More for May: Eclectic Hong Kong Events and Activities for All this Month

April 30th 2014 May mayhem is here, meaning a whole new string of activities and events to keep you busy and in trouble. Start the beginning of the blistering summer season right with our recommendations of Learning, Arts & Culture, Fun & Frolics, and Fitness & Wellbeing happenings to keep you skipping along with a spring in your step all month. Summer Learning Is the thought of the upcoming summer holidays making your brain a little lazy? Put mind over matter and give it a boost and with PowerBrainRX’s adult programmes. You’re sure to think 10 years younger, even if you don’t feel it! Continue expanding your horizons by exploring the world and experiencing a different culture right here in Hong Kong. Italian connoisseurs Dante Aligheri Society are running two tasty Italian workshops this month. Sign up for their ‘Eat! Learn! Travel’ seminar on May 22nd, or go the whole hog and ‘Bite the Italian Language’ in your lunch break (12.30pm - 1.30pm) every Wednesday until July 2nd. You’ll end the month somewhat bilingual and very full! Alternately, explore a whole new world with African Drumming and Dance Connection’s Djembe and Dance courses. Open to both beginners and intermediate students, the classes will leave you dancing and drumming to the beat of the world’s most mysterious continent! If you just welcomed a new member into your family, the whole household will no doubt be on a very steep learning curve. Baby and Me Massage provides the perfect course in hands-on bonding that’ll bring you closer to your bundle of joy. Sign up for one of their May sessions, being held on May 5th and 10th, and leave happy and relaxed all round. Looking for a greener way to do business? Catch Blake Ireland, managing director of Life Solutions, when he speaks at building and facility managing conference Moving into the Frontier (HKEC) on May 7th. Blake will be be discussing the most sustainable ways of supplying fresh water to the workplace, while other talks will cover technology, finance and strategy. Want to improve your business from more of an operations standpoint? Corporate training gurus General Assembly are hosting an online class on May 6th on Essential Negotiating Strategies. Learn the right way to win influence with investors, vendors, clients and employees for just US$25. Are you a dance and fitness junkie? Pole Paradise Studio is hosting some great workshops this May that will help you take your skills to the next level. New to performing? Learn to master the stage with Maggie Blue O’Hara’s ‘Power of Performance Workshop’ on May 17th. If you think you’re ready to go from student to teacher however, sign up for the Teacher Qualification course on May 24th. You never know, you could be the next star aerial instructor at PPS! Want to turn your doodles into masterpieces? Head over to North Point’s Hong Kong Art Tutoring for the new round of their five-week Life Drawing Course. Take your pick between Thursday classes (April 30th, May 8th, May 15th and May 29th) or Saturday classes (May 3rd, May 10th, May 17th, May 24th and May 31st) for HK$2,500, including all materials. Both beginners and experienced artists are welcome. Arts & Culture French culture will be making its presence felt more than usual in Hong Kong this month with Le French May art and culture festival (May 2nd - June 2nd). Our favourite French art gallery Rouge Ephemere will be taking part with the beautiful ‘Emotional Abstraction’ exhibition by Jean Soyer. Be sure to stop by their Hollywood Road studio and see something stunning. Sommeliers etc wine shop are also giving a nod to the French festival with their Rhone Valley Class on May 8th. Discover six full-body wines from the region for just HK$350. Email [email protected] to RSVP. Let Dante Alighieri Society move you over to Italy with their various cultural workshops this May. Expand your operatic knowledge with introductions to Faust (May 7th) and Don Giovanni (May 28th). If the world of Italian Art entices you more however, explore Futurism and the Italian Avant-Garde on May 8th. As usual, the Hong Kong Philharmonic never disappoints, and will be offering an endless classical music menu for the month of May. They kick off with an ode to a comedic legend with Charlie Chaplin – City Lights (May 2nd & 3rd), followed by Henning Kraggerud’s Eight Seasons (May 16th & 17th) - Psst! Win 2 tickets by entering our competition before May 5th. Continue your musical journey with Songs of the Auvergne (May 23rd & 24th), and end the month with a performance of Beethoven by Emanuel Ax (May 30th and 31st). If you’re looking to get the kids involved in similar musical delights, see Chaplin’s music restyled in the Swire Sunday Family Concert on May 4th, or give them something to aspire to at the popular The Young Mozart concert on May 9th and 10th. Fun & Frolics The sun’s out, so get the guns out and soak up that vitamin D. If you and your partner are sporty types, get in some bonding time and join Hong Kong Yachting for their Couples Fitness Challenge on May 17th. Head over to Discovery Bay to test your combined steel in a 5km run, a series of strength-based couple challenges, swimming and even an inflatable assault course. The winners will receive a beach holiday package in Koh Samui and the pleasure of knowing the HK$550 registration fee is going to the Crossroads Foundation! You can always count on Localiiz favourite party starters Boujis to help the month go faster with some great evening events. Bring out your best hat and celebrate the first three