Choreographers’ Showcase 2014:
Experimental, Visionary and Dynamic Choreography

[Hong Kong – 29th September 2014] 10 of The Hong Kong Ballet’s talented dancers will be demonstrating another aspect of their creativity at the Company’s Choreographers Showcase 2014. The dancers will be choreographing 8 new creative pieces which will be performed in the intimate surroundings of the Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 28th November (Friday) to 30th November (Sunday).

This is a wonderful opportunity to see creative pieces of work that are choreographed and performed by the Company’s classically-trained artists - Candice Adea, Jessica Burrows & Sarah Yeung, Yuh Egami & Ricky Hu, Willem Houck, Li Jia-bo, Li Lin, Jonathan Spigner and Frank van Tongeren.

The Hong Kong Ballet’s performances of choreographic works by our own dancers date back to the early 1980s when many of the Company’s performers began to create their own pieces. The Choreographers Showcase serves as a platform for these dancers to display their creativity, innovation and accumulated dance experience.

“It’s perhaps no surprise that our dancers are a multi-talented bunch, and at November’s Choreographers’ Showcase 2014 we will continue the search for Hong Kong’s next choreographer,” said Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet.
 

Choreographers’ Showcase 2014 – Event and booking details
28, 29 November 2014 (Friday & Saturday) – 8PM
30 November 2014 (Sunday) – 3PM
Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
3 performances

Programme Duration: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes including 1 interval
Suitable for ages 6 and above

Prices: $250, $140
Tickets now available at URBTIX

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discounts for each purchase.

Ticketing Enquiries: 3761 6661
Credit Card Booking: 2111 5999
Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk
Programme Enquiries: 2105 9724

Make-Up Partner

 Media Partners

PROGRAMME PLUS!
Post-performance Meet-the-Artist Session
28 November 2014 (Friday) - After the evening performance
Primarily conducted in English
Admission with performance tickets
 

About the pieces & the choreographers
Hernando's Tango by Candice Adea
Inspired by the mysterious, powerful and at the same time playful characteristics of the tango music Hernando's Hideaway, Candice's work translates these qualities into movements, showcasing the dancers' own different interpretations of sensuality and power over the imagination of Hernando.
 

Candice Adea
Born in the Philippines, Candice graduated from Philippine High School for the Arts with a major in ballet in 2003 and received her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts (majoring in Dance) from De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde in 2008. She joined Ballet Philippines in 2003 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2010. Candice joined The Hong Kong Ballet as a Soloist in 2012. Candice’s extensive repertoire includes Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia and Clara in The Nutcracker as well as roles in Peter Pan, Snow White, Diana and Acteon, Vicente Nebrada’s Our Waltzes and Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature. She has won numerous accolades including the Silver Medal at the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition (senior women’s division), The Maris Liepa Award for Outstanding Artistry and Lead Role in Russian Ballet Performance Award at the Boston International Ballet Competition in 2011, the Bronze Medal at the Seoul International Dance Competition in 2011 and First Prize at the 7th Helsinki International Ballet Competition (senior women’s division) in 2012.

Swan in the Abyss by Jessica Burrows and Sarah Yeung
This project is a choreographic experiment for Jessica and Sarah. Taking a remix of popular classical music, they explore different choreographic possibilities. Swan in the Abyss creates an atmosphere with not only visuals and sounds but one that also appeals to our other senses.

Jessica Burrows
Born in Markham, Canada, Jessica graduated from the country’s National Ballet School and danced with the National Ballet of Canada for one year before joining The Hong Kong Ballet in 2010. During her time with the Company, she has danced Red Skirt soloist in In Light and Shadow; Kitri's Friend in Don Quixote; and Russian Doll in The Nutcracker. She recently performed in Stockholm as part of a friendly exchange with the Royal Swedish Ballet.
 

Sarah Yeung
Sarah Yeung was born in Hong Kong and started her ballet training with the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet at the age of four. While she trained there, Sarah received the Dame Margot Fonteyn Award 2005-07 from the Tsinforn C. Wong Memorial Scholarship to attend the Hamburg Ballet School in Germany. After dancing with Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Germany and Dutch National Ballet, Holland, she returned to Hong Kong to further study at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She joined The Hong Kong Ballet as an apprentice in 2010, and was engaged as a member of the corps de ballet in 2011.

