Audiences simply fell in love with Lady of the Camellias in first weekend

“Yao Jin was sensational!”
Don’t miss the remaining four shows this week

[Hong Kong – 8 Nov 2016] One of the most anticipated ballet productions this year, Hong Kong Ballet’s Asian première of Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias made its hugelyly successful début over the weekend. Immersed in the romantic yet tragic forbidden love story of Marguerite and Armand, the audiences were deeply moved by the four brilliant performances danced by two different casts and gave extended, thundering applause to the entire ensemble.

Celebrating her upcoming 20^th anniversary as a professional ballet dancer, Principal Dancer Yao Jin showcased her deep passion and charm on stage in two performances, demonstrating her artistry at the highest level to her colleagues. After 5 November’s evening performance curtain call, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne congratulated Yao Jin onstage saying, “Yao Jin has had 20 fantastic years, and 13 of those she performed here in Hong Kong where she has danced almost every principal role in both classical and contemporary repertoire. The role of Marguerite is artistically one of the most challenging in the world of ballet, and it takes a very special ballerina to perform it. Yao Jin’s performance offered a magnificent interpretation both artistically and technically, and I look forward to enjoying her performances for many more years.” The celebration continued with an autograph session with Yao Jin and Lucas Jerkander, and a long queue of enthusiastic fans met the exceptional ballet artists in person, receiving autographs and taking numerous pictures of this memorable occasion.

Three different casts of Marguerite, danced by Yao Jin, Yu-yao Liu and Fei-fei Ye, will beguile more audiences in the four upcoming performances this Friday to Sunday. The Company’s former Principal Dancer and award-winning actress, Lindzay Chan, will continue her guest appearance in the role of Prudence. Lilting piano solos and soulful vocal performances by pianist Colleen Lee, baritone Albert Lim, and soprano Louise Kwong will accompany the passionate and touching scenes. You won’t want to miss the chance to see all these ballet and musical stars!

Lady of the Camellias will run from 11-13 November 2016 at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre for the last four performances. Tickets are priced at $680, $480, $280 and $140, with VIP tickets at $1,000, available at URBTIX now. Tickets are going fast!

Cast list for lead roles:

*Guest Appearance

About Lady of the Camellias
Lady of the Camellias is the powerful love story of renowned Parisian courtesan Marguerite Gautier, a woman suffering from a deadly illness, and a young provincial bourgeois, Armand Duval, who has to pay a steep price for love.

Throwing caution to the wind, Armand falls in love with Marguerite and becomes her only lover, convincing her to turn her back on her life as a courtesan. Their idyllic life together in the countryside is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Armand’s father. Concerned by the scandal created by the illicit relationship and fearful that it will destroy the family’s social standing, Armand’s father demands that Marguerite leave Armand. Out of her deep and sincere love for Armand, Marguerite complies and makes Armand believe that she has abandoned him for her former lover, Baron de Varville. After an emotional confrontation with a weakened Marguerite at a grand party to open the Paris social season, Armand is challenged to a duel by Baron de Varville. Alone on her deathbed, Marguerite envisions the worst about Armand and the Baron’s duel and relives her love for Armand, regretting what might have been. In spite of her past, she feels redeemed by her pure love for Armand, which offers her hope and allows her to rediscover her innocence, shattering any need to conform to society’s strict morals.

Artists
Val Caniparoli, Choreographer
Val Caniparoli’s versatility has made him one of the most sought after choreographers in the United States and abroad. Although he is most closely associated with San Francisco Ballet, his artistic home for more than 40 years and where he was former resident choreographer, Caniparoli has contributed to the repertories of more than 45 companies, including Texas Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Boston Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West (resident choreographer 1993-97), The Washington Ballet, Israel Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, State Theatre Ballet of South Africa and Tulsa Ballet (resident choreographer 2001-06 ). Caniparoli has also choreographed for the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. He has worked on several occasions with the San Francisco Symphony, most recently on the Rimsky-Korsakov opera-ballet Mlada, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.

Caniparoli has been the recipient of ten grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts, an artist fellowship from the California Arts Council, and two awards from the Choo-San Goh and H. Robert Magee Foundation. Works with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco includes choreography for A Christmas Carol, A Doll's House, A Little Night Music, Arcadia and the creation, with Carey Perloff, of a new movement-theater piece, Tosca Cafe.

Lindzay Chan, Guest Appearance as Prudence
Lindzay Chan was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese father and an English mother. She started her professional life as a ballet dancer after attending Elmhurst Ballet School and later the Royal Ballet Upper School. She has performed in Europe, China, Taiwan, Japan and Australia, rose to the rank of Principle Dancer with Hong Kong Ballet and later became assistant to the Artistic Director. After her retirement from dance, Chan sat on the Hong Kong Ballet Board of Governors for a number of years. She continues to perform as an actress for TV, cinema and stage, winning a Golden Horse Award, Taiwan's most prestigious film award and Portugal's Bronze Camellia award for best actress. Chan is honoured and thrilled to be performing with Hong Kong Ballet again where her journey first began!

