Fall in Love with Hong Kong Ballet in the 2020/21 Season
Featuring Septime Webre’s Romeo + Juliet world premiere,
the first turn(it)out festival and expanded HKBALLET | WORKSHOPS
[Hong Kong—1 September 2020] Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is back! The Company is thrilled to announce its 2020/21 Season lineup, which includes newly choreographed works and beloved classics. The exciting new season will offer audiences inspiring live theatre experiences that they haven’t had in months, giving them a glimpse of creativity in bloom even in challenging times.
Artistic Director Septime Webre shares, ‘The 2020/21 season is about love, pure and simple. This precious four-letter word infuses absolutely everything at HKB—love of being a dance artist and love for our amazing city, which has seen and experienced so much this past year. Love fuels the dedicated work we do and drives the innovative ways we engage with the community. Love is not about getting—it's about giving. We hope to celebrate the art of ballet with love for the arts and our city.’
The upcoming season will kick off with Nina Ananiashvili’s exuberant Don Quixote, featuring Spanish matadors and spirited ballerinas performing some of the most technically demanding choreography in classical ballet. Terence Kohler’s beloved production of The Nutcracker will return in December with fresh new surprises. The cherished family holiday tradition will inspire hope in the new year with its unforgettable Tchaikovsky score and courageous characters. Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents Balanchine's Jewels will add extra sparkle to the exciting seasonal lineup, as we celebrate the beauty and glamour of emeralds, rubies and diamonds in HKB’s debut of George Balanchine’s three-act modern masterpiece honouring the distinctive French, American and Russian balletic styles.
Last but not least is the long-awaited world premiere of China Everbright Ltd. Proudly Presents Romeo + Juliet. Adapted from Shakespeare’s timeless classic of star-crossed lovers, Webre brings a dramatic twist with his original choreography infused with martial arts in this epic historical romance. Set against the backdrop of 1960s Hong Kong, this Romeo + Juliet is HKB’s love letter to the city.
In partnership with West Kowloon Cultural District’s Freespace, the first-ever turn(it)out festival will be a glorious two-week explosion of dance, bringing together dancers, musicians and other artists with audiences of all ages in a dynamic urban dance space. At the heart of this innovative festival are three electrifying programmes: Tour-de-Force Gala, The Vivaldi/Handel Project and Ballet Classics for Children: Cinderella. Exciting fringe activities include an adventurous late-night The Orpheus Cabaret, a happy hour Epic Dance Battle, The Tutu Factory, an interactive, immersive experience centred around ballerina swag, free salon talks and ballet masterclasses for both children and adults.
An unforgettable HK PHIL x HK BALLET concert, co-produced with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, will present two new ballets choreographed by Webre set to two iconic scores under the baton of celebrated Italian violinist and conductor Fabio Biondi.
With its strong commitment to nurture talent and instill lifelong ballet appreciation in the city, HKB will expand its HKBALLET | WORKSHOPS to offer more high-quality classes for both adults and children this season at Hong Kong Cultural Centre and at its newly renovated Happy Valley studio. With a comprehensive syllabus designed by HKB’s artistic team, all ballet, pilates and yoga classes will be taught by HKB members and alumni. Not only will students focus on ballet technique, but they will also work on performance skills using classical repertoire excerpts and perform live for friends and family at the end of each term. Additionally, students and their families can attend exclusive HKB sneak peek rehearsals and enjoy a variety of behind-the-scenes opportunities. Children ages 7 and up will even have a chance to perform live onstage in select HKB productions. Depending on the COVID-19 situation and social distancing regulations, we are well prepared to make a smooth transition between in-person classes and online live streaming instruction.
Through its popular online channel HKBALLET@HOME, the Company will continue creating innovative ballet-themed content and engaging global audiences. Launched in March in response to pandemic venue closures, the channel brings the joy of ballet closer to the public and challenges preconceptions of ballet as a ‘high art’. In a medium where exciting collaborations regularly happen, the dynamic channel is a priority digital brand for HKB, with nearly 50 videos that already accumulated over 900,000 views. HKBALLET@HOME is available for free on HKB’s YouTube channel and Facebook and Instagram pages. HKB has also partnered with social media agency Digital Business Lab to strategically develop and promote its online content.
