Latest news with #RikaWoo
South China Morning Post
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Listen Up: Artist bridges Cantonese opera and J-pop in Hong Kong's evolving cultural scene
Questions 1. According to the beginning of the podcast, which of the following best describes Woo's outfit when she performs J-pop? A. dark and dramatic B. simple and feminine C. colourful and elaborate D. none of the above 2. What does Woo hope to achieve by performing both Cantonese opera and J-pop? A. become a successful performer B. explore different artistic expressions C. bridge the gap between both cultures D. increase her social media following 3. How many Cantonese opera shows are staged in Hong Kong every year? A. less than 100 B. slightly more than 600 C. close to 1,000 D. information not given 4. The 'golden era' of an art form refers to when it … A. was most popular. B. had just started. C. was nearing its end. D. had undergone lots of changes. 5. When did the Sunbeam Theatre open? A. 1927 B. 1972 C. 1997 D. 2025 6. Why is it common for Cantonese opera actors to use rented costumes? A. because renting is more environmentally friendly B. because they do not have storage space to keep them C. because the costumes cannot be easily found in Hong Kong D. the costumes are expensive to buy 7. What was Woo's grandfather's occupation? A. work on lighting for Cantonese operas B. design costumes for Cantonese operas C. write Cantonese opera scripts D. perform in Cantonese operas 8. How many members are there in Otome Syndream? A. three B. four C. seven D. nine 9. What happened to Otome Syndream during the Covid-19 pandemic? A. They disbanded. B. They recruited more members. C. They switched to online streaming performances. D. They started performing Cantonese opera. 10. When did Otome Syndream release their first album according to the podcast? A. right after they debuted B. during the Covid-19 pandemic C. early this year D. information not given 11. Arrange the following events in Woo's life in chronological order from 1 to 4. (4 marks) (a) Studied Cantonese opera (b) Performed at Tone Music Festival (c) Became part of Otome Syndream (d) Left Hong Kong's first J-pop group Rika Woo's unique blend of artistry keeps both art forms alive in Hong Kong, a city facing economic challenges and competition from overseas events. Photo: Reuters Answers 1. B 2. C 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. D 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. D 11. (a) 1; (ii) 4; (iii) 3; (iv) 2 Script Adapted from Reuters Voice 1: Rika Woo wears a white sleeveless top and a long white skirt embroidered with lace as she performs Japanese songs for an energetic group of young fans in Hong Kong. In stark contrast, she transforms for her Cantonese opera performances, applying bright theatrical make-up and donning striking, colourful costumes embellished with purple flowers. Her headpieces are adorned with pearls and lace veils, adding to the dramatic flair of her act. Voice 2: The 31-year-old local entertainer is unique in Hong Kong for her efforts to appeal to both young and old audiences as a cross-cultural artist. She performs both the centuries-old art form of Cantonese opera and the modern music phenomenon of J-pop with her all-girl group, Otome Syndream. Woo expressed her desire to act as a bridge between these two cultures. She hopes people will appreciate the beauty of traditional art while also being open to pop culture. Voice 1: Many types of live performances are struggling to draw crowds in Hong Kong amid an economic downturn and competition from overseas events. Although there are up to 1,000 Cantonese opera performances in Hong Kong each year, the art form has steadily declined since its golden era in the 1950s and 60s. For artistes, the cost of performing is high because the costumes can set them back several thousand dollars, so often, outfits are borrowed. The city's iconic Cantonese opera house, Sunbeam Theatre – which opened in 1972 – closed earlier this month. Voice 2: For opera, Woo was influenced by her grandfather, who worked on lighting for Cantonese operas. She now also teaches Cantonese opera in schools. While Cantonese opera has deep roots in Chinese culture, the city's underground J-pop scene only emerged in 2015. That year, Woo studied Cantonese opera at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and joined a competition organised by a J-pop entertainment company. Voice 1: Woo was asked to join the city's first J-pop group in 2015, although it broke up after five years. Woo and three others established their underground J-pop-style idol group, Otome Syndream, in Hong Kong in 2017 and officially debuted in Japan in 2019. Their performances were upended by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when they swapped live shows for online streaming. Woo and her group finally grabbed the public eye in 2021 after performing at two local music festivals – Tone Music Festival and Unison Fest. Voice 2: This year marks the 10th anniversary of Woo becoming a J-pop entertainer. Woo admitted that she had many difficult times, and there were moments when she wanted to give up. However, she has the support of her mother, Emma Cheung, who said her daughter's ambitions reflected generational change.
