Breakneck Hong Kong ballet brings screams and cheers from the audience in a show of emotion rarely seen in the city scmp.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scmp.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kevin Ng May 25, 2021 10:01
Full-house audiences enthusiastically welcomed the Hong Kong Ballet back on stage last weekend for its first programme of live performances this year. All five performances of the company’s premiere of “Jewels” at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts were sold out.
“Jewels” is a three-act ballet created in 1967 by George Balanchine, the greatest ballet choreographer of the 20th century. It is in fact the first full-length abstract ballet in history. The choreographer was inspired by a chance visit to the high jewellery boutique Van Cleef & Arpels on Fifth Avenue, New York.
“Emeralds” set to music by Faure pays tribute to France, the birthplace of classical ballet. “Rubies” set to Stravinsky salutes America, Balanchine’s adopted homeland where he founded the New York City Ballet. And the final part “Diamonds” set to Tchaikovsky’s third symphony is Balanchine’s homage to his roots and upbringing in the Imperial Ball