Colleen Lee, Piano Soloist
Colleen Lee was Artist Associate of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in 2010/2011 and was featured in the orchestra’s tours to the South America and Italy. Since winning the sixth prize at the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005, she has performed extensively around the world and has collaborated with such orchestras as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Galacia Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestras of Israel, China, Warsaw and Sendai as well as Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Lee has been featured at festivals including the International Chopin Festival in Poland, Pianoforte-Festival Meissen in Germany and International Keyboard Festival in New York. Her performance in Magic Piano & Chopin Shorts at the 42^nd Hong Kong Arts Festival garnered rave reviews.

Lee currently teaches at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and is the Honorary Artist-in-Residence of The Education University of Hong Kong.

Albert Lim, Baritone
Albert Lim is one of the most active baritones in Hong Kong. Lim is trained at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, from which he received the Advanced Diploma and Bachelor of Music degree. Lim was admitted to the Royal College of Music in London, graduating with distinction from the Postgraduate Diploma programme in vocal studies. With his remarkable stage presence and fine lyrical singing, Lim has appeared frequently in opera and concert performances presented by Opera Hong Kong. Lim’s repertoire include Figaro from Le Nozze di Figaro, Papageno from Die Zauberflӧte, Escamillo from Carmen, Marcello from La Bohème, Ben from Menotti’s opera, The Telephone, and Umeya from Huang Ruo’s opera, Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

Lim is currently a faculty member of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also Choral Conductor of Hong Kong Children’s Choir and Assistant Chorus Master of Opera Hong Kong.

Louise Kwong, Soprano
Louise Kwong is the prize winners of numerous singing competitions, namely the second prize, Audience Prize and the Best Soprano prize at the 18^th International Singing Competition Ferruccio Tagliavini in Austria, first prize at the Singing Competition Salice d’oro 2015 in Italy, first prize at the Singing Competition Città di Iseo 2015 in Italy and second prize at the 7^th International Singing Competition Bell’arte in Belgium. She graduated from the Dutch National Opera Academy, the Conservatory of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands and the Royal College of Music, London. Her operatic roles include Cio-cio-san in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, Liù in Puccini’s Turandot, Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Anna in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena and La Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.

Kwong’s achievements were recognized by the Hong Kong SAR Government when she was awarded the Young Artist Award in Music (2014) and the Commendatory Scheme of the Secretary of Home Affairs (2015).

Performance details
11-13.11.2016
Fri 7:30pm | Sat 2:30pm & 7:30pm | Sun 2:30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
$1,000 (VIP tickets) $680, $480, $280, $140
4 performances
Suitable for ages 6 and above
The performance lasts approximately 2 hours including two intermissions

Choreography Val Caniparoli
Libretto, Concept and Score Norbert Vesak and Robert Glay de La Rose (adapted by Val Caniparoli)
Music Frederic Chopin
Set Design David Gano; Act II set designed by Robert Glay de La Rose
Costume Design Robert Glay de La Rose
Lighting Design Alice Kwong
Assistant to the Choreographer Charla Whiteley
Live Accompaniment Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Conductor Benjamin Pope
Piano Soloist Colleen Lee
Baritone (Act II) Albert Lim
Soprano (Act III) Louise Kwong

Discounts

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discounts for each purchase.
Discounts are not applicable to $1,000 VIP tickets

$1,000 VIP ticket holders Special Privilege
Present your ticket stub to Hong Kong Ballet’s reception counter (Level 2 Foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre) before the end of intermission to receive a coupon for a free drink. Each ticket stub is valid for one free drink only.

15% off food and beverage at InterContinental Hong Kong
Ticket holders can enjoy 15% off food and beverage in all restaurants and bars at InterContinental Hong Kong before or after the performance upon presentation of their tickets on the performance date. For details, please call 2313 2323 or email to [email protected].

Champagne Partner	Make-Up Partner

DOWNLOAD PRESS PHOTOS

[Click on the photo to download full image] 

Photo 1: Lady of the Camellias | Dancers: Yao Jin and Lucas Jerkander | Photographer: Keith Hiro

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Photo 2: Lady of the Camellias | Dancers: Yao Jin and Lucas Jerkander | Photographer: Conrad Dy-Liacco

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Photo 3: Lady of the Camellias | Dancers: Yao Jin, Wei Wei | Photographer: Conrad Dy-Liacco

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Photo 4: Lady of the Camellias| Lucas Jerkander, Ge Gao and Hong Kong Ballet Dancers | Photographer: Keith Hiro

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Photo 5: Lady of the Camellias | Dancers: Lin Li, Rui-xue Dong, Jie Shen and Hong Kong Ballet Dancers | Photographer: Keith Hiro

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Photo 6: Lady of the Camellias | Hong Kong Ballet Dancers | Photographer: Conrad Dy-Liacco

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Photo 7: Lady of the Camellias | Dancers: Jessica Burrows, Davit Vardanyan, Wei-nan Liu, Chun-long Leung, Miao-miao Liu, Jonathan Spigner, Ayano Haneishi, Jun Xia | Photographer: Conrad Dy-Liacco

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About Hong Kong Ballet

An eclectic mix of talent, a balance of classical and contemporary works, and a unique repertoire are the trademarks of Hong Kong Ballet, Asia’s premier ballet company. Internationally recognised and acclaimed for its creativity, talent and artistry, the Company, led by Artistic Director Madeleine Onne, is committed to providing captivating experiences that delight and inspire audiences from all walks of life, both at home and abroad.

For further information, please contact:
Nick Chan
Director of Marketing
T: 2105 9716
M: 9728 1777
[email protected]