Gulf Today
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Rika Woo juggles life as Cantonese opera and J-Pop artiste
Appealing to a younger audience, Rika Woo dons a white J-pop-style sleeveless top and a long white skirt embroidered with lace as she performs Japanese songs for an energetic group of fans in Hong Kong. On a starkly different stage, Woo paints her face with bright theatrical make-up, wears striking, colourful costumes embroidered with purple flowers and head-dresses adorned with pearls and lace veils, to perform Cantonese opera. The 31-year-old local entertainer is rare in Hong Kong for trying to appeal to audiences — old and young — as a cross cultural artiste in both the centuries-old art form of Cantonese opera and the modern music phenomenon of J-pop, in which she performs with her all-girl group Otome Syndream. 'I want to be the bridge between both cultures' said Woo. 'I hope people can appreciate the beauty of tradition and be open to pop culture.' Both are struggling to draw crowds in Hong Kong amid an economic downturn and competition from overseas events. Although there are up to 1,000 Cantonese opera performances in Hong Kong each year, the art form has been on a steady decline since its golden era in the 1950s and 60s. The city's iconic Cantonese opera house, Sunbeam Theatre — open since 1972 — closes in March. For artistes, the cost of performing is high because the elaborate costumes can set them back several thousand dollars, so often outfits are borrowed. Waiting at the exit of Sunbeam Theatre, dozens of Woo's fans flocked to take pictures with her during a performance interval. 'Although they might not fall in love with Cantonese opera because of my performance, at least they are not resistant to it now,' Woo said, referring to signs of interest from younger people. While Cantonese opera has deep roots in Chinese culture, the underground J-pop scene only emerged in the city in 2015. For opera, Woo was influenced by her grandfather who worked on lighting for Cantonese operas. She now also teaches Cantonese opera in schools. In 2015, she studied Cantonese opera at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and joined a competition organised by a J-pop entertainment company in 2015. 'It was the stage that gave me this confidence and also made me look forward to the future,' Woo said. She was asked to join the city's first J-pop group in 2015, although it broke up after five years. Woo and three others — whose stage names are Ai, Rinka and Maho — established their underground J-pop-style idol group in Hong Kong in 2017 and officially debuted in Japan in 2019. Their performances were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when they swapped live shows for online streaming. Woo and her group finally grabbed the public eye in 2021 after performing at two local music festivals — Tone Music Festival and Unison Fest. 'It's the first time we were invited to 'above-ground' events. Surprisingly, Hong Kongers started to accept this underground Japanese idol culture,' Woo said. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Woo becoming a J-pop entertainer. 'I had many difficult times and there were times that I wanted to give up,' she told fans at an anniversary event. But she has the support of her mother, Emma Cheung, 64, who said her daughter's ambitions reflected generational change. 'Time has changed. People now don't want to date, to get married, or to buy a flat,' she said. 'Our generation is more traditional, but I won't give any pressure to her, as long as she is happy.' Woo is chasing her dream. 'There's no age limit in chasing a dream. Today is always the youngest day of our life,' she said.
