[Hong Kong - 5 November 2008] The Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) has returned home from a very fruitful and successful 10-day tour to 3 major cities in China. The Company gave 5 performances of the Romantic ballet, Giselle, and 4 performances of Clear, a contemporary ballet by Stanton Welch, with an average of over 80% attendance in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo. The Company's performance was praised as "a fantastical and refined balletic feast".
The Company's performances, starring Tan Yuan Yuan as Giselle in the first three shows, were received with great enthusiasm and praise. The sold-out performances on 25 & 26 October at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center were part of the distinguished Shanghai International Arts Festival, attracting many important guests and ballet professionals. In Hangzhou, ballet lovers waited with eagerness to see Tan Yuan Yuan and The Hong Kong Ballet performing on the stage of the Hangzhou Grand Theatre, which opened in 2004, for the first time. The superb performances attracted widespread media coverage and received great critical acclaim:
"...Faye Leung, Principal Dancer of HKB featured as the single female lead in Clear, signified the path that leads one home in moments of chaos. The house was totally ravished by her inspiring performance."
"...John Meehan, the Artistic Director of HKB, has reworked new and inspiring elements into the production of Giselle. The exquisite sets and lighting gave depth to the stage, and the choreography is grand and magnificent. The Company's dancers fully manifested their sophisticated dancing techniques and qualities, while Tan Yuan Yuan‘s performance captivated all the audience's attention, receiving great acclamation from the crowd......" (Taikungpao.com, 31 October 2008)
The tour also brought the internationally renowned "ballet angel" Tan Yuan Yuan back to her hometown - Shanghai. It was the first time ever for Tan to perform in a full-length work in the city and she praised the Company for its diversity, flexibility and strength of the corps de ballet.
The Hong Kong Ballet would like to express sincere thanks to the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai and the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou, for generously supporting the Giselle China Tour as hotel sponsors.
Back in Hong Kong, the Company will present Giselle at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at the end of November. Clear will also be staged at the same venue in a mixed-billed production, All Bach, as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival in February 2009.
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.
Press Contacts:
| Heidi Chik PR and Marketing Manager Hong Kong Ballet Tel. 2105 9742 heidi_chik@hkballet.com |
Irene So Assistant Marketing Manager Hong Kong Ballet Tel: 2105 9723 irene_so@hkballet.com |
| Chloe Kwung Marketing Officer Hong Kong Ballet Tel: 2105 9757 chloe_kwung@hkballet.com |
Photos
Click to enlarge
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| Giselle Dancer: Tan Yuan Yuan Photo: Philip Ye |
Giselle Dancer: Tan Yuan Yuan Photo: Philip Ye |
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| Giselle Dancers(from left): Nobuo Fujino, Tan Yuan Yuan, Wu Fei-fei Photo: Philip Ye |
Giselle Dancers: Kyoko Tomimura, Hikota Taira Photo: Philip Ye |
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| Giselle Dancer(front): Chantel Elizabeth Roulston Photo: Philip Ye |
Giselle Dancer(front): Jin Yao Photo: Philip Ye |
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| Giselle Dancers: Tan Yuan Yuan, Zhang Yao Photo: Philip Ye |
Giselle Dancers: Tan Yuan Yuan, Zhang Yao Photo: Philip Ye |
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| Giselle Dancers: Tan Yuan Yuan, Zhang Yao Photo: Philip Ye |
Giselle Dancer: Jin Yao Photo: Philip Ye |
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| Clear Dancer: Faye Leung Photo: Philip Ye |
Clear Dancers: Faye Leung, Wei Wei Photo: Philip Ye |