[Hong Kong - 6 October] An eclectic mix of classical and contemporary styles, Symphony of Movements is a triptych of passion, fear and loathing─ conjuring visions of mythical India, the horrors of the Second World War and the uncertainties in life's journeys. The ballet will be staged at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 20-22 November 2009 for 4 performances.
Symphony of Movements explores emotions dealing with loss, loneliness and shock, bringing ideas of myth, grandeur, war and doubt. The triple bill features Act II of La Bayadère by Marius Petipa, Stephen Baynes' The Way Alone, which was a special commission for The Hong Kong Ballet, and Nils Christe's Symphony in Three Movements. Christe's piece will be making its debut on stage in Hong Kong.
Showcasing one of the most challenging group dances in the classical repertoire, La Bayadère highlights the demand for the absolute harmony of movements. Set in mythical India, it is the story of temple dancer Nikiya, a bayadère and the noble warrior, Solor, and how they are separated by the Rajah, the Princess Gamzatti and the High Brahmin, eventually resulting in the murder of Nikiya. The Gods become infuriated, thus wreaking havoc on the wedding ceremony being held in the temple. In the segment presented, Solor is depressed by Nikiya's death and turns to smoking opium, entering into a hallucinatory 'kingdom of the shades'. In his state, he has a vision of Nikiya dancing on top of the Himalayas and is haunted by her spirit.
In The Way Alone, six couples contemplate on their life journeys through a score composed of music by Tchaikovsky. There is a somber, religious feel to the production as 'sacred music' by the composer is used to bookend this inner look into our lives. A commission by The Hong Kong Ballet, the piece was first performed by the Company in 2008.
Through a series of motifs, war is conjured in Christe's Symphony in Three Movements. The feelings of those caught in the maelstrom of conflict ──fear, anger, hiding, running, saying farewells── are only some of the emotive elements that people face in times of turmoil.
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Tickets for Symphony of Movements, priced from HK$120 to HK$600 (HK$1000 for VIP ticket), are available NOW at all URBTIX outlets (Tel. 27349009/www.urbtix.hk).
About The Ballets
La Bayadère
Set in India, temple dancer Nikiya, a bayadère and Solor, a noble warrior secretly sworn their eternal love for each other. The Rajah decides to marry his daughter Gamzatti to Solar. Overwhelmed by the beauty of Princess Gamzatti, Solar's vow to Nikiya is totally forgotten. When the Rajah finds out the secret vow from the High Brahmin, who is in love with Nikiya, he wants Nikiya killed. The Princess persuades Nikiya to give up Solor, but she refuses and attacks her.
Later, Nikiya dances at the betrothal celebrations of Gamzatti and Solor. There, she is bitten by a poisonous snake hidden in a basket of flowers sent by the Rajah and Gamzatti. Depressed by Nikiya's death, Solor smokes opium, entering into 'the kingdom of the shades,' Solor has a vision of Nikiya. At the wedding ceremony, Solor is haunted by visions of Nikiya that only he could see.
When the Gods are aware of the death of Nikiya, they are infuriated. They then destroyed the temple, killing everyone at the ceremony. The spirits of Nikiya and Solor are then reunited in love.
The Way Alone
Based on the music by Tchaikovsky, The Way Alone chooses sacred music as a starting point and overall theme.
The narrative suggests a group who, collectively and individually, are looking to the
past and to the future with a mix of emotions. They are perhaps acknowledging that ultimately their life journeys can only be charted by themselves, alone.
The choral music gives the ballet a sacred feel although no particularly religious connotations are intended. Three pieces from The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom are used, interspersed with a piece from the piano suite, The Seasons.
The dance is an interpretation of the music and, being Tchaikovsky, the mood is bleak, or at the very least, meditative.
Adapted from notes by Stephen Baynes
Symphony in Three Movements
Symphony in Three Movements by Igor Strawinsky was written in America during the Second World War. Also known as the War Symphony, it was a reflection of the terrible events happening in Europe.
Although Symphony in Three Movements is not a story ballet about the war, there are many elements that refer to the feelings and emotions of people during a war: fright, anger, hiding, running, saying farewells, to name just a few. The last image in the ballet is that of a woman, telling her man who is about to leave for the war, that there is a new life inside of her.
Symphony in Three Movements was originally created for The Royal Ballet of Antwerp and has since premiered in Granada, Spain. It is in the repertoire of The Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet de Capitole in Toulouse, Ballet de l'Opera de Lyon, Nancy and Nice in France, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Thuringen Ballett in Germany, and many others.
Adapted from notes by Nils Christe
About the Choreographers
La Bayadere: Marius Petipa
A ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer, Marius Ivanovich Petipa (1818-1910) was known as one of the most influential balletmaster and choreographer that has ever lived.