For more details, please download the Season Brochure or visit hkballet.com/2021.
Download Full Production and Guest Artist Details
Download Season Brochure
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Photo 1: Dancers (from left): Li Jiabo, Chen Zhiyao | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 2: Dancers (from left): Li Lin, Ye Feifei | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 3: Dancer: Lin Chang-yuan Kyle | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 4: Dancers: (from left, first row) Zhang Xuening, Ashleigh Bennett, Reina Sawai; (second row) Jonathan Spigner, Lin Chang-yuan Kyle; (third row) Leung Chunlong, Henry Seldon | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 5: Dancer: Wang Qingxin | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 6: Dancers: (front) Amber Lewis; (back) Yang Ruiqi, Jessica Burrows; (right) Nana Sakai | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 7: Dancers (from left): Gao Ge, Yang Ruiqi | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 8: Dancers (from left): Zhang Xuening, Nana Sakai | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 9: Dancer: Venus Villa | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 10: Dancer: Shen Jie | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 11: Dancers (from left, front): Garry Corpuz, Chen Zhiyao, Ye Feifei; (back) Venus Villa, Wei Wei | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 12: Dancers (from left, front): Leung Saulong, Ma Renjie, Wang Yueh Erica, Kim Eunsil, Lai Pui Ki Peggy, Forrest Rain Oliveros, Cheng Hei Lam Michelle, Wang Zi; (back) Leung Sze Chai Cindy, Xu Shentian, Ethan Chudnow, Yuen Ao Xin Hennes, Luis Cabrera, Zhu Jiaying, Kan Ka Kit Jordan, Jackson Dwyer | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 13: Dancer: Lin Chang-yuan Kyle | Photography: Issac Lam | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 14: Don Quixote promotional image | Dancers (from left): Li Jiabo, Ye Feifei | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 15: The Nutcracker promotional image | Dancers (from left): Dong Ruixue, Shen Jie | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 16: turn(it)out festival promotional image | Dancer: Ashleigh Bennett | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 17: turn(it)out festival: Tour-de-Force Gala promotional image | Dancers (from left): Shen Jie, Venus Villa, Leung Chun Long | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 18: turn(it)out festival: The Vivaldi/Handel Project promotional image | Dancer: Ma Renjie | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 19: turn(it)out festival: Ballet Classics for Children: Cinderella promotional image | Dancer: Amber Lewis | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 20: turn(it)out festival promotional image | Dancers (from left): Ashleigh Bennett, Ethan Chudnow | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 21: Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents Balanchine’s Jewels promotional image | Dancers (from left): Chen Zhiyao, Yang Ruiqi, Venus Villa | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 22: Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents Balanchine’s Jewels promotional image | Dancers (from left): Venus Villa, Leung Chunlong, Li Jiabo, Chen Zhiyao, Henry Seldon, Yang Ruiqi | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 23: China Everbright Ltd. Proudly Presents Romeo + Juliet promotional image | Dancers (from left): Chen Zhiyao, Li Lin | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 24: China Everbright Ltd. Proudly Presents Romeo + Juliet promotional image | Dancers (from left): Li Lin, Chen Zhiyao | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 25: China Everbright Ltd. Proudly Presents Romeo + Juliet promotional image | Dancers (from left): Garry Corpuz, Wang Qingxin | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 26: China Everbright Ltd. Proudly Presents Romeo + Juliet promotional image | Dancers (from left): Garry Corpuz, Forrest Rain Oliveros | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 27: HK Phil x HK Ballet | Fabio Biondi promotional image | (From top) Lin Chang-yuan Kyle, Corps de Ballet member of HKB; Dora Lam, Assistant Principal Cello of HKPhil | Photography: SWKit | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 28: HKBALLET | WORKSHOPS promotional image | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 29: HKBALLET@HOME | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
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, the Company 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 the Company, 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.
For further information, please contact:
Nick Chan
Director of Marketing
T: (852) 2105 9716
M: (852) 9728 1777
[email protected]
Nichol Chau
Senior Marketing Officer
T: (852) 2105 9753
M: (852) 5632 1755
[email protected]
