Hong Kong Ballet presents 
Hong Kong Cool

An explosive celebration of local trend-setting creative class with seven world premieres

[Hong Kong – 24 July 2018] Hong Kong Ballet announces its newest production Hong Kong Cool, a dynamic collaboration with West Kowloon Cultural District and Hong Kong Art School (a division of Hong Kong Arts Centre) that brings together local choreographers and artists in different media. A celebratory fusion of ballet, music, visual arts and fashion, Hong Kong Cool features eight dance-makers paired with composers, painters, sculptors, fashion designers and video artists, creating something truly unique in a city known for its one-of-a-kind events.

Featured artist pairings include:

- Yuh Egami (Choreographer) x Mike Yip* (Composer) x James Kong (Multimedia Artist)
- Li Jiabo (Choreographer) x He Chaoya^# (Choreographer) x Tsui Chin Hung* (Composer) x Rachel Cheung (Ceramics Artist)
- Hu Song Wei Ricky (Choreographer) x Olivier Cong* (Composer)
- Leung Chunlong (Choreographer) x Heung Kin Fung Alex (Painter)
- Li Lin (Choreographer) x Yeung Chin (Fashion Designer)
- Forrest Rain Oliveros (Choreographer) x Chloe Ho (Painter)
- Jonathan Spigner (Choreographer) x Tsang Man Fu Matthew (Visual Artist)

Experience Hong Kong’s vibrant, trend-setting creative class up close at Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s intimate Studio Theatre 13-16 September 2018 at 8:00pm. Tickets ($300, $200) are available at URBTIX now.

After the show, guests can mingle with their favourite dancer over a drink and then enjoy a late-night screening of The Unheard Beat. This new documentary from film director Oliver Shing reveals the sweat, passion, disappointment and triumph behind the creative process, featuring Yuh Egami, Hu Song Wei Ricky and other Hong Kong Ballet dancers.

About the works and artists

Wordless Letter* - Yuh Egami x Mike Yip* x James Kong
Moved by Virginia Woolf’s suicide note, Yuh Egami was challenged by both the choreography and the choreographic method when creating this new work. Combining Mike Yip’s original music with James Kong’s multimedia design and Perception Neuron technology, Wordless Letter will lead you to imagine things that can’t be seen.

Yuh Egami, Choreographer

Born in Okinawa, Japan, Yuh Egami graduated from The Royal Ballet School in London and joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2002. He assumed the additional role of Répétiteur in 2014 and became Assistant Ballet Master in 2018.

Egami has presented his works at Hong Kong Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase, including Horn (2014) and White Lies (2012) with Hu Song Wei Ricky, OIOIO (2011), Mirage (2010), Collage of One (2008), Sakula (2007) and Kagé (2005). He has also contributed choreography to several full-length works including Carmen (2017), co-choreographed with Hu, The Frog Prince-A Ballet Chinois (2013) together with Hu and as associate choreographer to Yuri Ng and Firecracker (2010) as an associate choreographer to Ng. His work Bolero (2015) with Hu, won Outstanding Ensemble performance at the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2016. Egami has also collaborated with music composer Mike Orange for the “New Works Forum: Choreographer & Composer Lab” by West Kowloon Cultural District in 2016.

Egami also re-choreographed Ng’s Devil’s Tale for Architanz, Japan in 2015 and choreographed Sonographer (2011) and Firefly (2016) for E-side Dance Company and Peter and the Wolf (2018) for Le Studio Ballet in Hong Kong.

Mike Yip*, Composer, Improviser & Experimentalist

Mike Yip is a composer, improviser and experimentalist whose work is characterized by a cross-boundary approach to cultures, traditions and genres, as well as experimentation in new performance practice and improvisation. His recent research focused on the potential use of electric guitar in concerts and on combining electric instruments, Western traditional instruments, ethnic instruments and signal-processing technology in music compositions.

Yip studied jazz guitar with renowned guitarist Eugene Pao and completed postgraduate studies in composition under Professor Chan Hing Yan’s supervision. He is currently a member of contemporary jazz group Mo-Men-T and an Ensemble Associate of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.

