON and vice president Dr. Herbert HUEY personally received Ling Guiming and other delegation members and had lunch together.

This visit lays a solid foundation for the cooperation between the two schools. Ling Guiming and the president of Dance College in Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Dr. Anita DONALDSON have already negotiated on the cooperation and communication in cultivating format, curriculum arrangements, teacher settings and performances. In next semester, Dr. Anita DONALDSON will also lead a group to visit our school to further the details in the cooperation and communication project.

The visit brings about great benefits to every delegation members. The prosperous downtown and beauty in Hong Kong seems no relation with us, because what attracts us more is the visit to Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

The delegation members and directors of different faculties in Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts having a seminar on teaching

The delegation members with the teachers and students from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Ms. Zhu Meili and Mr. Ling Guiming experiencing the facility