Sarah has won several awards, including the Gold Medal at the Shenzhen International Dance Competition in 2005, Honourable Mention in the 2004 South China Morning Post Student Dancer of the Year Award, and various Gold and Silver medals at the Hong Kong Youth Ballet Stars Award during 2002-2005.

Horn by Yuh Egami & Ricky Hu
To be inherently different, in fact, is a burden; but also a luxury.

Yuh Egami
 Born in Okinawa, Japan, Yuh Egami graduated from The Royal Ballet School in London and joined The Hong Kong Ballet in 2002 as a member of the corps de ballet. In 2014, Yuh took on the additional role of répétiteur for the Company. In recent years, Yuh has presented many of his own short choreographic works including Kagé, Sakula, Collage of One, Mirage and OIOIO. He has also contributed choreography to several longer works: as Associate Choreographer, he helped Yuri Ng to create Firecracker in 2010; he worked with Ricky Hu in 2012 to choreograph White Lies, which was presented at the Company’s Emerging Choreographers: 2012 The Beginning or The End?; the following year, Yuh and Ricky were Associate Choreographers to Yuri Ng, creating The Frog Prince – A Ballet Chinois.
 

Ricky Hu
Born in Jiangxi, Ricky Hu graduated from the Shanghai Dance School (Major in Chinese Dance) in 2004 before going on to train at the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore. He received a full scholarship to study at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and later achieved an Asian Cultural Council Dance Fellowship to further his study at the Ailey School in New York. Since joining The Hong Kong Ballet in 2008, he has created works including Twins, Voicing and Play with Abandon (featured in the 40th Hong Kong Arts Festival). His collaboration with Yuh Egami, White Lies, was featured in the Company’s Emerging Choreographers: 2012 The Beginning or The End?. He also performed in Rush at the 41st Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The Continuous Search for Ātman by Willem Houck
“Ātman” is a Sanskrit word referring to Hinduism’s understanding of the real self, beyond the ego or false self. It is often interpreted as “spirit” or “soul” and indicates the true self or the essence which underpins our existence.

To Willem, it is the most unchanging and purest form of being, always within us. It is “a developed self” who has carried the process of personal development and self-reliance through to its perfection. Willem’s creation transposes the many inspiring aspects of the Ātman into a body of movement. Not only is this creative piece a means of artistic expression, it is also a demonstrationof spiritual growth – in the continuous search for Ātman.

Willem Houck
Born in Oostende, Belgium. Willem Houck trained at The Royal Ballet School in Antwerp and at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, Russia. He has performed many productions with the Royal Ballet of Flanders and Dresden Semperoper Ballet before joining The Hong Kong Ballet in 2011 as a member of the corps de ballet.

Going Home by Li Jia-bo
Inspired by Dvořák’s Symphony No.9, also known as “From the New World”, the theme of this work is “Going Home". Through this piece, Li Jia-bo aims to express how it feels to head for home, the experience of longing to be home after time on the road, and the comforting knowledge that home is where the heart is.

Many pieces of classical music feature in this work as well as some of Li Jia-bo’s own compositions which serve to smooth the transitions between the pieces. As for the movements, Li Jiabo encourages the dancers to incorporate their own feelings so that the moves portray a personal nature with a refined texture.
 

Li Jia-bo
Born in Shanghai, China, Li Jia-bo started his ballet training at the Shanghai Far East Ballet School and went on to study at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He joined The Hong Kong Ballet after graduation in 2005 as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to Soloist in 2012 and to Principal Dancer in 2014. During his time with the Company, he has danced Prince Désiré and Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty, The Prince in The Nutcracker, the Prince in Cinderella, Pao Yu in The Dream of the Red Chamber, Prince Calaf in Turandot and the male lead in A Room of Her Own, as well as roles in Steptext, Le Grand Pas de Deux and Nacho Duato’s Castrati. Li Jia-bo’s guest appearances overseas include the Prix Benois de la Danse Gala performance at the Bolshoi Theatre, the 1st Beijing Dance Festival, the International Dance Gala in Wiesbaden, Germany, and the 4th International Ballet Festival in Cali, Colombia.

Break Away by Li Lin
In the world today, we value freedom and individual will. Although each person’s idea of freedom may be unique and personal, we are all in some way restricted by different aspects of life or work. This is a non-narrative piece, expressing people’s efforts in their pursuit of freedom.

