Latest news with #HongKongBallet
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend June 6-8, from cocktails to ballet
The weekend is upon us and if you haven't had time to check out what's going on, don't stress – we have you covered. Hong Kong Ballet's new production of Giselle at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a must-see, while The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental is the place to be if cocktails are your thing. You can have a ball at a workshop on Lantau where you will learn how to make a Thai herbal compress or, if you're in need of retail therapy, Lane Crawford's Anya Life pop-up featuring playful products by British designer Anya Hindmarch should do the trick. Read on to find out more. 1. Best Bars Takeover at The Aubrey On Sunday, head to The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong for the ultimate celebration of cocktails. For one night only, bar manager Stefano Bussi has curated a line-up of Hong Kong's best and brightest mixologists from 11 top bars, who will each showcase two cocktails priced at HK$180 (US$23) each.
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Giselle review: Hong Kong Ballet combines outstanding dancing with lavish sets
Hong Kong Ballet's new production of Giselle boasts lavish new sets and costumes by internationally acclaimed designer Jérôme Kaplan. The first night featured outstanding performances in the leading roles from guest artists Marianela Nuñez and Matthew Ball. Advertisement The dancing from the company as a whole was excellent, with the female corps de ballet superb as the Wilis (ghosts) in Act 2. Kaplan has switched the ballet from its usual medieval setting to Victorian times. His Act 1 set is truly stunning – a charming village in the foreground with a vista leading up to a fairy-tale castle in the distance and full of light, a nice contrast to the mournful, moonlit forest of Act 2. The costumes for the Duke and his aristocratic hunting party are gorgeous, those for the villagers pretty and colourful, if a trifle kitsch, and the long tutus for the Wilis flow nicely to enhance their movement. The final scene of Act 1 in Hong Kong Ballet's new production of Giselle. Photo: Tony Luk However, giving Giselle a richly embroidered, off-the-shoulder bodice is misjudged – she's an innocent peasant girl, not a sex kitten – and having Albrecht dance for his life in Act 2 wearing a plaid waistcoat looks bizarre.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Titanic-like sweep of Hong Kong Dance Awards and a sinking feeling about dance's standing
You don't often hear a Hong Kong dance production compared to a blockbuster film's success on Oscars night, but that was how the Hong Kong Dance Alliance described a near clean sweep of its annual awards by Hong Kong Ballet's The Butterfly Lovers. 'This is astonishing – it feels like Oscars night in the year of Titanic,' said the awards' co-chairman, and Post dance critic, Natasha Rogai At the awards ceremony, held at the Fringe Club in Central district on May 19, The Butterfly Lovers won a record six awards: for best large venue production, best choreography, best set and costume design – won by Tim Yip , who earned an Oscar in 2001 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – best music for Tian Mi's score, best female performance for Xuan Cheng, and best ensemble performance. Of the other honours presented on the night, the two that eluded The Butterfly Lovers were the award for best male performance, which went to Luo Fan for his role in CCDC's As If Snowing, and the award for best lighting, won by Yeung Tsz-yan for Hong Kong Dance Company's The Legend of Lanling. Recipients of prizes in the 26th Hong Kong Dance Awards and other members of the dance community at the awards presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Fringe Club. Photo: Hong Kong Dance Alliance The award for best medium (sic) venue production went to City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) for Living Up to Death, while the award for best small venue production was shared between Tai Kwun's Memory Trace of Western Chamber and Common Ground's Imagined Altar. The Butterfly Lovers, which is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale of the same name, premiered at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's Grand Theatre on October 18, 2024. It will soon tour to the United States: Hong Kong Ballet will perform it at New York's David H. Koch Theatre between August 22 and 24.
