Hong Kong Ballet Finds a New Stage Online
[Hong Kong—18 June 2020] Although live performances have been on hiatus due to COVID-19, Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) has quickly adapted and created fresh, interactive videos to engage with audiences online on social media including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Now in its fourteenth week since launching on 16 March, the new HKBALLET@HOME online channel has garnered over 660,000 views on HKB’s official platforms, connecting with ballet lovers across the globe. Beginning on 15 June, part of the series will be available on MOViE MOViE on Demand (Now TV Ch 116) & MOViE MOViE PLAY (Now E).
One of the first local performing arts channels launched during the pandemic, HKBALLET@HOME currently has over 40 entertaining ballet-themed episodes, ranging from knowledge-based talk shows ‘ballet-blah-blah-blah’, ‘Barre Classes Online’, to fun cooking and game shows like ‘Ballerina Chef’ and ‘Ballet 101’ that cater to the general public as well as ballet lovers of all levels.
A creative partnership with PUMA has resulted in the engaging ‘HKBallet x PUMA Ballet Workout Series’, which focuses on flexibility and core/muscle strengthening for both children and adults. Also, HKB x M.A.C will have some upcoming makeup tutorials inspired by Romeo + Juliet, and Perrier-Jouët champagne will be featured in a fun summer cocktail tutorial, with our dancers sharing how they pursue their professional dance careers in Hong Kong. In the spirit of its former ‘Never Standing Still’ slogan, HKB proves how crisis breeds creativity with its online content.
HKBALLET@HOME is available for free on HKB’s YouTube channel, Facebook and Instagram pages. Some videos are now available on MOViE MOViE on Demand (Now TV Ch 116) & MOViE MOViE PLAY (Now E). For details of each episode, please refer to Appendix I.
In addition to producing its own original content, HKB collaborated with UK-based company Corey Baker Dance on two short dance films, Spaghetti Junction and Lying Together, which premiered on BBC’s Culture in Quarantine. Set in various iconic UK and Hong Kong landscapes, these two powerful pieces innovatively use choreography and cinematography to cross national boundaries with a timely message of climate change and biodiversity. Hong Kong audiences can watch the videos on BBC website or via the links listed in Appendix II.
Appendix I: HKBALLET@HOME
Ballet Goes Viral
1. ballet-blah-blah-blah
To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, HKB invited founding member Mary Griffiths to share about how the Company began as well as some world-renowned guest artists from International Gala of Stars to discuss their experiences with Company principal dancers Ye Feifei and Li Jiabo.
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Odette, Odile & Me |
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My Life as a Male Ballet Dancer |
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Conversation with Hong Kong Ballet Founder Mary Griffiths |
2. Ballerina Chef
HKB dancers share their secret recipes and demonstrate their talent in the kitchen! From buying fresh food in the market to serving their favourite dishes on the table, our ballerina chefs will show us their creative cooking styles and how they eat healthy!
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Nana's Kitchen |
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Li+Ma Kitchen |
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Ashleigh's Kitchen |
3. Ballet 101
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The Art of Pointe Shoes Part I: WATCH HK Ballet Game Show Challenge your ABCs ─ Animals, Balances & Companies Boys vs Girls Test your brain and muscles! Ballet music battle ground! Charades with ballet |
Barre Classes Online
Take ballet classes at home using only a chair! Join HKB dancers Leung Saulong, Cheng Hei Lam Michelle, Ashleigh Bennett and Ballet Master Yuh Egami for a series of exciting online ballet barre classes. Exercise with elegant ballet choreography at Pre-Beginner, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Tune in and develop the grace to move beautifully!
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Pre-Beginner Class |
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Beginner Class |
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Intermediate Class |
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Advanced Class |
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Barre Class with Ballet Master Luis R. Torres |
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Barre Class with Ballet Mistress Tang Min |
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Strengthening Class for Ballet Students |
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Elementary Barre Class for Kids |
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HK Ballet x PUMA Ballet Workout Series EP1 EP2 |
Flashback Friday
Relax with excerpts of the HKB’s classic performances and other amazing videos. Be inspired by the artistic excellence of HKB dance artists!
