Join Pinocchio’s Exciting Adventures from Land to Sea
A World Première by Hong Kong Ballet
Tickets on Sale Now

[Hong Kong – 29th June 2015] Hong Kong Ballet will open its 2015/16 Season on 28th August 2015 with Pinocchio, a brand new production based on the classic fairy tale written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi. The Company commissioned renowned Swedish choreographer Pär Isberg to re-envision this much-loved story through ballet. Pär Isberg, together with French costume designer Jérôme Kaplan and Swedish set designer Bo-Ruben Hedwall, have choreographed and designed a fun and magical production which is sure to keep the whole family entertained. Join Pinocchio’s exciting adventures from land to sea. 10 performances of Pinocchio will be staged from 28th to 30th August and from 4th to 6th September (Friday to Sunday) at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets are available at URBTIX now.

Artistic Director Madeleine Onne stated: “Working with Pär Isberg for this production has been a wonderful experience for the whole Company. As it is a new creation, the dancers have had the opportunity to contribute their ideas to the transformation of this old fairy tale classic. It has elicited everybody’s imagination and thoughts on how a true fairy tale should be told and then these concepts have been transferred into the ballet production. We are certain this performance will delight, inspire and captivate audience members of all ages, from 3-103!”

Children’s Audition
In Pinocchio’s exciting adventure he meets a number of creatures, first the fox and the cat, two greedy crooks, then his best schoolmate, the naughtiest boy in class, as well as mice and sea creatures. We are inviting talented young people to audition for the roles of Black Mice, White Mice, Starfish and Crabs in this production – successful applicants will have the chance to share the stage with our Company dancers! Please click HERE for application details. Deadline: 13.7.2015.

Registration: 2:00pm (GR3 Studio)︱Audition: 3:00pm – 6:00pm (GR2 Studio)
8/F, Backstage, Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

About Pinocchio
Come see one of the best-known fairy tales retold through ballet! The Cricket appears and the adventures of Pinocchio begin. From a piece of wood, Geppetto creates Pinocchio, whom he loves as his own son. Naughty little Pinocchio keeps on running into trouble, first with the fox and the cat, two greedy crooks, then his best schoolmate, the naughtiest boy in class. To top it all off, he even picks up the habit of lying! His lies cannot deceive the Blue Fairy, who makes his nose grow longer as he tells lies. To look for Pinocchio, Geppetto sets out to the sea and ends up in the stomach of a whale. Will the Blue Fairy come to their rescue? Will Geppetto and Pinocchio reunite in the end? Will Pinocchio learn to be a real boy and good son?

CHOREOGRAPHY Pär Isberg
MUSIC Ottorino Respighi, arranged by Benjamin Pope
ASSISTANT TO CHOREOGRAPHER Eva Säfström
COSTUME DESIGN Jérôme Kaplan
SET DESIGN Bo-Ruben Hedwall
PROPS Aya Mok
LIGHTING DESIGN Billy ChanLIVE ACCOMPANIMENT Hong Kong Sinfonietta
CONDUCTOR Benjamin Pope

Pär Isberg, Choreographer
Principal Dancer, Ballet Master and Choreographer in residence at Royal Swedish Ballet, Swedish born Pär Isberg is a Freelance Choreographer. He has choreographed a vast variety of productions including full length ballets, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pippi Longstocking, Mr Arne’s Hourd (Royal Swedish Ballet), The Sleeping Beauty (Vanemuine Ballet/Estonia), Coppelia (National Ballet of China), Anima (Gothenburg Ballet) and, The Nutcracker (Royal Swedish Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet, Vanemuine Ballet). His one act ballets include, Hansel & Gretel, Paperclippings, In search of… (Royal Danish Ballet), Butterfly Lovers (National Ballet of China), Bachspace (National Ballet of Finland) and Harmonielehre, Elements, Cross Roads, Canzone (Royal Swedish Ballet). In addition to creating works for Theatre, Television and special events, Pär Isberg has won many awards. Among them, the Cullberg Dance Award, Drottningholm Theatre Prize and Gold Medal, the Carina Ari Prize and Gold Medal, and the Ivo Cramer Memorial Medal.