James Kong, Multimedia Artist

James Kong graduated from the School of Creative Media with a Bachelor of Science degree. He designs and develops interactive software for dance theatres and also works as a mobile software engineer. Kong is dedicated to human-computer interaction research, applies multimedia techniques in theatres and explores the potential of computational media in theatre. Skilled in programming, he has been invited to develop software for exhibitions and interactive installations. He participated in RAM CAMP in Kyoto 2017, exchanging ideas with other Asian dancers and programmers about interactive media in dance theatre.

Empty Awakening* - Li Jiabo x He Chaoya x Tsui Chin Hung* x Rachel Cheung
Possessing immerse strength, Wukong is trapped in lust and feeling lost during his quest for truth. Choreographers Li Jiabo and He Chaoya, musician Tsui Chin Hung, Sculptor Rachel Cheung and the dancers showcase the wisdom inspired through the creative process.

Li Jiabo, Choreographer

Born in Shanghai, China, Li Jiabo trained at Shanghai Far East Ballet School and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2005, was named Soloist in 2012 and became Principal Dancer in 2014.

Since joining the Company, Li has presented choreographic works at Hong Kong Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase, including Infinity Awaits (2017) and Night Thoughts (2016) with Ho Chaoya, Keep Watch (2015), Going Home (2014), Unable to Rewind (2012) and Ambush (2008). He also choreographed Something We Always Carry (2013).

He Chaoya^#, Choreographer

A graduate of the Guangzhou Dance School’s Chinese Dance Department, He Chaoya received a full scholarship to study at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He is a recipient of gold medals at the National Minorities Performance Gala, Guangdong Song of Youth Dance Competition and the Guangzhou Architecture Cup National Social Dance Competition (Youth category).

He joined the Hong Kong Dance Company in 2007. He was featured in various pas de deux: Antelopes of the Snow in Dance Roots, Shadow in Red – Red or Black in Two Swallows –Ode to Wu Guanzhong, Hometown in Pop Classics: Joseph Koo’s Dance Melodies 2013, Love Song with Drums in Dream of the Past: Ancient Chinese Court Dances and Fluttering Hearts in Kaleidoscope of Dance from Yunnan. He also played the role of Old Zhou in Plateau Bluebellsand Young Master in Red Poppies (2014 re-run). His recent works co-choreographed with Li Jiabo Night Thoughts and Infinity Awaits were presented at Hong Kong Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase 2016 and 2017.

Tsui Chin Hung*, Composer

Tsui Chin Hung is a local composer, orchestrator and guitarist who has performed for many renowned singers. He was the Music Director for 45mins Soulmate (2016) by Kearen Pang Production and Media Asia Music and composed original scores for ALEA III Contemporary Music Ensemble’s concert (2014), Postcolonial God of Food (2014) by On and On Theatre Workshop and other short films.

Tsui studied at Berklee College of Music on scholarship and graduated with a degree in composition. He also studied guitar and conducting in the US. He was awarded Outstanding Stylist Award from Musicians Institute for his guitar work.

Rachel Cheung, Ceramics Artist

Rachel Cheung has unique expertise in ceramics and glass art. She was awarded the Prize of Excellence at the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition 2001 and the ‘Artists in the Neighbourhood Scheme II’ Award in 2002. Additionally, she was invited to participate in the International Biennale of Contemporary Ceramics 2006 in Vallauris, France and exhibited her works at ‘Fukutake House – Asia Art Platform’ at the Setouchi Triennale 2016 in Japan. Her works are widely collected by museums, including Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Taiwan Yingge Ceramics Museum, corporations and private patrons.

When You See* -  Hu Song Wei Ricky x Olivier Cong*
Working with Hu Song Wei Ricky’s exquisite, sentimental choreography and Olivier Cong’s original music, When You See believes that when there is love, there is hope, even if time cannot cure all past pain.

Hu Song Wei Ricky, Choreographer

Born in Jiangxi, China, Hu Song Wei Ricky trained at Shanghai Dance School, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Hu joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2008 and was named Coryphée in 2015.

