Dancing in the breeze of spring are the melodies from student performances in the first-floor lobby at HFI. From March 22 to March 30, you would find a wide variety of artistic expressions in the realms of HFI. Officially held from March 27th to March 30th HFI's Fine Arts Week is an annual event that provides an unrestricted platform for the talents and passions of students and teachers. It is a time to appreciate the beauty and diversity of artistic expression, and to awaken our senses and emotions through art.

C.L.A.P. is the leading group of organizers for this event. Together with the school’s drama class groups, they chose the theme "Awaken” for this year’s  third annual Fine Arts Week. The theme invites us to explore the meaning and significance of awakeningin different ways: it can be awakening from a dream, awakening to a new reality, awakening to our true selves, or awakening to a social cause. What really matters is that it challenges us to express these realizations artistically.

Tracy from drama class shared that although preparing for the eventwas time-consuming, they all enjoyed the process very much. To her, the meaning of "Awaken" is to find the vitality and perception of ourselves in the drift of reality. She was really fond of the design of this event, including the collaborative painting and embroidery in the lobby, which not only had a high degree of freedom but also allowed each of them to think carefully about what they wanted to express.

Layla from CLAP has a deep understanding towards the theme of Awaken. She believed that the interpretation of the word “Awaken” can be split into its literal meaning and its spiritual implications. The focusof the entire activity is to let students call on their past and make connections with the present. Its primary purpose is to let students remember to always live up to their authentic selves.

To reflect the theme of "Awaken", Fine Arts Week featuresa variety of special events that provide a platform for the talents and passions of students and teachers.

• Art Exhibition: The art exhibition displayed the works of students from different clubs and classes, such as photography from Focus, art from Gallery Global Society, and other paintings, and sculptures. The exhibition displayshow students interpret the theme of "Awaken" differently through a variety of media and styles. The exhibition ran for a week in the lobby.
• HFI's Got Talent: HFI's Got Talent features performances from students and teachers in various categories, such as music, dance, comedy, magic, and more. Performers can express their emotions and thoughts freely through their creativity and skillson the stage of HFI.

“Fine arts week provides a good opportunity for students to express themselves on the stage. Normally there was only a single day for the performance. But now the activities have expanded into different fields such as the art exhibition and HFI’s Got Talent. We can see people who would not normally go on stage before are currently performing on stage and having experiences they never had before.”

When asked for expectations towards the future of HFI’s Fine Arts Week, Sheldon says:

“The future is unknown. But we are always looking forward to seeing new individuals who may not have engaged in the previous year’s fine arts week showing off their talents on stage.

But intervals between different shows can be shortened so the performance won’t last for a very long time. ”

Planning: Selena Yao

Writing: Michael Wang

Interview: Bonnie Liu, Florence Yin, Morgan Lin, Selena Yao

Edit: Marry Zhou

Photograph: Selena Yao