Jérôme Kaplan, Costume Designer
Paris born Jérôme Kaplan studied Scenography at L’Ecole de la Rue Blanche. After graduating in 1987 he began designing sets and costumes for opera and ballet companies globally. Since 1992, Jérôme collaborated with Jean-Christophe Maillot and the Ballets de Monte-Carlo designing sets and costumes for Romeo and Juliette, Cinderella, Casse-Noisette Circus, Eye for Eye and Scheherazade. In recent years, Jérôme has worked extensively with Bertrand d’At on many productions including, The Prince of Pagodas (Opera of Strasbourg), In the Mood for Love (Ballet of Shanghai), In the Night Look (Opera of Cairo) and more. Other recent works are Christopher Wheeldon’s The Sleeping Beauty, Ib Andersen’s Kermesse in Bruges (The Royal Danish Ballet) and Nacho Duato’s The Nutcracker (Mikhailovsky Theatre, St Petersburg and La Scala, Milan). He has also worked with David Nixon on Northern Ballet’s Ondine, A Sleeping Beauty Tale and The Great Gatsby. Since 2010 Jérôme has worked with Alexei Ratmansky creating sets and costumes for Don Quixote (Dutch National Ballet), Cinderella (Australian Ballet, Melbourne), Paquita (Bavarian State Ballet, Munich) and the world premiere of Lost Illusions (Bolshoi, Moscow), for which he won a Golden Mask Award in 2012 for costume design.

Bo-Ruben Hedwall, Set Designer
Bo-Ruben Hedwall graduated from the University College of Arts in Stockholm, Sweden and from Academie Raspail, Paris, France before embarking on a successful career as a set-designer for Swedish television. He has been the set designer for approximately 100 programmes and theatre productions. He has worked in many parts of the globe including China, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Estonia. In 2013, Bo-Ruben created the set design for Madama Butterfly and Un Giorno di Regno in Kristiansund, Norway. He is currently in demand for his designs with opera and ballet companies around the world.

Performance Details
28-30.8.2015 & 4-6.9.2015
Fri 7:30pm│Sat 2:30pm & 7:30pm│Sun 1:30pm & 6:30pm

10 performances

Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
HK$1,000 (VIP ticket) $680 $480 $280 $140
Tickets available at URBTIX now

Suitable for ages 3 and above

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

Discounts
50% off	Full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities (Limited tickets for students and senior citizens available on a first-come, first-served basis. This discount cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts.)
15% off	Friends of The Hong Kong Ballet
10% off (First two tickets)	Members of Chung Ying Theatre’s Energy Fun Club plus, Zuni's Friends, CCDC Dance Generation Premium members, HK Phil Club Bravo members, Friends of HKCO and Friends of HKDC
Group Booking	10% off for every purchase of 10-19 tickets at regular price, 15% off for 20-40 tickets

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

Programme Plus!
Get-To-Know Pinocchio
18.8.2015
Tue 7:30pm – 8:45pm
Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

With its charm and family-friendly theme, come learn more about this brand new production created especially for The Hong Kong Ballet. Pinocchio as a story itself has a precious history in European culture that has been transformed over the years into one of the most popular and loved tales. Learn what it takes to create a new production from idea to reality with new sets, costumes, music and all. Choreographer Pär Isberg will be accompanied by dancers from The Hong Kong Ballet as they perform excerpts from the production, set to Conductor Benjamin Pope’s specially arranged score, by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi.

Conducted in English. Suitable for ages 6 and above. Limited capacity, advance registration required. Registration Details

Pre-Performance Talks
29.8.2015
Sat 1:50pm-2:10pm (Conducted in Cantonese)
Sat 6:50pm-7:10pm (Conducted in English)
Level 2 Foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Excited about being amongst the first people to experience this brand new production of Pinocchio? Stop by the level 2 foyer before the performance for an insider’s view as to what it takes to create a full length ballet from start to finish. Members from the production team will share with you their experiences working with the talented dancers of Hong Kong Ballet and its artistic and technical teams. This brief talk will complement your ballet experience and familiarise you with the history of Pinocchio’s timeless tale.

The programme is approximately 20 minutes long. Free admission with Pinocchio tickets. Enquiries 2105 9743 | [email protected]

Pre-Performance Workshop
29.8.2015
Sat 11:30am – 12:30pm
GR2, Grand Theatre Backstage, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Fee $80 each*│Quota 40
*10% discount for Friends of The Hong Kong Ballet.

Seize the opportunity to embrace your theatrical side and learn all about Pinocchio – the fairy tale classic re-imagined as a ballet by famous choreographer Pär Isberg. This fun and interactive workshop will delight and inspire participants who will be engaged in storytelling, costume and music appreciation, arts and crafts, and of course movement, as they embark on the astonishing adventures of the magical marionette who longs to be a real boy.

Tailor-made for children aged 4-8years. No previous dance experience required. Don’t miss out, book your space now!

Conducted in Cantonese and English.
Only for ticket holders or Friends of The Hong Kong Ballet. Advance registration required. Registration & Enquiries

Champagne Partner

Make-Up Partner

About Hong Kong Ballet

An eclectic mix of talent, a balance of classical and contemporary works, and a distinctly Hong Kong style of delivery 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 Madeleine Onne, 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:

Tiphanie Chan
Senior Marketing Manager
T: 2105 9716
M: 9197 1223
[email protected]

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