South China Morning Post
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
A J-pop singer and Cantonese opera performer? Rika Woo out to be ‘bridge between cultures'
To appeal to a younger audience, Rika Woo dons a white sleeveless top and a long white skirt embroidered with lace as she performs Japanese songs for fans in Hong Kong. Advertisement On a starkly different stage, Woo paints her face with bright theatrical make-up, wears striking costumes embroidered with flowers and headdresses adorned with pearls and lace veils, to perform Cantonese opera The 31-year-old entertainer is rare in Hong Kong for trying to appeal to audiences old and young as a cross-cultural artiste in both Cantonese opera and J-pop , which she performs with her all-girl group Otome Syndream. 'I want to be the bridge between both cultures,' said Woo. 'I hope people can appreciate the beauty of tradition and be open to pop culture.' Rika Woo interacts with a fan after an Otome Syndream performance in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters Both are struggling to draw crowds in Hong Kong amid an economic downturn and competition from overseas events. Although there are up to 1,000 Cantonese opera performances in Hong Kong each year, the art form has been on a steady decline since its golden era in the 1950s and 60s.
Reuters
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Rika Woo juggles life as Cantonese opera and J-Pop artiste
Summary Photo essay: HONG KONG, March 4 (Reuters) - Appealing to a younger audience, Rika Woo dons a white J-pop-style sleeveless top and a long white skirt embroidered with lace as she performs Japanese songs for an energetic group of fans in Hong Kong. On a starkly different stage, Woo paints her face with bright theatrical make-up, wears striking, colourful costumes embroidered with purple flowers and head-dresses adorned with pearls and lace veils, to perform Cantonese opera. The 31-year-old local entertainer is rare in Hong Kong for trying to appeal to audiences - old and young - as a cross cultural artiste in both the centuries-old art form of Cantonese opera and the modern music phenomenon of J-pop, in which she performs with her all-girl group Otome Syndream. "I want to be the bridge between both cultures" said Woo. "I hope people can appreciate the beauty of tradition and be open to pop culture." Both are struggling to draw crowds in Hong Kong amid an economic downturn and competition from overseas events. Although there are up to 1,000 Cantonese opera performances in Hong Kong each year, the art form has been on a steady decline since its golden era in the 1950s and 60s. The city's iconic Cantonese opera house, Sunbeam Theatre - open since 1972 - closes in March. For artistes, the cost of performing is high because the elaborate costumes can set them back several thousand dollars, so often outfits are borrowed. Waiting at the exit of Sunbeam Theatre, dozens of Woo's fans flocked to take pictures with her during a performance interval. "Although they might not fall in love with Cantonese opera because of my performance, at least they are not resistant to it now," Woo said, referring to signs of interest from younger people. While Cantonese opera has deep roots in Chinese culture, the underground J-pop scene only emerged in the city in 2015. For opera, Woo was influenced by her grandfather who worked on lighting for Cantonese operas. She now also teaches Cantonese opera in schools. In 2015, she studied Cantonese opera at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and joined a competition organised by a J-pop entertainment company in 2015. "It was the stage that gave me this confidence and also made me look forward to the future," Woo said. She was asked to join the city's first J-pop group in 2015, although it broke up after five years. Woo and three others - whose stage names are Ai, Rinka and Maho - established their underground J-pop-style idol group in Hong Kong in 2017 and officially debuted in Japan in 2019. Their performances were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when they swapped live shows for online streaming. Woo and her group finally grabbed the public eye in 2021 after performing at two local music festivals - Tone Music Festival and Unison Fest. "It's the first time we were invited to 'above-ground' events. Surprisingly, Hong Kongers started to accept this underground Japanese idol culture," Woo said. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Woo becoming a J-pop entertainer. "I had many difficult times and there were times that I wanted to give up," she told fans at an anniversary event. But she has the support of her mother, Emma Cheung, 64, who said her daughter's ambitions reflected generational change. "Time has changed. People now don't want to date, to get married, or to buy a flat," she said. "Our generation is more traditional, but I won't give any pressure to her, as long as she is happy." Woo is chasing her dream. "There's no age limit in chasing a dream. Today is always the youngest day of our life," she said.
