HK Ballet displays diversity

The Hong Kong Ballet will present a triple bill, "Summer Delights," featuring three diverse dance pieces by famous choreographers at the 2010 World Expo.

The trilogy, comprising "Firecracker" by Hong Kong dance master Yuri Ng, "Steptext" by the world acclaimed William Forsythe, and "In Light and Shadow" by Poland's renowned Krzysztof Pastor, will be staged at the Oriental Opera Hall of the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre on Friday.

"Traditionally, full-length ballets have storylines. Although our three pieces are of different styles, they share common features - superb choreography, great music, versatile dancers, and the absence of a storyline," said Madeleine Onne, the artistic director of the Hong Kong Ballet.

Inspired by the traditional festive fantasy "The Nutcracker", "Firecracker" takes the audience on a stroll down Hong Kong's memory lane starting in the late 1960s, a little like watching old Cantonese film trailers.

In "Steptext," Forsythe draws upon the heritage of Balanchine, pushing bodies to their flexible extremes while ignoring the conventional logic that governs the order and impulses of steps and the ways they are connected.

Under the influence of a range of Baroque dances and painters including Vermeer and Rembrandt and the lyrical music of J.S. Bach, "In Light and Shadow" translates elements of light and shadow into dramatic shapes and dance rhythms.

Onne said she hopes that the Shanghai audience would be eager to find out more about our different pieces and will enjoy at least one of them. "It's like a box of chocolates, everyone will have their favorite taste."

Program details and ticketing information are available at the "event calendar" section on Hong Kong's Expo website at www.hkexpo2010.gov.hk.