Time Out
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The beautiful ‘Giselle' ballet will be in Hong Kong for just nine performances
The Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) presents a new production of Giselle, starring a lineup of world-renowned guest dancers and accompanied by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong under the baton of Fayçal Karoui. HKB's artistic director Septime Webre and South African ballet artist Charla Glenn team up to breathe new life into this story of love, betrayal, and redemption, for nine performances only at the end of this month. Some of the famous guest artists for this production include the étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet Hugo Marchand – who was a torch bearer at last year's Paris Olympic Games – in his Hong Kong debut, while The Royal Ballet's principal dancer Marianela Nuñez returns to dance with HKB for her third consecutive year. Giselle also marks the return of another principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball, whom we last saw as Prince Siegfried in last year's production of Swan Lake. Ball had great chemistry with HKB's principal dancer Ye Feifei, and we're excited to see them reunite on stage. Lastly, the international star Victor Caixeta, who was formerly the principal dancer of the Dutch National Ballet will also be returning to collaborate with HKB. For the uninitiated, this ballet follows the kind-hearted peasant girl Giselle who meets and falls in love with the handsome Albrecht, only to discover later that the flirtatious man has lied to her about his background and is also engaged to someone else. The deceit and grief drives her mad and the vengeful spirits of women who died before their weddings try to take revenge on Albrecht for Giselle, but her unwavering love protects him from the supernatural forces. The ballet blanc in the second act, when the wilis spirits rise from their graves is definitely one to keep an eye out for. HKB's new Giselle will feature beautiful costumes and sets by the designer Jérôme Kaplan, including a castle inspired by the Château de Pierrefond and cottages modeled after Marie Antoinette's Hameau de la Reine hamlet at Versailles. This tragic, poignant ballet is to be staged on Fridays to Sundays from May 30 to June 8 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
What does Hong Kong's French May arts festival have in store?
It's la vie en rose as Le French May returns this month. Established in 1993, the 32nd edition of this annual celebration of all things Gallic continues its long-standing tradition of visual arts, music, dance, theatre and gastronomy, in its mission to better connect Hong Kong with France. Advertisement Performing arts have always formed the core of Le French May's programme, and chief among this year's line-up is Giselle, a new production by the Hong Kong Ballet that reinterprets the timeless romantic classic, with the Royal Ballet's principal dancer, Matthew Ball, set to give star performances on May 31 and June 6. Contemporary dance enthusiasts would do well to book tickets for Corps extrêmes (May 30 and 31, and June 1), to see its gravity-defying performances that combine dance, acrobatics and even bouldering. Striking a more pensive pose, stage drama Souvenirs, a production by the Alliance Française de Hong Kong, follows a man's reminiscences about his life and love with delicately choreographed dance routines. Giselle, a new production by the Hong Kong Ballet that reinterprets the timeless romantic classic, will see the Royal Ballet's principal dancer, Matthew Ball, give star performances on May 31 and June 6. Photo: Le French May Cross-cultural collaboration is at the heart of the musical performances at Le French May. A prime example is Echoes of the Heart (June 14), which sees French singer-songwriter Joyce Jonathan and Cantopop artist Jay Fung Wan-him blend Hong Kong's distinct pop music style with French musical sensibilities. Meanwhile, French singer-pianist Sarah Lancman will team up with local piano virtuoso Joyce Cheung for Jazz Female Duo – Paris Rendezvous on June 6, fusing jazz and French chanson. Then there's the dynamic jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz, who is bringing his energetic Rollin' & Clap! performance to Hong Kong on June 7, when he will imbue the greatest film scores of the 20th century with his spirited trumpeting. For fans of classical music, cellist Gautier Capuçon's rendition of Shostakovich with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on May 8 and 9 promises emotional depth and technical brilliance. Then there's the surreal Le Bal, a street parade by the acclaimed Remue Ménage troupe. Inspired by Renoir and Degas paintings, the parade will bring the Belle Époque to Tai Kwun's Parade Ground from May 9 to 11, and May 13 to 18. The French GourMay Food and Wine Festival will run throughout the month at more than 150 venues across Hong Kong and Macau. Photo: Le French May The French GourMay Food & Wine Festival, an essential part of events for the past 15 editions, returns this year and will run throughout the month, at more than 150 venues across Hong Kong and Macau.