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World Ballet Day 2019 |
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Hong Kong Ballet’s 40th Anniversary Video |
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The Unheard Beat |
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Interview with Artistic Director Septime Webre |
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2018/19 Season Brand Campaign Behind-the-scenes |
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Hong Kong Ballet’s 35th Anniversary Video |
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Highlights of Classical Ballets |
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Highlights of Contemporary Ballets |
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Highlights of New Story Ballets |
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Highlights of The Great Gatsby |
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Highlights of Contemporary Ballet II |
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Highlights of Classical Ballets II |
Love from HKB
Our Ballet Master Yuh Egami brings together our dancers and members of the Artistic Team for a special #WorkFromHome performance, sending our love and greetings to all parts of the world through DANCE!
Director & Editing: Yuh Egami
Music: Mike Orange
Appendix II: Short Films Co-presented with Corey Baker Dance
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Spaghetti Junction |
Featured dancers: |
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Lying Together |
Featured dancers: |
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Photo 1: HKBALLET@HOME | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 2: HKBALLET@HOME – Barre Class Online - Pre-Beginner Class | From left: Leung Saulong, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher); Stella Chang, Alice Fung (Dancers) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 3: HKBALLET@HOME – Barre Class Online - Beginner Class | From left: Alice Fung (Dancer); Cheng Hei Lam Michelle, Apprentice of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher); Lemuel Ma (Dancer) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 4: HKBALLET@HOME - Barre Class Online - Intermediate Class | From left: Ashleigh Bennett, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher); Leung Sze Chai Cindy, Wong Yuet Tung Jasmine (Dancers) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 5: HKBALLET@HOME - Barre Class Online - Advanced Class | From left: Zhang Xuening, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet; Ivana Wong (Dancers); Yuh Egami, Ballet Master of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 6: HKBALLET@HOME - Barre Class Online - Barre Class with Ballet Master Luis R. Torres | From left: Luis R. Torres, Ballet Master of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher); Jackson Dwyer, Coryphée of Hong Kong Ballet, Chen Zhiyao; Principal Dancer of Hong Kong Ballet (Dancers) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 7: HKBALLET@HOME - Barre Class Online - Barre Class with Ballet Mistress Tang Min | From left: Garry Corpuz, Coryphée of Hong Kong Ballet; Yang Ruiqi, Coryphée of Hong Kong Ballet (Dancers); Tang Min, Ballet Mistress of Hong Kong Ballet (Teacher) | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 8: From left: Yuen Ao Xin Hennes, Apprentice of Hong Kong Ballet; Lai Pui Ki Peggy, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet; Leung Saulong, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 9: HKBALLET@HOME – Nana's Kitchen | From left: Nana Sakai, Member of Corps de Ballet; Luis Cabrera, Coryphée | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 10: HKBALLET@HOME – Li+Ma Kitchen | From left: Li Lin, Principal Dancer of Hong Kong Ballet; Ma Renjie, Soloist of Hong Kong Ballet | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 11: HKBALLET@HOME – Ashleigh's Kitchen | From left: Henry Seldon, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet; Ashleigh Bennett, Member of Corps de Ballet of Hong Kong Ballet | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 12: HKBALLET@HOME – The Art of Pointe Shoes Part I | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 13: HKBALLET@HOME – HK Ballet Game Show - Challenge your ABCs ─ Animals, Balances & Companies | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 14: HKBALLET@HOME – ballet-blah-blah-blah - Odette, Odile & Me | From left: Dorothée Gilbert, Etoile, Paris Opera Ballet; Kondo Ako, Principal Artist, The Australian Ballet; Tan Yuanyuan, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet; Ye Feifei, Principal Dancer, Hong Kong Ballet; Septime Webre, Artistic Director, Hong Kong Ballet | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 15: HKBALLET@HOME – Love from HKB | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 16: Spaghetti Junction | Credit: Corey Baker Dance
Photo 17: Lying Together | Credit: Corey Baker Dance
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]
