Brett Davis - AsiaLIFE Magazine

dispatches
Travel news from around the region and beyond
Travel Deal: Moviemaking Weekend at Opposite
House, Beijing
The Deal: The Opposite House in Beijing has partnered with Apple and Canon
to launch Suitcase Cinema, a weekend package through December that gives
amateur moviemakers the resources to create their own films with the hotel as
a backdrop.
The Setting: The Opposite House is located in Sanlitun Village—a vibrant new
open-plan shopping, dining and entertainment precinct. The hotel’s studio
rooms are decorated with natural wooden flooring and accentuated with subtle
Chinese décor. The space, matched with the historical landmarks that surround
it, provides a blank canvas for amateur film crews to bring their ideas to fruition.
The Verdict: The just over USD $400 price tag includes breakfast for two,
bicycle rental, a limited edition Short Stays DVD featuring movies shot at the
Opposite House by Chinese directors and use of the hotel’s Studio 70, fitted
with a 24-inch iMac and Canon camcorder. For details, visit www.theoppositehouse.com.
Beth Young
Bangkok International Festival of Music and Dance
From September 11 through October 24, Bangkok hosts the 12th Annual
International Festival of Dance and Music. Thailand’s premier international
arts event, the festival will present 17 stage productions by artists and theatres
from Argentina, Canada, Switzerland, Israel, Cuba, the United Kingdom,
Brazil, South Korea, Sweden and Russia. Among the performances are La
Boheme, Cinderella, Swan Lake, A Christmas Carol and Carmina Burana.
In addition to ballet and opera, festival-goers can enjoy salsa, tango, jazz,
modern and ethnic dance and classical music. Also premiering this year is
Boris Tishchenko’s “Requiem Æternam for Princess Galyani," a special commission
in memory of King Bhumibol’s elder sister, the festival’s patron until
her death in 2008. For ticketing, schedules and more information, visit www.
bangkokfestivals.com. Tom DiChristopher
Taipei Biennial 2010
Beginning September 7, the 2010 Taipei Biennial begins its two-month engagement
at the Taipei Arts Museum. Since 1998, the Biennial has been organized by
a two-person team comprised of a Taiwanese and foreign curator. This year, cocurators
Tirdad Zolghadr and Hongjohn Lin abandon the traditional exhibition
theme and seek instead to address the problematic nature of the biennial format
with a programme that asks whether the format can be applied “more precisely,
more effectively, for everyone involved." To provide an answer, the curators will
involve the artists in a wider process as co-curators and seek to build on ideas
and projects from previous Taipei Biennials. Throughout the engagement, independent
spaces in Taiwan will host satellite events, and “critical companions” are
invited to voice interventions. For more information visit www.tfam.museum.
Tom DiChristopher
YourSingapore.com Launches
The Singapore Tourist Board has long hosted probably the best and most functional
destination website in Southeast Asia, but STB recently transformed its
web presence with the launch of a new brand: YourSingapore. Evolving from
the UniquelySingapore.com portal, YourSingapore.com continues to offer comprehensive
information, but the site’s new architecture incorporates more intuitive
browsing via an eye-catching checkerboard gallery that highlights sights
and attractions that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. The centrepiece
trip-planning utility also contributes to a more convenient experience. Users can
now save events and city listings while browsing, then navigate to the trip-planner
and arrange selected items into an itinerary, with the option of dragging and
dropping from saved and suggested listings windows. A mapping option also
allows you to find attractions, shopping, hotels, dining and entertainment in the
vicinity. Tom DiChristopher
Grease Hits Hong Kong
From October 4 to 21, the international cast of the West End production of
Grease takes the stage at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for
a limited engagement of the much-loved musical. Featuring a 25-member
cast, 142 costume changes and songs from both the original stage show
and blockbuster film adaptation, this new production is a lavish revival of
the classic 1950s tale of school days at Rydell High, where the T-Birds and
Pink Ladies hold court as the coolest kids in school. It’s a rare opportunity
to indulge in West End theatre without making the trans-continental flight.
Ticket prices start at HK $350 (USD $45), with shows held Tuesday through
Sunday. Visit www.lunchbox-productions.com for more information. Tom
DiChristopher
14 asialife HCMC