Li Lin
Born in Zhejian, China, Li Lin joined The Hong Kong Ballet in 2010 after graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy. Since then he has performed many major roles including Camille in The Merry Widow, the Lead Jester in Cinderella, von Rothbart in Swan Lake, the Shadow in Firecracker, Timur in Turandot as well as dancing in the Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle and in Nacho Duato’s Castrati. He was promoted to Soloist in 2014.

Wepart by Jonathan Spigner
“Death” and everything that surrounds it seems to have been taboo since the beginning of humanity. Jonathan’s Wepart addresses some age-old philosophical questions: perhaps we are afraid to ponder the subject of Death because of how it reflects our own mortality? However, without loss, how do we gain? Without accepting sadness how do we find happiness? Without accepting death how do we live? Through this piece, Jonathan will entice his audience to observe these abstract questions.

Jonathan Spigner
Born in the United States and trained at the South Carolina Governor’s School of Arts and Humanities and at the Princess Grace Academy in Monte Carlo. He received dance awards from Youth America Grand Prix Regional in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He joined The Hong Kong Ballet in 2010 as a member of the corps de ballet, and was promoted to Coryphée in 2014. His choreographic works include (The Wonderful Known Tick), Overview Effect and SoLo.

Watch the Witness by Frank van Tongeren
Who am I? Am I who I think I am? Am I my thoughts? If I forget the past, will I still know who I am? Would I still exist? Who is aware that I am? What, or who is the witness of that? Can that witness be watched, be observed, be witnessed itself? Frank's creation explores the dichotomy between the I that is aware and the I that I am aware of.

Frank van Tongeren
Born in Haarlem in Holland, Frank began his ballet training at Amsterdam’s National Ballet Academy before moving on to the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. In 2008, he was awarded the Dansersfonds ’79 scholarship for young professional dancers. In 2010, Frank graduated with a Bachelor of Dance degree and entered the Norwegian National Ballet. He joined The Hong Kong Ballet in 2012 and was promoted to Coryphée in 2014.

About The Hong Kong Ballet

One of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia, The Hong Kong Ballet is becoming internationally recognized as a world-class institution that represents Hong Kong’s unique character. November 2013 marked the 35th anniversary of the Company, which has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organization with accomplished dancers, a strong repertoire and technically challenging productions.

The Hong Kong Ballet’s artistic team is led by Artistic Director Madeleine Onne, with over 40 dancers originating from all over the world. Performing a repertoire that combines classical masterpieces and acclaimed contemporary works, the Company continues to commission works from today’s most sought-after choreographers. Recent commissions include new ballets from choreographers such as Fei Bo, Kinsun Chan, Wang Xin Peng, Peter Quanz, Yuri Ng, Cynthia Harvey, Terence Kohler and JormaElo.

Throughout its 35 year history, The Hong Kong Ballet has raised its international profile with more than 30 tours and prestigious accolades. The North America Tour in the summer of 2012 incorporated the company’s debut appearance at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival which was followed by an invitation to perform at the renowned Fall for Dance festival held annually in New York. In September 2013, The Hong Kong Ballet presented its production of Swan Lake at the Guangzhou Opera House, as part of the Guangzhou Arts Festival.2014 is an important year for The Hong Kong Ballet; in March 10 of the dancers performed Nacho Duato’s Castrati at the New National Theater in Tokyo, and in June the Company was invited to perform again at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. In addition, The Hong Kong Ballet received the Hong Kong Dance Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in 2014 for its production of Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow; also in 2014 two of The Hong Kong Ballet’s dancers were nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse, held annually in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theatre.

An integral part of the Company’s activities is its extensive education and community outreach program, which brings the art of ballet to students as well as to the wider community of Hong Kong. Annual events include Ballet Classics for Children, abridged versions of full-length classical ballets geared towards young audiences. The Hong Kong Ballet’s Education and Community Outreach department’s endeavors were recognized in 2014 with the Hong Kong Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth or Community Dance.

For enquiries, please contact:
Dustin Pak
Assistant Marketing Manager
The Hong Kong Ballet
+852 2105 9721
[email protected]

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Choreographers' Showcase 2014
Promotional imageDancer: Jessica Burrows
Photography: Chi Wai

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Choreographers' Showcase 2014
Promotional imageDancer: Lucas Jerkander
Photography: Chi Wai

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Choreographers' Showcase 2014
Promotional imageDancer: Li Lin
Photography: Chi Wai

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Choreographers' Showcase 2014
Promotional imageDancer: Sarah Yeung
Photography: Chi Wai

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