Hong Kong Ballet’s Premiere of
Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents: Balanchine’s Jewels
Sparkled Brightly and Delighted Audiences
[Hong Kong—26 May 2021] At last, the wait is over! After a long overdue live performance since Don Quixote last October, Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is thrilled to have returned to the stage with its debut of Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents: Balanchine’s Jewels during 21-23 May. With 75% seat capacity allowed in the theatre, all tickets for five performances were sold out. Emotional HKB dancers were thrilled to see many familiar faces in the audiences, who responded with overwhelming cheers and applause. This programme is part of French May Arts Festival 2021.
Alongside City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s live musical accompaniment under the baton of conductor Robert Reimer, HKB dancers performed Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, three acts from the modern masterpiece created by George Balanchine, celebrating the beauty of precious gemstones and honouring the distinctive French, American and Russian balletic styles.
International ballet star and guest principal artist Daniel Camargo preformed charismatically and elegantly with HKB dancers in Emeralds and Diamonds, while guest pianist Rachel Cheung impressed and delighted audiences with her distinguished performance in the jazz-infused Rubies.
Honourable guests that attended the opening performance included Mr Nicolas Luchsinger, President of Van Cleef & Arpels, Asia Pacific and Ms Julie Becker, Managing Director of Van Cleef & Arpels, Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, Ms Daisy Ho, Chairman of Board of Governors of Hong Kong Ballet; Mrs Mira Yeh, Vice-chairman of Board of Governors of Hong Kong Ballet; Members of Hong Kong Ballet Board of Governors: Ms Lindzay Chan, Mrs Janice Chan-Choy, Mrs Deirdre Fu Tcheng, Ms Linda Fung, Ms Maya Lin, Ms Evonne Tsui, Mr Arthur Minshiang Wang, Mrs Liana Yung Yeung and more also attended and showed their support.
Furthermore, the esteemed guests who came and watched the other performances included Mr Yang Yirui, Acting Commissioner of Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR; Mrs Cherry Tse, JP, Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs Bureau; Ms Kinnie Wong, Deputy Secretary of Home Affairs Bureau; Mr Kenneth Fok, JP; Ms Guo Jingjing; Mr Paul Tam, Executive Director of Performing Arts of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; Mr Karl Ernst, Consul General of Austrian Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau; Dr Edmund Lee, Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre and Member of Committee on Venue Partnership of Leisure and Cultural Services Department; Prof Gillian Choa, Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA); Prof Anna Chan, Dean of the School of Dance of The HKAPA; and Ms Shirley Loong, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Dance Alliance.
For further information, please contact:
Nick Chan | Director of Marketing | T: 21059716 / 97281777 | [email protected]
Nichol Chau | Senior Marketing Officer | T: 21059753 / 56321755 | [email protected]
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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 Van Cleef & Arpels
Founded at Paris’ 22 Place Vendôme in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels came into being following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef in 1895. Over the decades, the excellence and creativity of the High Jewelry Maison established its reputation across the world. With a blend of inventiveness and poetry, Van Cleef & Arpels perpetuates a highly distinctive style that has produced numerous signatures: the Mystery Set technique, the Minaudière precious case, the transformable Zip necklace and the Alhambra motif. Its selection of Pierres de Caractère, exceptional gems that instill an emotion, and the savoir-faire of its Mains d’Or, the virtuoso craftsmen of the workshops, have given birth to enchanting jewelry and watchmaking collections. Whether inspired by nature, couture, dance or imaginary worlds, the Maison opens the gate to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony.
Van Cleef & Arpels Proudly Presents Balanchine’s Jewels | Photography: Tony Luk | Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
Dancers (from left): Jessica Burrows, Jonathan Spigner, Gao Ge; Amber Lewis, Shen Jie; Chen Zhiyao, Garry Corpuz
