Paquita
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Costume Design: Harvy Santos
Original Lighting Design: Wayne Wong
Re-Lighting: Alice Kwong
Guest Appearance: Jurgita Dronina
Kicking off the programme will be the Grand Pas Classique from Marius Petipa’s elegant classical ballet Paquita. Petipa is often cited as ‘the father of classical ballet’ and his Paquita is the first ballet he staged for the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Grand Pas Classique is richly adorned with numerous solos for the ballerinas while offering audiences a presentation rich in classical ballet history.
Principal Dancer of Dutch National Ballet
Born in Saratov, Russia, Jurgita joined the Royal Swedish Ballet in 2005, becoming a Soloist in 2007, and Principal Dancer in 2009. In 2010, Ted Brandsen offered her a contract with the Dutch National Ballet. In 2011, her performance with Cédric Ygnace in Balanchine's Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux was widely acclaimed. Among many other prominent roles, Jurgita has danced in Kenneth MacMillian's and Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet; Rudi van Dantzig's Swan Lake; Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, On The Dnieper and Firebird; Pär Isberg’s Hunchback of Notre-Dame and The Nutcracker; George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Serenade, Symphony in C and Jewels. She has performed as a guest artist with many notable Ballet companies worldwide. In addition to numerous grants, Jurgita has received many notable awards, including Awards in the International Ballet Festival “Dance Open” in St. Petersburg in 2010, 2011 and 2013, and the Alexandra Radius Prize in 2014 (Outstanding dancer of the year).
The appearance of Ms Jurgita Dronina in this performance is sponsored by Gerry Wang Cathy Ma.
Bolero (World Première)
Choreography: Yuh Egami and Ricky Hu
Music: Maurice Ravel
Additional Music: Li Jia-bo, Yuh Egami
Set Design: Siu Wai Man
Costume Design: Bridget Steis
Props: Aya Mok
Lighting Design: Alice Kwong
Revealing the end at the beginning, Bolero then unveils the chain of events that give rise to the ending. Hong Kong Ballet’s dancers, and most talented choreographers, Yuh Egami and Ricky Hu chose theatrical technique to deliver a story of the inner demons of the lead female dancer who personifies the struggle that is all too often caused by the pressures of today’s world. Entering the blurred, almost non-existent space between light and shadow, between stability and instability, this is a deep and insightful piece. Set to Maurice Ravel’s famous orchestral piece of the same name, the brilliance of Bolero lies not only in the structure of the choreography and the music, but also in the masterful costumes and set designs, all of which engage the emotions and force us to reflect on modern society and how it serves as a catalyst for anguish and despair in so many.
Abandon, a Pas de Deux from Le Parc
Choreography: Angelin Preljocaj
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Costume Design: Hervé Pierre
Guest Appearance: Alice Renavand and Florian Magnenet
Le Parc, choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj for Paris Opera Ballet in 1994, is a fresh and beautiful masterpiece. It explores the many facets of love in 17th and 18th century French literature, namely La Carte du Tendre (The Map of Passion) and L'Amour Vrai (The True Love). Set to Mozart’s Adagio in F-sharp minor from Piano Concerto No.23 in A, K.488, Le Parc’s final pas de deux, Abandon is a breath-taking and extremely passionate dance.
Born in France, Alice Renavand graduated from the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1997 and was engaged in the Corps de Ballet that same year. In 2004, she was promoted to Coryphée and in 2005, to Soloist. She was awarded the AROP Prize in 2008 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2012. During her time as Principal Dancer, Alice danced many title roles including Effie in Lacotte’s La Sylphide (after Taglioni), The Mistress of Lescaut in MacMillan’s Manon, Kitri in Nureyev’s Don Quixote. In 2013 she was named “Étoile” after performing Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Parc. Alice’s repertoire includes Preljocaj’s Le Songe de Médée, Siddharta and Le Parc; Bausch’s The Rite of Spring and Orpheus and Eurydice; Ek’s The House of Bernarda and Apartment; Balanchine's Agon; Kylián’s Kaguyahime, Bella Figura and Doux mensonges; and Ratmansky’s Psyché.
Courtesy of Paris Opera Ballet
Born in France, Florian graduated from the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1999 and was engaged in the Corps de Ballet that same year. His prizes include Prix Carpeaux in 2003 and Prix AROP in 2005. In 2002, he was promoted to Coryphée; in 2004, to Soloist; and in 2010, to Principal Dancer. His repertoire includes, Balanchine’s Diamants, Apollo and Les Quatre tempéraments; J.G. Bart’s La Source; Béjart’s L’Oiseau de feu; Cranko’s Onéguine; Lifar’s Suite en blanc; MacMillan’s L’Histoire de Manon; Martinez’ Les Enfants du paradis; Neumeier’s Sylvia, Troisième symphonie de Gustav Mahler and La Dame aux camélias; Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty, Cendrillon, Roméo et Juliette and La Bayadère; Preljocaj’s Le Parc and Robbins’ En Sol.
Courtesy of Paris Opera Ballet
New work Letting Go (World Première)
Choreography: Edwaard Liang
Music: Max Richter
Guest Appearances: Edwaard Liang and Tan Yuan Yuan
The story is about a woman's journey in her attempt to move on from a loved one. It is the idea or feeling that would be invoked by a tale of a dead lover that won't let go of life and his love.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Liang studied at the School of American Ballet before joining New York City Ballet in 1993. That same year, he was a medal winner at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition and won the Mae L. Wien Award. He was promoted to Soloist in 1998 and joined the Tony Award winning Broadway cast of Fosse in 2001. In 2002, Liang was invited by Jiří Kylián to become a member of the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater 1 (NDT1). During his time with NDT 1, Liang discovered his passion for choreography. He has since created works for ballet companies worldwide including Bolshoi Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre. He has won numerous awards for his choreography including the 2006 National Choreographic Competition of Hubbard Street 2. He was named Artistic Director of BalletMet in 2013.
Principal Dancer of San Francisco Ballet
Born in Shanghai, China, Tan Yuan Yuan trained at Shanghai Dancing School and Stuttgart’s John Cranko School. She joined San Francisco Ballet as a Soloist in 1995 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1997. Tan has danced major roles in Tomasson's Giselle; Nutcracker; Romeo & Juliet; The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake; as well as lead roles in Tomasson/Possokhov's Don Quixote; Cranko's Onegin; and Lubovitch's Othello. Tan has created many roles in numerous productions including, but not limited to, Tomasson's 7 for Eight, Caprice, Chi-Lin, The Fifth Season, and Silver Ladders; Balanchine's Agon, Apollo, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Concerto Barocco, Diamonds, and more. A frequent guest artist, Tan has performed globally and has received many notable awards.
Photographer: Chris Hardy
Courtesy of San Francisco Ballet
Le Carnaval des Animaux (The Carnival of the Animals) (Hong Kong Première)
Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky
Assistant to the Choreographer: Betsy Erickson
Music: Camille Saint-Saëns
Set and Costume Design: Sandra Woodall
Original Lighting Design: Kevin Connaughton
Re-lighting: Alice Kwong
Hong Kong’s première of this charming and fun one-act ballet by internationally acclaimed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, Le Carnaval des Animaux brings a whimsical menagerie of animals to life. Enjoy as the dancers enact animals including elephants, jellyfish and lions while combining these movements with an impressive classical ballet technique. An exciting and sweet score by Camille Saint-Saëns, divided into 14 movements, completes this ballet.
