Adelaide's OzAsia Festival is back in 2011: See Our Top Picks

 Incorporating both traditional and contemporary dance, art, music, film and theatre, the 5th annual OzAsia Festival will be presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre this year from 2 – 17 September. 

 Incorporating both traditional and contemporary dance, art, music, film and theatre, the 5th annual OzAsia Festival will be presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre this year from 2 – 17 September.  According to official sources “The Festival presents the best of Asia’s arts and culture while celebrating Australia’s diverse multicultural society and its position within the ozasia community”.
Originally created to showcase the work of Australians who identified with an Asian heritage or works created collaboratively between Australian and Asian artists, the festival has been running since 2007.   It was intended to present Adelaide with a thrilling sample of the differing cultures of Asia and to introduce us better to our geographical and trade neighbours. In 2007 when the festival was announced, the Chairman of South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (and Patron of OzAsia) Hieu Van Le said, “Only in Adelaide could we stage a festival like this, that brings together so many different ideas, and so many different cultures, and creates an event full of life, and excitement and experiences.”
In 2008 the success of the festival continued with 122% of its box office target being sold and over 20,000 total attendances, including 16 of the shows being completely sold out. Since then, the festival has continued to grow and attract attention since its inception, making it a highlight on the Adelaide social calendar.
This year has a distinct Japanese flavour, with the presentation of the Japanese Film Festival happening for the first time in Adelaide. Other cultures will still be highlighted within the program, for instance the hotly anticipated Rhinoceros in Love and Shaolin Warriors from China .
As per previous years, once again the Moon Lantern Festival (a free outdoor public event) will be held on 12 September. In 2010, this attracted over 18,000 people to Elder Park. The Moon Lantern Festival is a tradition, thousands of years old, and a staple in the OzAsia program since conception in 2007. It is a breathtaking display of lanterns (built in workshops here in Adelaide) and performances that begin when the when the full moon rises that really cannot be missed. 
For full program details and further information about the Festival, please visit: http://www.ozasiafestival.com.au/  AussieTheatre.com’s 5 Top Picks For The Festival The Arrival 11 September, 6pmHer Majesty’s Theatre Ben Walsh’s Orkestra of the Underground perform The Arrival by Academy award-winning writer & illustrator Shaun TanTan’s graphic novel The Arrival will be brought to life on the big screen accompanied by Ben Walsh’s incredible 10 piece Orkestra of the Underground.
World respected percussionist Ben Walsh randomly discovered The Arrival in a bookshop. He fell in love with the exquisite illustrations and immediately imagined the whole story brought to life in sound.  The Arrival is a hopeful tale of a refugee’s adventure into a foreign, new world and the challenges he faces. Shaun Tan weaves pure images and beautiful illustrations into a story without using one single written word. This masterpiece of visual storytelling has inspired superlative reviews and awards from across the globe.
An amazing live “sonic-scape”  More information 

Shaolin Warriors9-10 SeptemberFestival Theatre  The Shaolin Warriors come to the OzAsia festival direct from China. This production showcases the remarkable skill, stunning movement, and spectacular imagery of kung-fu.
A brilliant new production featuring rarely seen Buddhist meditation alongside deadly martial-arts prowess. The show follows the journey from a young child’s initiation into the monastery, to achieving fully fledged warrior status through diligent training and study. 
Starring 22 Kung Fu Masters, Shaolin Warriors features unmatched ensemble synchronisation and the disciplined use of 18 traditional weapons: audiences will be amazed beyond the boundaries of their own belief.More Information  Rhinoceros In Love 15-17 SeptemberHer Majesty’s Theatre 
Recognised as a masterpiece of experimental drama Rhinoceros in Love, directed by Meng Jinghui, first performed in 1999 has reinvented modern Chinese drama.
This contemporary, energetic and popular production dusted with dark romance unveils the extremes people go to for love. Performed by the National Theatre of China, the show has played in 25 cities since 2009 and makes its Australian debut at the OzAsia Festival before heading to the Brisbane Festival and Melbourne Festival.
Note: In Mandarin with English surtitles; contains some coarse language.  Post-show Q & A follows Friday 16 September performanceMore Information  Continent by CAVA 15-17 SeptemberSpace Theatre  A treat for lovers of cartoon physicality, slapstick and a Japanese sense of fun.
This show is a frenetic fusion of contemporary dance, cinema, cartoon, and comedy filled with witty, speedy and wonderful movements. 
Presented by Japanese mime company CAVA this
mime-based fast-moving physical theatre experience, inspired by the Coen Brothers’ film Barton Fink.
The show was a smash hit at Edinburgh Festival in 2010 and follows a novelist approaching a deadline and the cast of funny characters which come out of his manuscript and draw him back into his pages of fiction. More Information  In Lieu 6-7 SeptemberSpace Theatre Australian/Indonesian dancer Ade Suharto collaborates with composer David Kotlowy to present an evening of dance and contemporary gamelan music.
Ade and David are South Australian artists whose individual practices are a conversation between Asian and Western, traditional and contemporary, ancestral and individual. They come together to present a visually rich performance based on the themes of cultural displacement and authenticity.More Information