The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022 Captivated Guests at
Xiqu Centre’s Grand Theatre

[Hong Kong—7 December 2022] On Sunday, 4 December 2022, Hong Kong Ballet’s signature fundraiser The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022 was held at Xiqu Centre’s Grand Theatre. Following the success of last year’s Benefit, it was exciting to once again see talented children on a professional stage performing an excerpt of Septime Webre’s festive The Nutcracker, which celebrates Hong Kong’s unique history and culture. Over 380 guests attended the annual family-friendly event organised by The Hong Kong Ballet Guild.

Among the hosts were The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022 Organising Committee Co-Chairs Mrs Lillian Lee Fong, Mrs Emily Lam Ho and Mrs Emelda Wong Trainor. Distinguished guests included Ms Linda Fung, Vice-chairman of HKB Board of Governors; Ms Maya Lin, member of Hong Kong Ballet Board of Governors; Organising Committee members Mrs Colleen Yu Fung, Mrs Charlotte Tsuei-Robinson, Ms Elaine C Kwok, Professor Ava Kwong, Mrs Chloe Chen Storie, and Mrs Deirdre Fu Tcheng and many more.

The Benefit was a memorable and joyful occasion for families and friends, culminating in the much-anticipated children’s performance. For the second consecutive year, the Organising Committee coordinated a live ballet performance by 50 children in sparkling costumes on stage, where they recreated Hong Kong from a century ago with realistic sets. The Hong Kong Ballet Guild hopes that children who experience ballet at a young age will eventually nurture a life-long love of the performing arts, and the Benefit gave them an early opportunity for a meaningful ballet experience. The unique performance allowed the younger generation to learn more about early 20^th century Hong Kong to give them a deeper understanding of their city. The young performers gracefully danced to Tchaikovsky’s iconic music, and guests heartily applauded the performance.

Additionally, the Benefit’s engaging live and silent auctions and ‘Make a Pledge’ campaign raised money for HKB’s Student Ticket Fund and community outreach projects. ‘Make a Pledge’ raised much-needed funds for a new education programme ‘Dancing to Hong Kong’s Heartbeat’, which will bring ballet to underprivileged communities like low-income families and the elderly. Guests eagerly donated to help HKB continue its artistic development and to share the joy of ballet in the community.

Organising Committee Co-Chair Mrs Emily Lam Ho welcomed guests and recognised the Benefit’s generous sponsors. ‘We are very excited to celebrate in person with our beloved family and friends and witness a live performance by our children on the professional stage at this world-class venue. We are more than grateful to our dedicated Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors, patrons and donors.’

Additionally, Co-Chair Mrs Lillian Lee Fong acknowledged the Benefit team and said, ‘Special thanks to Creative Director Mrs Deirdre Fu Tcheng, who is also one of The Hong Kong Ballet Guild’s founding members, as well as one of today’s talented choreographers. Furthermore, we are indebted to Artistic Director Septime Webre, Executive Director Heidi Lee and the Hong Kong Ballet dancers and administrative team, who have all done such a fantastic job in ensuring that HKB’s reputation and artistic excellence constantly exceed expectations.’

Co-Chair Mrs Emelda Wong Trainor concluded, ‘We would like to express our deepest gratitude for everyone’s support and donations today, making it possible for Hong Kong Ballet to promote the inspiring art form of ballet to the Hong Kong community. Thank you to our brilliant emcee Robyn Lamsam and exciting auctioneer Elaine C Kwok. Lastly, we’d like to thank all the hard-working Organising Committee members for putting so much time and effort into making this such a memorable event.’

The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022

Co-Chairs:
Mrs Lillian LEE FONG, Mrs Emily LAM HO, Mrs Emelda WONG TRAINOR

Organising Committee Members:

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For further information, please contact:

Phoebe Ko | Director of Marketing, HKB | T: 21059716 | [email protected]
Jerry Qiu | Assistant Programme and Marketing Manager, HKB | T: 21059753 | [email protected]

About The Hong Kong Ballet Guild
The Hong Kong Ballet Guild was established in April 2008 by a group of Hong Kong’s most avid ballet enthusiasts. The objectives of the Guild are to promote Hong Kong Ballet, raise its public profile and preserve its heritage. By increasing awareness of and support for ballet among diverse sectors of society through extensive community engagement programmes, the Guild hopes to achieve its dual objects of developing a wider audience for Hong Kong Ballet, and fostering a society that appreciates this art form, thus enabling Hong Kong to flourish as a global cultural hub.

About Hong Kong Ballet
One of Asia’s premier ballet companies, Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is internationally recognised as a vibrant arts institution that represents Hong Kong’s unique character. Established in 1979 and led by Artistic Director Septime Webre, HKB has a dynamic repertoire performed by nearly 50 dancers from all over the globe and award-winning education and community programmes.

With almost 50 international tours, HKB has won recognition from critics and fans both at home and abroad. Its diverse repertoire includes classic and modern masterpieces, original full-length ballets created for HKB, an interactive ballet series for younger fans and groundbreaking dance by today’s most sought-after choreographers, including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylian, Nacho Duato and Trey McIntyre, among others. HKB maintains an active schedule of community initiatives throughout Hong Kong to ensure that ballet is accessible to people from all walks of life.

The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022 | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet

Photo 1: The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit 2022 Committee Members (From left) Ms Megan CHANG, Mrs Charlotte TSUEI-ROBINSON, Ms Phyllis Kimberley WANG, Ms Sarah WONG, Ms Elvira Veronica WU, Mrs Lavina TIEN HUI, Mrs Charmaine LEE YEUNG, Ms Maya LIN, Mrs Tobee HO LAU, Professor Ava KWONG, Mrs Jennifer MA CHAN, Mrs Chloe Chen STORIE, Ms Elaine C KWOK, Mrs Emelda WONG TRAINOR (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee), Mrs Emily LAM HO (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee), Ms Linda FUNG (Vice-chairman of HKB Board of Governors), Mrs Lillian LEE FONG (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee), Mrs Colleen YU FUNG, Mrs Veronica SHIH LAM, Ms LeighAnne ZHU, Ms Annick GNOCK FAH, Mrs Elaine LUI WONG, Ms Adrienne LI, Mrs Christy LIANG, Ms Jolene LIN, Mrs Ahana KOTHARI, Mrs Alicia Knapp BONILLA WIESER

Photo 2: (From left) Ms Heidi LEE (HKB Executive Director), Ms Maya LIN (Member of HKB Board of Governors and Co-Chair of The Hong Kong Ballet Guild), Ms Linda FUNG (Vice-chairman of HKB Board of Governors), Mrs Lillian LEE FONG (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee), Mr Paul CHAN, (Financial Secretary of the HKSAR), Mrs Emily LAM HO (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee), Mrs Emelda WONG TRAINOR (Co-Chair of Benefit Committee and Co-Chair of The Hong Kong Ballet Guild), Mrs Colleen YU FUNG (Co-Chair of The Hong Kong Ballet Guild)

Photo 3: (From left) Mrs Lillian LEE FONG, Mrs Emily LAM HO, Mrs Emelda WONG TRAINOR

Photo 4: Dancer: KIM Eunsil