races of the Kentucky Derby on May 1st, and continue the fun with Margaritas and all things Mexican at the Cinco De Mayo event on May 8th. Class up your drinking activities with a night of wine tasting courtesy of etc wine shop. Feel that bubbly buzz when sampling the newly released 2002 vintage from Champagne Salon on May 12th. Alternately, visit our favourite beer gurus AmeriCraft Imports at the brand new PMQ Night Market on May 2nd to 4th, where you’ll be able to taste free samples of their latest brews! Fancy a good chuckle this month? Localiiz’s favourite comedy club Punchline is back this with the famous Whose Line Is It Anyway improv extravaganza on May 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th. Featuring Andy Smart, Stephen Frost, Steven Steen and Ian Coppinger from the UK TV show of the same name, the night is sure to be quite the ruckus riot. Look out for our upcoming interview with Stephen! For some quality live music, head up The Peak on May 2nd and catch the Sonar Lights concert, courtesy of The Underground HK. With the Time Traveller as the opening act, this is one Hong Kong night out not to be missed. Tickets are HK$120 in advance and HK$150 on the door. For something completely different, put your map reading skills to the test with Sideways Driving Club’s Hong Kong Street Circuit Competition! Get yourself on Google maps, plan out the best route for a Hong Kong Formula 1 track and submit your design for the chance to see it brought to life on Sideways virtual driving software! Send all entries to [email protected] by 5pm on June 23rd. Fitness & Wellbeing May hails the start of the summer months, so it’s crucial to get in shape both physically and mentally. Did you know you could be getting the basics wrong? Two of our businesses, Buteyko Asia and Integrated Medicine Institute (IMI), have come together to host an Introductory Class in Buteyko on May 29th, where you will learn to breathe optimally. If your breathing difficulties stem more from allergies, try Deep Sea Cosmetics’ Halotherapy treatment instead. The salt therapy is a great way of improving asthma, allergies, eczema and many other health problems. Think this could signify the end of your endless sneezes? For enquiries, make contact via their Localiiz page. Alternately, learn to identify and heal your health problems internally with IMI’s BodyTalk holistic healing programme. The next free session is on May 14th, so go along and start listening to your body. Those ladies experiencing major PMS issues can also attend The Home Cure: A Vital Women Workshop with Monica Procter on May 20th. Set those wacky hormones right with advice on herbs, supplements and dietary and behavioural changes. Ready to clear your body of toxins and stay trim and slim for the summer months? Orientation for both IMI’s Clinical Detox and Naturopathic Detox programmes will be held on May 14th and May 29th respectively. Not sure which is right for you? Check out our insider guide to The Best Hong Kong Detoxes. May must be the month for collaboration, as another two of our favourite businesses, Mayarya and Gecko Yoga, are teaming up for a prenatal partner yoga event on May 11th at Mayarya Stanley. Sign up for the class here. Not pregnant but still interested in some yogi fun? Head to Shakti Healing Circle for their five-week course in Kundalini Yoga with Neil Irwin from April 28th to May 26th. Getting your body ready for the summer? Become a bikini bod goddess with the help of Inspire Fitness Studio's Summer Slim Fit Programme! The 10-session programme is currently being offered at a 50% discount. For HK$3,888, these personal trainers will whip you into the best shape of your life. You'll be hotter than summer itself! For more tough training, join Gorilla Strong for their Introduction to Kettlebell Basics course on May 3rd. Catering to beginners, the class will teach newbies the proper techniques of using kettlebells in a workout. Once you know the basics, you’ll be as strong as a gorilla in no time! Have fun while you work out and shed the pounds with some dance classes this month! Get suave and sensual with Argentinian Tango classes at Sirio Dance Studio Boutique. The sexy style will improve your posture, increase your balance and teach you about tango culture and music. Muy Caliente! Classes are available in private and group settings. just visit their Localiiz Page to enquire. Work off those calories with some more sexy steps at Southern School of Dance’s newly launched a Ladies Zumba Class! Instructor Mary Grace will be teaching students at Shaw House all this month, so book yourself a spot now! If you’re already dancer or an athlete and want to push your skills further, swing by Pole Paradise Studio’s Gymnastic Workshop on May 17th, where you’ll learn the basics to take you to the next level in your discipline. The next Hoop Trial Class will also be held on May 17th, available for just HK$100 to non-members and totally free for men! If you’re one of the unlucky few who can’t afford to take a holiday this summer, keep your mind at ease and freak out free with Integrated Medicine Institute’s (IMI) Tai Chi classes, starting on May 7th. Facilitated by Dr Michael Back, each class costs HK$150, with a package price of HK$500 for four.

If meditation is your soother, Kadampa Meditation Centre is running their regular Tuesday night meditation sessions throughout the month. If that timing doesn’t work for you however, don’t fret! Head over to their DB classes on May 1st and 15th instead. Have a chilled one!

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