features
I
t’s early July, and while many Hong
Kong families are packing their bags
to escape the summer heat and enjoy
some time away from school and
work, the 50 international dancers of the
HK Ballet, along with Artistic Director
Septime Webre, are reporting back to
the rehearsal studio to prepare for the
company’s new season. After one year
under Webre’s experienced and dynamic
leadership, the HK Ballet is primed to
entice audiences with provocative new
offerings such as the Asian premiere
of The Great Gatsby as well as classic
favorites like Giselle and Le Corsaire. In
total, the new season will launch nine
different productions over ten months at
performing arts centres all around the city.
The high-energy spectacle of Alice
(in wonderland) kicks things off in
mid-August, premiering at the Cultural
Centre and then moving to the Yuen
Long Theatre so that audiences all over
the territory can experience a giddy
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ride down the rabbit hole. The dual
location set-up is all part of Webre’s
modus operandi of connecting with the
community. In his previous role - 17
years as Director of the Washington
Ballet – the American of Cuban-French
heritage was well-known for reaching out
beyond the black-tie arts crowd to bring
ballet to as many groups, both uptown
and downtown, young and old, as
possible. He has summed up the role of
the company - well, any artistic company
actually - by saying, “you must find
ways to connect with the social fabric of
the city.”
As if to illustrate that objective in
the most striking way possible – and
to celebrate the new season - the HK
Ballet recently unveiled a series of photos
of their dancers in locations all around
Hong Kong. The vivid images, crafted
by the Washington DC-based team
at Design Army and photographed by
Dean Alexander, showcase not only the
strength and talent of the young artists
of the company but also the beauty of
Hong Kong itself, in all its dramatic and
prosaic glory.
Christened ‘Never Stand Still’, the
concept for the visuals was to reimagine
both classical ballet and our distinctive
city. What materialised was a mash-up, a
mixture, a funky fusion of grit and grace.
As Pum Lefebure, chief creative
officer and co-founder of Design Army,
explained, “With ballet, you become
enthralled watching a dancer on
stage, interpreting a story through their
movements. We wanted to have that
same sense of escapism and fantasy
when you view these images. By
photographing the dancers in familiar,
iconic locations with an artistic twist – it
creates a wholly unique visual experience
of Hong Kong.”
Dancer Lauma Berga, who was one of
five ballerinas photographed on the Tsim
Sha Tsui waterfront, said, “I had done