FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hong Kong Ballet Will Thrill NY Audiences with The Butterfly Lovers,
A Legendary Chinese Folktale Reimagined
[Hong Kong — 15 August 2025] Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) and China Arts and Entertainment Group will co-present The Butterfly Lovers’ New York premiere during 22-24 August at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center with four performances. Tickets are selling fast at the David H. Koch Theater Box Office. Hong Kong Ballet is proud to be a cultural ambassador and warmly thanks the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York for supporting this U.S. tour.
An eternal love that defies all expectations is reimagined by an international creative team together with HKB’s Choreographer-in-Residence Hu Song Wei Ricky and his wife Mai Jingwen. The Butterfly Lovers is a legendary Chinese folktale about humble scholar Liang Shanbo and aristocratic heiress Zhu Yingtai, who disguises herself as a boy in order to study at a prestigious academy. From innocently meeting as students and forging a strong, immediate bond to dangerously rebelling against centuries-old forces that threaten to keep them apart, the lovers face unexpected challenges at every turn, as secrets are revealed and a shocking family betrayal ultimately seals their fate.
With a sweeping original score by acclaimed Chinese composer Tian Mi with New York City Ballet Orchestra under the baton of Lio Kuokman (‘a startling conducting talent’ - The Philadelphia Inquirer), this powerful tale of forbidden love and filial duty features Academy Award winner Tim Yip’s visually stunning sets and costumes that bring to life a world with traditional and modern elements. Transcendent and uplifting, The Butterfly Lovers is a glorious fusion of inspiring dance, contemporary Chinese aesthetics and eternal hope.
This lush production won six major awards at the 26th Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2025: Outstanding Choreography,Outstanding Large Venue Production, Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer (Cheng Xuan as Zhu Yingtai), Outstanding Ensemble Performance, Outstanding Set and Costume Design (Tim Yip) and Outstanding Music Composition (Tian Mi).
The Butterfly Lovers
22.8.2025 (Fri) 7:30pm
23 Aug 2025 (Sat) 2pm & 7:30pm
24 Aug 2025 (Sun) 2pm
New York City David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
USD$39, $79, $119, $149, $169,
Tickets are now available at www.davidhkochtheater.com
Recommended for ages 6 and above
The performance lasts approximately 2 hrs including one intermission
Creative Team
Concept & Choreography: Hu Song Wei Ricky
Libretto & Associate Choreography: Mai Jingwen
Music: Tian Mi (Inspired by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang’s The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto)
Music and Orchestral Arrangement: Zhou Chuhang, Luo Geng, Zhang Qun, Zhang Qiandan, Zhang Boning
Set & Costume Design: Tim Yip
Design Supervisor: Jin Yau
Associate Costume Design: Mandy Tam
Costume Design Assistant: Lai Wing Ki
Assistant Set Design: Matthieu Chu Siu Ming
Set Design Assistant: Katie Chow Tsz Wing
Video Design: William Kwok, Yicai Wang
Sound Design: Roy Cheung
Lighting Design: Yeung Tsz Yan
Orchestra: New York City Ballet Orchestra
Conductor: Lio Kuokman
For further information, please contact:
Jerry Qiu | Communications & Programme Manager | T: 2105 9753 / 6879 6734 | [email protected]
Ruth Chung | Marketing and PR Manager | T: 2105 9716 / 9741 7319 | [email protected]
About Hong Kong Ballet
Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is recognised internationally as a world-class institution that represents Hong Kong’s unique character. Since its inception in 1979, HKB has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organisation with a dynamic repertoire, forward-thinking community engagement initiatives and an emphasis on excellence.
Comprised of 50 dancers from all over the globe – Hong Kong, Mainland China and other parts of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America, HKB has won recognition both regionally and internationally with celebrated re-stagings of the classics, neoclassical masterworks by George Balanchine and others and original ballets created for HKB and about Hong Kong.
Additionally, HKB performs works by its Artistic Director Septime Webre and some of today’s most soughtafter choreographers, including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, Justin Peck, Jiří Kylian, Nacho Duato and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa as well as innovative new works by its Choreographer-inResidence, Hu Song Wei Ricky, and numerous emerging Hong Kong choreographers.
HKB stands out as a dynamic Hong Kong cultural ambassador, sharing its unique repertoire and style with audiences in Europe, North America, Mainland China and Asia. With over 50 international tours since its founding, this year HKB will have performed or presented immersive works in Macau, Venice, New York, London, Seoul and Shanghai. HKB maintains the Hong Kong Academy of Ballet, a professionally-oriented ballet school, as well as a full schedule of award-winning community programmes and crossover collaborations throughout Hong Kong to ensure ballet is accessible to all. HKB has also produced engaging original videos and dance films that have collectively garnered over 10 million views online, connecting with ballet lovers worldwide.
