Hong Kong Ballet Unveils New Virtual Ambassadors
In collaboration with doll artist Ning Lau
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[Hong Kong—19 November 2020] Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) proudly announces its innovative new virtual ambassadors—Holly, Kay and Beatrice—custom-made by local doll artist Ning Lau. With each character’s English name intentionally starting with H, K and B, HKB’s first-ever brand characters will actively share about HKB and ballet on social media, adding a fresh perspective to HKB’s thriving digital activities. Completely handmade by Lau with creative direction from HKB, each girl in this original series of pocket dolls has her own unique personality, background story, facial features and stylish closet, mirroring the authentic diversity of real life ballet girls, dance fans and professionals. The virtual ambassadors visit studios and dancers, share their enthusiasm for dance and showcase the beauty of ballet—just like human beings. Lau shared, ‘Ballet has always had a special connection for me. Like every other girl, I dreamt of dancing like those ballerinas in music boxes. As a child, I wanted to learn ballet but missed the opportunity. I believe this collaboration with Hong Kong Ballet is a match made in heaven. Ballet and crafting actually have a lot in common, involving lots of practice, passion for the arts, and the pursuit of innovation. With this collaborative project, I hope we can connect people who enjoy different art forms.’ HKB’s Director of Marketing Nick Chan said, ‘It was a great pleasure working with renowned doll artist Ning. Her craftsmanship, passion and artistry inspired all of us. We hope that Holly, Kay and Beatrice will encourage more people to appreciate the art of ballet and motivate them to participate in the HKB community. We had so much fun creating these characters and are thrilled to unleash them on social media!’ Making her first appearance as a mysterious ballerina dressed as Don Quixote’s Kitri, Beatrice was introduced as the first virtual ambassador on HKB’s social media platforms earlier in October, in conjunction with the long-anticipated 2020/21 Season opening production. The other two characters, Holly and Kay, will be unveiled on HKB’s Facebook and Instagram soon. By bringing the love of dance to life through these relatable characters, HKB hopes to make ballet more accessible to people of all ages everywhere. All three virtual ambassadors have their own Instagram accounts—follow them now! Download High Resolution Stop Motion Videos
Video 1: Beatrice practicing in a studio | Cinematography & editing: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Video 2: Holly baking at home | Cinematography & editing: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Video 3: Kay dancing on Instagram live | Cinematography & editing: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet |
Download High Resolution Images
Photo 1 (from left): Kay, Beatrice, Holly | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 2: (From left) Beatrice, Holly | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 3: Kay | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 4: Beatrice dressed as Don Quixote’s Kitri | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 5: Beatrice | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 6: Holly | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 7: Holly | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Photo 8: Kay | Photography: Pineyip | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Profiles of Hong Kong Ballet Virtual Ambassadors
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Name: Holly |
Holly has been a ballet student since she was very young, falling in love with romantic princess roles and their sparkling fantasy worlds. Shy but talented, she was actually selected by HKB as a child to perform live onstage in The Nutcracker, ALICE (in wonderland) and Peter Pan. To this day, she remains a loyal fan and tries to attend as many HKB performances and events as possible, like sneak peek performances, ballet workshops and Ballet 360° activities.
Beatrice is Holly’s patient ballet teacher, leading her through increasingly complex choreography and daily exercises and offering constructive criticism to help her continually improve her technique and artistry. Although classes can be challenging, Holly finds her joy in ballet and in her close friendships with Kay and Beatrice. Dedicated ballet training has instilled in her a sense of discipline, excellent posture, graceful movements and appreciating beauty in everyday life.
In her spare time, Holly enjoys pouring her heart into her journal, cooking, classical music, especially ballet music, and rom-coms. She loves HKB’s ‘Ballerina Chef’ series and hopes to one day be a guest on the show to create cupcakes and other desserts. She has a longtime crush on one of the dreamy male HKB dancers, but his name is a secret!
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Name: Kay |
Trendy and outgoing, Kay is an energetic B-girl who hopes to eventually become a famous YouTuber and/or social media influencer…once she gets motivated enough to start her own channel. Her many friends can find her on social media 24/7, especially Insta and Snapchat, and her life is an open book to her followers. Instead of homework or studying (booooring!), Kay prefers to spend most of her time gaming, singing and dancing. She likes a variety of dance styles like K-pop, funk and hip hop and daydreams of life as a K-pop idol.
Unconventional Kay has never considered herself a ballerina and only signed up for ballet classes as a joke for an Insta post. But her good friends Holly and Beatrice have convinced her otherwise, and surprisingly, Kay is slowly starting to appreciate the art of ballet as a complementary addition to her existing dance arsenal. And her recent photos of gorgeous ballet costumes and props are getting a lot of views, shares and likes online…
After ballet class, Kay will often join friends in a delicious hotpot dinner or Korean BBQ followed by fresh eggettes from a local shop for dessert. She is experimenting with integrating ballet choreography into her creative hip hop and K-pop routines and can’t wait to share them with the world.
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Name: Beatrice |
A talented, hard-working dancer, Beatrice has dreamt of becoming a professional dancer since she was young. After graduating with a degree in ballet, she is now both a dancer and a teacher. Nothing can compare to the rush of performing live onstage and sharing her passion with audiences as well as students! Her inspiring role models include Iana Salenko, Tan Yuan Yuan, Dorothee Gilbert and more.
When she is not rehearsing or teaching, Beatrice enjoys reading and sewing and has even designed and created her own tutus and costumes. However, these days she is putting her sewing skills to work at making colourful reusable face masks for her family and friends. To continue teaching, she is also creating original online content featuring short daily exercises, ballet terminology and classical choreography.
During holidays, Beatrice enjoys international travel, experiencing new cultures and cuisine, visiting theatres and seeing what other dance companies are doing. Her ultimate goals are to become a principal dancer, to learn a wide variety of repertoires and to nurture the next generation of dancers as a teacher.
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.
About Ning Lau
Ning worked as Reporter, Magazine Publisher, Marketing & Communications department head of luxury fashion retail group, CEO of Digital and Content production company. she finally dived into the art of handmade dolls in 2015, turning her love for dolls over the years into a full-time passion. Her handmade dolls have appeared in numerous collaborations and brands, as well as local and international exhibitions.
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]
