July 19 and 20
Name that tune! Okay, so you won’t actually be put on the spot to do so at the HK Sinfonietta’s Know Your Favourite Orchestral Tunes concerts on July 19 and 20. But maybe you’ll recognize some of the classical pieces in the programme as music you’ve come across often enough in daily life. At the same time, take the opportunity to learn more from concert presenter – and the Sinfonietta’s artistic director and conductor – Yip Wing-sie about a delightful collection of familiar melodies composed by classical giants like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Performances commence at 7:30pm at the HK City Hall Concert Hall. Tickets go for $180, $140 and $100 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 20 and 22
In 1936, composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote the text and score for a musical tale of a young Russian boy, a duck and a wolf that came to be beloved all over the world. Come July 20 and 22, the Magic Circle Mime Company and Metropolitan Youth Orchestra conducted by Yang Li will bring Prokofiev’s tale, Peter And The Wolf, to a charity concert for The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong. The July 20 concert will be at the HK Cultural Centre’s Concert Hall while the July 22 performance will take place at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium. Both are scheduled to start at 8pm. Tickets are priced at $320, $250 and $180 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

When is an idea more than just an idea? When it’s the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), which has honoured Hong Kong by selecting it as the first Asian city to host the association’s World Congress. The seven-day, tri-annual event officially comes to a close with the presentation of a triple bill of multi-cultural youth theatre performances collectively entitled Crossings. These July 20 to 22 shows open with Beyond the Horizon, a work devised and performed by 20 local students. Next on the programme is the YOUNG IDEA Internal Exchange Showcase featuring 28 young participants from all over the world. Last but not least a new collaborative piece by Theatre Natya Chetana of India and France’s Théâtre du Fil explores how the new generation tackles change. Each evening’s shows begin at 7:30pm at the HK City Hall Theatre. Tickets are $150, $120 and $80 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Sunday, July 22
July 1, 2007 may have come and gone but the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR celebrations continue. A case in point: the presentation of the close-to-300-strong Yuen Hai Artiste Troupe’s Hong Kong Memories on July 22 is a combination of classical, folk, ethnic and modern dance celebrating the courage of Hong Kong people amidst adversity and paying tribute to their perseverance and progress. Showtime is at 7:45pm at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall’s Auditorium. Tickets are $50 and $30 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 23 and 24
How does a body cope in a foreign environment? This and other questions about how individual identity is affected by places, things and other people will be explored in dance by former competitive gymnast and UC Berkeley men’s diving team member turned dance artist Charles Slender and fellow UC Berkeley graduate Emily Woo Zeller. Their Corresponding Constructions is a set of short contemporary modern dance pieces comprising two solo performances by Slender and a duet with co-choreographer Woo Zeller. The shows on July 23 and 24 start at 8pm at the Fringe Theatre. Tickets cost $99 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

July 26-August 11
Reel or real? As far as Reel Asia – Asia Society Summer Film Series is concerned, why not both at the same time? Also, five is the number as the Asia Society presents five critically acclaimed documentaries about Asia and Asians – three of which (Shu Haolun’s Nostalgia, Daniel Gordon’s North Korean-focused Crossing the Line and Liz Mermin’s Beauty Academy of Kabul) will be having their Hong Kong premieres – for the 5th year running. Screenings are scheduled for July 26-29 and August 2-5, 9 and 11 at the HK Arts Centre’s Agnès b. CINEMA! The screening of Nostalgia commences at 8pm on July 26 but all other show times are 7:30pm. Tickets are $55 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 27-31
On their own, they’d already be big. In tandem, small wonder that the 9th Ani-Com Hong Kong and 4th Hong Kong Game Fair are parked into a whopping 126,000 sq ft exhibition space! Another impressive stat: last year, this popular consumer expo attracted close to 500,000 visitors. This year, comic book and electronic game fans have a five-day exhibition of specialist products related to comics, animation (including anime), online games, electronic equipment and toys to check out along with associated band ’n’ dance competitions and stage performances by celebrity guests. Opening hours at Hall 1 of the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre on July 27-30 are from 11am to 11:30pm while on July 31, they’re from 11am to 8pm. Tickets are $25 from 7-Eleven and Circle K stores, and the ticketing counter of the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information, go to www.ani-com.hk or call 2344 0415.

July 28-August 11
Funnyman Jim Chim recently made his full starring debut in the film Simply Actors but that doesn’t mean the veteran theatrical performer can’t be seen live anymore. Indeed, he heads the cast of Villain Village, the hit Cantonese musical for children – whose main character is an absent-minded slacker named Jimmy the Froggi – from Theatre Ensemble, the group Chim co-founded with director Olivia Yan. The musical will have a series of performances from July 28 to August 11: show times for evening presentations are 7:30pm while the matinees on July 29 and August 4 and 5 are at 2:30pm. All performances will be at the HKAPA’s Lyric Theatre. Tickets from $290 to $90 are available from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

Monday, July 30
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Faith. Wish. Pornography, Wild Mood Swings and Disintegration. If these album titles don’t ring a bell, you don’t really know The Cure. For those who do though, the prospect of being able to spend A Night with The Cure and be there when the legendary English post punk/alternative rock group play their first Hong Kong concert will be hard to resist. The Cure’s July 30 show at the AsiaWorld-Arena is due to start at 8pm. Tickets are $780, $580 and $380 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

August 1-September 2
When the summer heat gets to you, why not take in a movie in air-conditioned comfort? The Summer IFF’s Summer Pops selection of 16 animations, drama and documentaries from around the world include the noodle orgy that is Katsuyuki Motohiro’s Udon, arthouse favourite Bela Tarr’s The Man from London and Annie Leibovitz – Life Through a Lens, Barbara Leibovitz’s documentary of her photography-icon sister. Alternatively, if cinematic classics are more your cup of tea, make a beeline for this year’s Shochiku-themed Summer Classics which include a couple of works by master auteur Kenji Mizoguchi and one film by Akira Kurosawa along with Heinosuke Gosho’s Woman of the Mist, Kozaburo Yoshimura’s The Most Beautiful Day of My Life and Yoshitaro Nomura’s The Castle of Sand. Tickets are $55 from URBTIX, 2734 9009. For information about specific screening dates, times and venues, go to www.hkiff.org.hk