[:en]BFI – BALET HONGKONGA 23.03.2018.Sava Centar

Ticket prices: 1700, 2000 and 2300 dinars
Hong Kong Ballet | Hong Kong

The harmony of gods and humans, Fei Bo
The spiritual thread, Edward Liang
Shine Shine, Jorma Elo
Hongkong Ballet China / Hong Kong Ballet China

Harmony of Gods and Men / Shenren Chang

choreography / choreography: Fei Bo
music / music: Wen Zi
scene / set design: Bacchus Lee
costumes / costume design: Li Kun
lighting design / lighting design: Mak Kwok Fai

duration / duration: 23 ‘
Premiere / Premiere: Hong Kong Ballet, 2016

Inspired by the ancient guqin music, Fei Bo continues the dialogue between eastern perspectives and western ballet art. This original work uses the meanings of three words in the original Chinese title “Gods”, Men” and “Harmony” to express different life statuses. Through the motions of dancer’s limbs, attempting to capture the rhythm of blood pumping, the movement of air from breathing, and the collision and integration of different life elements, this piece abstractly illustrates the Chinese concepts of the unity of man and universe in the spiritual realm.

Born into a family of Chinese opera performers and trained in Chinese traditional dance at an early age, Fei Bo started choreographing when he was 16 and then studied contemporary dance at Beijing Dance Academy. After graduation, he joined National Ballet of China in 2002 and since then has created many pieces for the company, including the famous Chinese ballet “The Peony Pavilion” and the full-length “Hamlet”. Fei Bo strives to integrate eastern perspectives with western art forms and has collaborated with renowned artists like Philippe Decouflé, Akram Khan, Tamara Rojo, Liu-yi Li and many more. Awarded China’s National Class One Choreographer and Asian Cultural Council Fellowship in 2011, Fei has also won choreography awards at Helsinki Ballet Competition (2005, 2012) Shanghai International Ballet Competition (2007) and Youth American Grand Prix (2012). In 2014, he was nominated for Benois Award for Dance. He is currently Resident Choreographer of National Ballet of China and Visiting Professor of the People’s Liberation Army Academy of Art.

Spiritual Thread / Sacred Thread
choreography / choreography: Edwaard Liang
music / music: John Adams
costumes / costume design: Bridget Steis
lighting design / lighting design: Mak Kwok Fai

duration / duration: 23 ‘
Premiere / Premiere: Hong Kong Ballet, 2016

Commissioned by Hong Kong Ballet, Edwaard Liang’s new creation draws inspiration from Chinese weddings and touches upon uncertainty, sacrifice and freedom in relationships. Set to John Adam’s driving tempo, Liang evokes ambivalence through vivid realism and athletic choreography. The flourishes in the piece reflect intense emotions.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Edwaard Liang studied at the School of American Ballet before joining New York City Ballet in 1993. That same year, he was a medal winner at the Prix de Lausanne Ballet Competition. He was promoted to soloist in 1998 and joined the Tony Award winning Broadway cast of Fosse in 2001. In 2002, Liang was invited by Jiři Kylian to become a member of the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater 1 (NDT1). During his time with NDT 1, Liang discovered his passion for choreography. He has since created works for ballet companies worldwide including Bolshoi Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre. He has won numerous awards for his choreography including the 2006 National Choreographic Competition of Hubbard Street Dance. He was named Artistic Director of BalletMet in 2013.

Shape of Shine / Shape of Glow

choreography / choreography: Jorma Elo
music / music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven
costumes / costume design: Yumiko Takeshima
lighting design / lighting design: Goh Boon Ann

duration / duration: 27 ‘
Premiere / Premiere: Hong Kong Ballet, 2016

Musicality is the key to unlocking the secrets of this work. Set to three pieces of music by Mozart and Beethoven, this work is a study of the structure of the music. Its energy resides in the score; Elo uses the dancers’ bodies to explore the mood and texture of the Mozart and Beethoven orchestrations, and the steps speak of the emotions sparked within Elo by the music as he created the ballet. Joyful and celebratory, this majestic piece was also created especially for Hong Kong Ballet.

Finnish-born Jorma Elo danced with Finnish National Ballet and Cullberg Ballet before joining Nederlands Dans Theater. He began creating works in the year 2000, and since then he has become one of the most sought-after choreographer in the world. Elo is currently resident choreographer at Boston Ballet and he has won numerous accolades including the first ever Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance, the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for best choreography, the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography and a Prince Charitable Trust award.

One of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia, Hong Kong Ballet is internationally recognized as a top institution that represents Hong Kong’s unique character. Since its inception in 1979, Hong Kong Ballet has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organization with a strong repertoire composed of a range of artistic and technically challenging productions, showcasing our exceptional dancers. With nearly 50 dancers from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe and the U.S. as well as other parts of Asia, the Company has won recognition in recent years both regionally and internationally. Principal Dancer Shen Jie was awarded Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer at the 2016 Hong Kong Dance Awards, where Hong Kong Ballet also won Outstanding Ensemble Performance with “Bolero”. Overseas, the Company also garnered two nominations in 2014 for Prix Benois de la Danse, held annually in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theatre. The Company’s repertoire includes full-length ballets, the finest classical and neo-classical works of the 19th to 21st centuries, acclaimed contemporary ballets and abridged classic productions choreographed especially for children. Hong Kong Ballet performs works by today’s most sought-after choreographers including Nacho Duato, Alexei Ratmansky, Jiří Kylián and Christian Spuck, in addition to commissioned works by Jorma Elo, Cynthia Harvey, Wang Xin Peng, Terence Kohler, Peter Quanz, Kinsun Chan,  Christopher Wheeldon… With more than 40 tours, Hong Kong Ballet recently made appearances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in USA and at New York’s renowned Fall for Dance, in addition to performances in Japan and Macau. The Company’s three-week long North American tour in 2016 was enthusiastically received and garnered wide critical acclaim.