The buzz

For a number of Hong Kong denizens, the Easter holiday weekend is a good opportunity to get away from the Big Lychee for a few days. Still, that's not to say that there's nothing of note to do for those culture vultures among us that have opted to remain in town.

Dance fans can look forward to the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2011 this evening and also performances such as Off Screen, the City Contemporary Dance Company's 2011-12 season opener (and choreographer Noel Pong Chi-kwan's first full-length work), which runs from April 22 to 24 at the Cultural Centre.

Music lovers have a choice of concerts from various genres including Canto-pop (Sky King Jacky Cheung Hok-yau's series at the Coliseum); classical music (such as concerts featuring French violinist Renaud Capucon and pianist Frank Braley playing Beethoven sonatas at the Academy for Performing Arts from April 25 to 27); and Italian metal (with dark wave band Ataraxia at Hidden Agenda on April 26).

Movie-goers of various ages are especially well served this week. Family friendly offerings abound among films opening today, with Hop - a comedy with the Easter Bunny playing a prominent role - being especially topical.

Other Category-I-rated animated movies feature a Japanese robotic cat (Doraemon the Movie: The New Record of Nobita: Spaceblazer), the mainland's Pleasant Goat (Moon Castle: The Space Adventure), a sea turtle (Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage 3D) and Thomas the Tank Engine (Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue), and a wildlife documentary on cheetahs, lions and their cubs (African Cats opens at The Grand Cinema on April 23).

Those wanting more adult film fare are hardly restricted to Category-III works such as the buzz-inducing 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy or brutally violent I Saw the Devil - since the Hong Kong International Film Festival is still going on (despite banners on its website proclaiming that the official closing date was April 5).