[Hong Kong - 15 October 2008] The Hong Kong Ballet will present a lecture-demonstration "An evening on Giselle - the essence of Romanticism" on 4 November, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, in the Studio Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Since its premiere in 1814, Giselle has become known as "the greatest romantic ballet of the 19th Century" and is considered "the ultimate test of a ballerina's maturity" due to the high standard of dance techniques and in-depth expressions required to deliver a convincing performance in the title role. In this pre-performance lecture, Artistic Director John Meehan together with The Hong Kong Ballet dancers will unveil the essence of Romanticism in Giselle using video, music, pantomime and dance demonstrations. Principal Dancers Faye Leung, Jin Yao and Zhang Yao will share with audience how they interpret the demanding roles of Giselle and Albrecht and the challenges they face. The series is free of charge and open to public. For registration, please call 2105 9724 or email to marketing@hkballet.com.
In addition to the lecture-demonstration, two sessions of pre-performance talks will be held on 29 and 30 November at Level 2 Foyer of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at 7:25pm. Ticket holders of Giselle are welcome to attend.
The Hong Kong Ballet's lecture-demonstration series is part of its new audience building initiative which started this year. The aim is to broaden audience's horizons in the appreciation of ballet and to arouse their interest in the art form through a multi-media, interactive approach. The first lecture on the mixed-bill production Tricolor was held on 3 June with tremendous response from audience. One audience member said, "It was great, I enjoyed the historical footages and the beautiful dance excerpts. It is a great community building exercise."
Giselle will be performed at the Lyric Theatre of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 28 to 30 November 2008 (3:00pm on Sat & Sun / 8:00pm on Fri, Sat & Sun.) Price range from HK$80 to $600; VIP ticket:$1000. Tickets are now available at all Hong Kong Ticketing outlets (Tel: 31 288 288 / www.hkticketing.com). Please visit www.hkballet.com for programme details.
About The Hong Kong Ballet
The Hong Kong Ballet is recognized as one of the leading ballet companies in Asia, and constitutes the sole professional ballet company in Hong Kong. Led by Artistic Director John Meehan, the Company's 43 dancers participate in more than 40 performances every year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets to an estimated audience of over 45,000. Since its founding in 1979, the Hong Kong Ballet has emerged as an effective international ambassador for Hong Kong, making more than 17 international tours to 10 countries since 1997. The Company's repertoire ranges from the great full-length ballets of the 19th century such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Giselle, to some of the best classical works of the 20th century, including Balanchine's Rubies, Theme and Variations and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Antony Tudor's Jardin aux Lilas, Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc, Rudi van Dantzig's Romeo and Juliet and Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow. The repertoire also includes acclaimed contemporary masterpieces such as Stephen Mill's Hush and Stanton Welch's Clear. The Company regularly conducts active educational and community outreach programmes to an annual audience of 20,000.
Faye Leung - Principal Dancer
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Jin Yao - Principal Dancer
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Zhang Yao - Principal Dancer
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Press Contacts:
| Heidi Chik PR and Marketing Manager Hong Kong Ballet Tel. 2105 9742 heidi_chik@hkballet.com |
Caroline Cheung Assistant Marketing Manager Hong Kong Ballet Tel: 2105 9722 caroline_cheung@hkballet.com |
Photos
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| An evening on 20th Century masterpieces - 3 June 2008 Enthusiastic responses from audience |
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| Studio rehearsal of Giselle | |
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| Giselle Dancers: Jin Yao, Zhang Yao Photo: Conrad Dy-Liacco |
Giselle Dancers: Faye Leung, Huang Zhen Photo: Wayne Hu |
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| Giselle Hong Kong Ballet Dancers Photo: Jimmy Chan |
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