HK Arts Festival

When I see performing art, there are two indicators I like it:
I am engrossed and smile obliviously, or I am engrossed and sob obliviously.

Currently, the HK Arts festival is going on. Shows I've seen so far:

• Camut Band: Wonderful percussion-rhythm-dance show. In a similar vein to STOMP, but sufficiently different as to be original. Joyful and funny. I was smiling all the time.
  (For some reason, flamenco dancing just moves me deeply. This did, too. It was a display of pure skill, performed with emotion. Deeply human.)
  


• 1984: Directed by Tim Robbins. Very bleak. Set in the same dark scene throughout. Not quite as gripping.
  


• SF Jazz Collective: A band composed of composers. Some Thelonious Monk, many original compositions. Technically perfect, I am sure (cannot judge, really), but as some of the joy of listening to music comes from recognition, I found it not quite so engrossing. There might have been many allusions, but I didn't get them. In fact, quite a few people left during the show.
  


• Youssou n'Dour: Senegalese singer. Great concert. Extraordinarily stirring. People got of the seats and danced (among the first was the delightful elderly Irish lady next to me, who pointed to her knees and said "they need some stretching" before she got up and danced). The poor ushers were totally overwhelmed and tried in vain to keep the crowds within bounds. As he pointed out during the show, Africa is not only poverty, AIDS, and war.
  
  

Back in HK, Friends, Gocarts

Just been back in HK for two weeks, and already two old friends from Germany have visited (independently). Here's Jamil and me in front of my office:

Yesterday, Olaf and his wife called unexpectedly - they had just arrived in HK for two days. We went to Stanley market and the peak - the view was very good this time, then had a few drinks in the Four Seasons, and I went off to the Youssou N'dor concert. Afterwards, drinks in Fong's and the Kee club.

Today, Sebastian, Jörn and I went gocarting in Zhūhǎi 珠海 in China (close to Macau). It had rained, and there was a lot of skidding and sliding. For a short period in the last race, I was first - then I made a mistake and was overtaken, and then my gocart died. Heaps of fun nevertheless.