His choreographic works with the company include Demons (2017), Carmen (2017), Horn (2014) and White Lies (2012) with Yuh Egami; The Frog Prince–A Ballet Chinois (2013) as Associate Choreographer with Yuh Egami to Yuri Ng; Voicing (2011) and Twins (2010) for Hong Kong Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase. Other choreographic works include Skyfall (2018) for Shanghai Dance Theatre; Mirage (2017) for China Shanghai International Arts Festival 2018; Look Up 2.0 (2016) and Look Up (2015), by the invitation of National University of Singapore Arts Festival; Rush(2013), Play with Abandon (2012) for Hong Kong Arts Festival; Blank Space (2013) by the invitation of Re: Dance Theatre (RDT) in Singapore; and Lost in Memory (2013) for D. Lab Dance Shanghai.

His work Bolero (2015) with Yuh Egami, performed by the Company, won Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2016. He also received the Award for Young Artist in Dance at the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards in 2012.

Olivier Cong*, Composer

Olivier Cong is a songwriter whose musical style is consistently hollow, dark and spacious. He travelled and performed throughout Europe in 2016, he was also invited to perform at Wow and Flutter Weekend and Clockenflap later that year. He then co-created the music label “Raven & The Sea Music Production Limited” in 2017.

Cong and his debut album A Ghost and His Paintings (2018) were chosen by Apple Music to be featured as the first "Hong Kong Spotlight Artist". He has also composed soundtracks and did arrangements on various occasions, including a theatrical piece, TV commercials, documentaries, dance pieces and art exhibitions.

（I）- Leung Chunlong  x Heung Kin Fung Alex
(I) juxtaposes Leung Chunlong’s choreography and Heung Kin Fung Alex’s paintings that call out to the ‘self’ in this chaotic world.

Leung Chunlong, Choreographer

Born in Hong Kong, Leung Chunlong graduated from Beijing Dance Academy in 2009 and from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2011, with a concentration in Ballet. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet the same year and was named Coryphée in 2014. 

His choreographic works included L’espoir (2017) and tʃHEy (2016). Leung received an Outstanding Performance Award at the Taoli Cup Dance Competition in 2003.

Heung Kin Fung Alex, Painter

Heung Kin Fung Alex is a lecturer and Subject Coordinator (painting) at Hong Kong Art School. His works are frequently exhibited in Hong Kong and abroad, including permanent artwork at Ho Man Tin MTR Station and selected works at the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition 2003. He took part in RMIT University’s residency programme in 2015. His works are collected by Hong Kong Museum of Art and by private patrons.

Missing Out - Li Lin x Yeung Chi

Fusing Li Lin’s ideas and Yeung Chin’s fashion designs, this new work explores the price of growing up.

Li Lin, Choreographer

Born in Zhejiang, China, Li Lin trained at Beijing Dance Academy. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2010 and was named Soloist in 2014.

Since joining the Company, Li has presented choreographic works at Hong Kong Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase, including Break Away (2014), Follow Your Heart (2016) and The Bow (2017). He danced Pas de Deux from Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light and Shadow with Liu Miaomiao at the International Ballet Festival of Havana in 2014 and won second prize at the Taoli Cup Dance Competition in 2009.

Yeung Chin, Fashion Designer

Yeung Chin is an alumnus and a member of Alternatif Fashion Workshop. After winning a top creative award in Hong Kong Young Designers’ Contest in 2003, he obtained a MA in Fashion Design from the University of Westminster in 2009 and won the Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award Special Mention Award in 2010.

Yeung has worked with Li Ning and previously was the Chief Fashion Designer at G2000. He has designed costumes for City Contemporary Dance Company’s Happily N’ever After (2010) and The Little Prince (2017), and his work has been seen in many Fashion Week events, at Singapore Design Centre, Isetan (Japan), Hong Kong Heritage Museum and more. Yeung established his own fashion brand in 2013 and is now a guest lecturer at Hong Kong Design Institute.

