"...Sofiane Sylve, a powerhouse dancer, gets some highly tempestuous moments..."
Financial Times
"Sylve comes into her own. Dazzlingly confident, sharp in attack, pouncing on the music, she dominates the stage and floors the competition."
Telegraph.co.uk
Hong Kong Ballet is proud to present a star-studded gala Momentum from November 9 to 11 at the Lyric Theatre of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Bank of China (Hong Kong) as the Title Sponsor. Hong Kong Ballet is thrilled to welcome New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Sofiane Sylve and her partner Tamas Solymosi to perform a classical grand pas de deux in all five performances.
Best known for her exquisite signature pirouette and her spirited athletic style, Sofiane Sylve continues to make a lasting impression on audiences worldwide with her ever expanding repertoire. She and Tamas Solymosi will surely captivate Hong Kong audience with their magnetic performance.
"This is my first time dancing in Hong Kong. I am excited to meet the audience here and I look forward to learning about the talents in this cosmopolitan city." Sylve says.
Momentum will also feature three signature one-act ballets including Marius Petipa’s timeless masterpiece Paquita, powerful ballet Clear by Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch, and refreshing new work Night Light by local young choreographer Eve Chan.
A special preview of the production will be jointly organized by the Hong Kong Ballet and Bank of China (HK) on November 2 to mark this exciting collaboration. A press conference will also be organized on November 6 to welcome the visit of international guest artists of Momentum.
Momentum Preview
2 November 2007
12:30-1:15pm
G/F, Bank of China Tower
The event will introduce the colourful world of ballet through various activities including a ballet costume parade, chitchat session with dancers and interactive games with audience, who will also have a rare chance to see the performance excerpts of Momentum. Free admission and open to public.
Press Conference
6 November 2007
4:00-5:00pm
70/F, Bank of China Tower
International ballet stars Sofiane Sylve, Tamas Solymosi and renowned choreographer Stanton Welch will share their brand-new collaboration experience with the Hong Kong Ballet.
Press are welcome to take photos and interview!
For enquiries, please call 2105 9723 Ms. Leung or 2105 9722 Ms. Cheung.
From Classical, Contemporary to Cutting Edge
Clear (Choreography: Stanton Welch, Music: Johann Sebastian Bach)
Stanton Welch, one of the most sought-after choreographers of his generation and currently the Artistic Director of Houston Ballet, created Clear in 2001. He said, "The piece was created weeks after the tragedy of September 11, it emerged as my artistic response to those events. It becomes clear in a time of crisis what is most important in life."
Stripping down the process to its bare essentials, Welch created his ballet for seven men and one woman set to Bach's heavenly score. Welch's powerful command of movement is emphasized in this piece, giving Hong Kong Ballet's male dancers a perfect platform to demonstrate their dynamism.
Renowned for his sense of basic form, the fabulous fashion designer Michael Kors creates the simple yet chic costumes.
Paquita (Choreography: Marius Petipa, Music: Ludwig Minkus)
Premièred at the Paris Opera in 1846, Paquita was originally a 2-act ballet-pantomime with a Spanish theme. The ballet was exported to St. Petersburg and in 1881, Marius Petipa staged a new version of the ballet in his characteristic style to musical additions contributed by Ludwig Minkus. These additions, including Grand Pas Classique, Children's Polonaise and Mazurka, have become some of the most well-known compositions in ballet.
Paquita is an exquisite example of dazzling classical ballet at its finest - just as you might envisage.
Night Light (Choreography: Eve Chan)
The Hong Kong Ballet's commitment to original new work sees the commission of Eve Chan - dancer and choreographic apprentice of the Hong Kong Ballet. Set to music from Arvo Pärt and combined with re-arranged music from The Sleeping Beauty, Chan creates a melancholy and surreal piece exploring the fine line between dreams and the real world. Alive with bizarre characters, absurd scenes and city soundscapes, Night Light unfolds a shadowy sphere questioning, "what is real and what is nightmare?".
Meet Sofiane Sylve & Tamas Solymosi
Autograph session
10.11.2007 - after matinee performance
Meet-the-artist session
10.11.2007 - after evening performance
Programme details
9-11.11.2007 - 8:00pm
10-11.11.2007 - 3:00pm
Lyric Theatre,
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
$800 (VIP), 400, 360, 250, 160
VIP tickets include a souvenir and an interval drink
Tickets available NOW at all HK Ticketing Outlets
Ticket Purchase Hotline:
31 288 288 / www.hkticketing.com
Enquiries: 2105 9724 / marketing@hkballet.com
For age 6 or above
Notes to Editors:
Stanton Welch - Choreographer of Clear
- Artistic Director of Houston Ballet, America's fourth largest classical ballet company.
- One of the most sought after choreographers of his generation, having created works for such prestigious international companies as Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Royal Danish Ballet.
- Choreographic career developed during his time with The Australian Ballet. In 1990 he received his first choreographic commission from the company, marking the beginning of a series of commissioned works over the next fourteen years.
- For The Australian Ballet he has created The Three of Us (1990); Of Blessed Memory (1991), for which he was voted best new choreographer in 1992 by readers of the British magazine Dance & Dancers; Divergence(1994); full-length productions of Madame Butterfly (1995) and Cinderella (1997); Red Earth (1996); X (1999); Velocity (2003) and a new Sleeping Beauty (2005).
Eve Chan - Choreographer of Night Light
- Born in Hong Kong. Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and joined the Hong Kong Ballet in 2001.
- Her first choreographic work Falling for the Company's Celebrate January with Classics and Beyond in 2005 was well praised. She created her second work There is a Table… for the Company's production Primary Moves in January 2007, playing the dual role of choreographer and set designer.
- Now being the Choreographic Apprentice and Coryphée with the Hong Kong Ballet.
Sofiane Sylve - Guest Artist
- Born in Nice, France.
- A guest artist with New York City Ballet during the company's winter 2002-2003 season and joined the company as a Principal Dancer in fall 2003.
- Awarded first prize at the Split Festival in Croatia in 1997 and Alexandra Radius Prize in 1998.
- Danced leading roles in a wide array of repertory including Giselle, The Magic Flute, Romeo and Juliet and The Sleeping Beauty; George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, Emeralds from Jewels, Apollo and a number of classical and contemporary works by renowned choreographers.
Tamas Solymosi - Guest Artist
- Born in Budapest, Hungary.
- Danced with Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet and Vienna State Opera Ballet and has appeared as a guest artist with the Bolshoi Ballet, Berlin State Opera, Finnish National Ballet, the Hungarian National Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, among others.
- Deputy Director with the Hungarian Ballet School from 2005 to 2006 and now the Artistic Director for the summer festival of Szolnok, Hungary.
- Danced lead roles in a number of repertoire including Manon, Mayerling, Onegin, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Widow, Le Corsaire and Balanchine ballets Apollo, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Symphony C.