Petipa created over 50 ballets in his lifetime, they include The Pharaoh's Daughter (1862); Don Quixote (1869); La Bayadère (1877); Le Talisman (1889); The Sleeping Beauty (1890); The Nutcracker (which was possibly choreographed by Lev Ivanov, with Petipa's counsel and instruction) (1892); Le réveil de Flore (1894); Le Halte de Cavalerie (1896); Raymonda (1898); Les Saisons (1900), and Les millions d'Arlequin (a.k.a. Harlequinade) (1900).
All of Petipa's works which have survived are considered to be cornerstones of the ballet repertory.
The Way Alone: Stephen Baynes
Adelaide-born Stephen Baynes trained and graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 1975. He joined The Australian Ballet in the following year, and left to join the Stuttgart Ballet in 1981. There he had the opportunity to work with leading choreographers such as Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier, William Forsythe and Hans van Manen. He returned to The Australian Ballet in 1985 and was promoted to Soloist in 1992.
His talent as a choreographer was first displayed in 1986 with Strauss Songs. In 1988, he received the Qantas Youth Award for professional development enabling him to travel overseas and view the work of Europe major choreographers. Stephen's first commissioned work for The Australian Ballet, Catalyst, was performed nationally and in the United States and London, where it received a nomination for Best New Dance Production at the Laurence Olivier Awards.
Stephen was appointed Resident Choreographer with The Australian Ballet in 1995 and in the same year he was awarded the Kelvin Coe Memorial Scholarship. Since then, he has created numerous works for The Australian Ballet including At the Edge of Night (1997) for the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts.
Stephen has also created works for The Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and New York City Ballet.
Symphony in Three Movements: Nils Christe
Born in Rotterdam in 1949, Nils Christe has worked as a choreographer since 1974 when he created his first ballet for Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT). He left the company in 1982, having created 12 works. Among them, Quartet 1 for NDT2 won him the first prize at the Choreographic Competition in Cologne in 1979.
As an independent choreographer, he worked with 64 ballet-and dance companies in Holland and abroad. They include Dutch National Ballet, Introdans, Paris Opera ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Wiener Staatsoper, Zuercher Ballett, English National ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, the National Ballet of Finland, and many others in Europe, North and-South America and Canada.
From 1986 to 1993, he was the artistic director of the company now named Scapino Ballet Rotterdam. Over that time, he created seven new works including his first and very successful story-ballet Pulcinella, which has also been performed by the Thueringer Ballett.
Central to his creative process is the collaboration with his wife, rehearsal director Annegien Sneep, who has worked as his assistant since 1981. In Christe's recent works, she also acted as the costume designer.
Nils Christe has created 77 ballets and worked with over 64 different companies in 24 countries around the world. The Hong Kong Ballet will be the first Far-East Asian company that will perform Symphony in Three Movements.
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Symphony of Movements
20, 21 November 2009 (7:30pm)
21, 22 November (2:30pm)
$1000 (VIP tickets), $600, $400, $220, $120
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
*Children aged 6 years old or under cannot be admitted into the theatre
Tickets available at all URBTIX outlets
Reservation: 2734 9009
Credit card booking: 2111 5999
Internet booking: www.urbtix.hk
Enquiries: 2105 9724 / marketing@hkballet.com
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Programme Plus
A Preview of Symphony of Movements – an eclectic mix of classical and contemporary styles
An insider look into the music, costumes, sets and the rehearsal process, and a chat session with choreographer Nils Christe, revealing his concepts and thoughts for Symphony in Three Movements.
3 November 2009 (Tuesday)
7:30 – 8:45pm
Studio Theatre, Level 4, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Conducted in English
Free admission, on a first-come, first-served basis
Call 2105 9724, or email marketing@hkballet.com to reserve your seat
Pre-performance Talk
20 November 2009, Friday, 6:50pm
Level 4 foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Programme is about 20 minutes
Conducted in English with Cantonese translation
Admission with Symphony of Movementstickets, on a first-come, first-served basis
Call 2105 9724, or email marketing@hkballet.com to reserve your seat
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About The Hong Kong Ballet
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009, The Hong Kong Ballet is one of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia. It is also becoming internationally recognized as a world-class institution with an identity that fully reflects the unique vitality of Hong Kong.
The Company's artistic team originates from 12 countries and regions, performing a repertoire that combines 19th and 20th century classical masterpieces, acclaimed contemporary works and new commissions. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has raised its international profile and has concluded over 20 tours. Another integral part of the Company's activities are its extensive educational and community outreach programmes, which bring the art of ballet to students as well as the wider community of Hong Kong.
For further information on The Hong Kong Ballet, please contact:
| Heidi Chik, or Hiram To PR and Marketing Manager Hong Kong Ballet Tel. 2105 9742; 2105 9716 heidi_chik@hkballet.com hiram_to@hkballet.com |
Chloe Kwung Marketing Officer Hong Kong Ballet Tel: 2105 9757 chloe_kwung@hkballet.com |
Photos
Click to download
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| The Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadère by Marius Petipa / Photo: Hei |
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| Symphony in Three Movements by Nils Christe / Photo: Hei |
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| The Way Alone by Stephen Baynes / Photo: Conrad Dy-Liacco | |||
