The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Appoints Professor Anna CY Chan as New Director with effect from 18 April 2025
The Council of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (the Academy) announces the appointment of Professor Anna CY Chan as the new Director of the Academy with effect from 18 April 2025.
Professor Chan is a leader with a combination of artistic excellence, extensive management experience and vast industry network. Having dedicated 35 years to advancing the performing arts and arts education, her leadership could be illustrated by her impact on the global performing arts landscape. From 2014 to 2018, she was the inaugural Head of Dance at the Performing Arts at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. Since then, she has taken up the role as the Dean of the School of Dance of the Academy.
Professor Chan received her professional dance training in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK and holds a Professional Dancer Diploma from the Royal Ballet School (London), an MA degree in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey and M.Ed degree from the University of Sheffield.
Mr. Charles Yang, Council Chairman of the Academy said: “On behalf of the Council, I am pleased to appoint Professor Anna CY Chan to serve as the next Academy Director. Anna is a dedicated educator as well as a well-respected professional in the performing arts industry, both locally and internationally. I am confident that with her extensive experience, network with the creative industries and strong commitment to serving the Academy community, she will lead the Academy to a new height with further advancements covering important aspects in performing arts education and arts and culture development for the region.”
Professor Chan expressed that, "I am deeply honoured to be entrusted with the opportunity to lead The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at this significant moment in its history, as we celebrate its 40th Anniversary. I look forward to working closely with our Academy Council, stakeholders, colleagues, and students to build on this strong foundation. Positioned within the dynamic Greater Bay Area, we are uniquely placed to enrich the region’s arts and cultural landscape, leveraging our distinctive role to inspire creativity while further strengthening our global standing as a leading performing arts institution."
=====
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (www.hkapa.edu)
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), established by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Ordinance in 1984, is a leading tertiary institution in the performing arts in Asia. It provides professional undergraduate education and practice-based postgraduate studies. The study encompasses Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Its educational philosophy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions, and interdisciplinary learning.
Since 2008, the Academy has attained the Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status awarded by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) to self-monitor and accredit its own undergraduate and post-secondary programmes in the five programme areas of Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Since 2016, the PAA status has been extended to cover Master’s Degree programmes and below; and since 2023, the programmes operated by the School of Chinese Opera accredited by HKCAAVQ has also received PAA status for its post-secondary and undergraduate programmes.
Besides the main campus in Wanchai, Béthanie, the site of the Academy’s Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam, has housed training facilities for the School of Film and Television since 2006.
In the QS University Rankings announced in 2024, the Academy ranks 1st in Asia in the Performing Arts category.