Mellifluous - Forrest Rain Oliveros x Chloe Ho
Inspired from Forrest Rain Oliveros’ familiar tunes and melodies and mixed with Chloe Ho’s visual concepts, Mellifluous will showcase a creative and exciting choreography

Forrest Rain Oliveros, Choreographer

Born in Tennessee, US, Forrest Rain Oliveros trained at Ballet Tennessee, Ellison Ballet and The Ailey School in the US. He danced with Charlotte Ballet and other companies before joining Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2017.

With Hong Kong Ballet, Oliveros has performed featured roles of Rat King and Russian Doll in Terence Kohler’s The Nutcracker and danced in Alexei Ratmansky’s Le Carnaval des Animaux, among others.

Chloe Ho, Painter

Born in California, USA, Chloe Ho belongs to a new generation of talented artists born in the 1980’s. Raised in Hong Kong and finished her art training at the Mills College in the US, her paintings show an original, bold, unexpected, yet familiar aesthetics, reflecting her multicultural background and signature artistic visions. Her works were extensively exhibited in group shows and solo exhibitions in the US, mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong, and were collected by private collectors all over the world.

Monolith - Jonathan Spigner x Tsang Man Fu Matthew
Incorporating visual artist Tsang Man Fu Matthew’s sculptures and videos, Jonathan Spigner’s Monolith explores what we allow and deny or want and need from others –everyday humanity and social constructs.

Jonathan Spigner, Choreographer

Born in South Carolina, US, Jonathan Spigner trained at the South Carolina Governor’s School of Arts and Humanities and at Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2010 and was named Coryphée in 2014. He assumed the additional role of Pilates Instructor for the Company in 2017.

Since joining the Company, Spigner has premièred choreographic works at Hong Kong Ballet's Choreographers’ Showcase, including BubbleGoose (2017), Passion Flower (2016), Days Gone By (2015), Wepart (2014), Overview Effect (2012) and (The Wonderful Known Tick) (2011). He also choreographedSoLo (2013). Spigner received awards from Youth America Grand Prix regional competitions in 2004, 2008 and 2009.

Tsang Man Fu Matthew, Visual Artist

Hong Kong visual artist Tsang Man Fu Matthew completed both his BFA in 2008 and MFA in 2016 at RMIT University in Australia. His works investigate the relationship between time, change, process and materiality, using natural materials, including wood, ice and charcoal, that go through various processes like burning, melting and freezing and are presented as installations, videos, photographs or sculptural objects. Tsang has been a lecturer at Hong Kong Art School since 2012. His works are regularly exhibited in Hong Kong and Australia and collected by private patrons. His work was recently exhibited at Harbour Art Sculpture Park (2018).

Performance Details

13-16.9.2018
Thursday-Sunday 8:00pm 
Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
$300, $200

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

Suitable for ages 6 and above
The presenter reserves the right to alter the programme and artists 
The performance lasts approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, including an intermission.

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

15% off food and beverages at InterContinental Hong Kong
Ticket holders can enjoy 15% off food and beverages at all restaurants and bars at InterContinental Hong Kong before or after the performance upon presentation of their tickets on the performance date. Terms and conditions apply. 
Enquiries: 2313 2323 / [email protected]
Website: hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

*The concept and ideas of the works were conceived and developed during the Creation for Freespace: Choreographer and Composer Lab programme co-partnered with West Kowloon. The composer and live music for this performance were commissioned and funded by West Kowloon.
With kind permission of Hong Kong Dance Company

Supporting Organisations   

Champagne Partner   

Make-Up Partner

DOWNLOAD PRESS PHOTOS 

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Photo 1: Hong Kong Cool promotional image | Dancers (From Left): Shen Jie, Li Lin | Creative: Design Army | Photography: Dean Alexander

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Photo 2: Hong Kong Cool promotional image | Dancers (From Left): Xia Jun, Lauma Berga | Creative: Design Army | Photography: Dean Alexander

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Photo 3: Hong Kong Cool promotional image | Dancer: Lauma Berga | Creative: Design Army | Photography: Dean Alexander

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Photo 4: Hong Kong Cool promotional image | Dancer: Xia Jun | Creative: Design Army | Photography: Dean Alexander

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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 Septime Webre, 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]