The Hong Kong Ballet may be on its summer recess but the company is hardly resting. Not only is the troupe already preparing for The Nutcracker, a new version of the classic reimagined by Australian choreographer Terence Kohler that will have its world premiere this Christmas, but 30 of its dancers are also gearing up for a three-week tour of North America.
Starting on Wednesday, they'll be performing a triple-bill contemporary programme at four major venues: Becket, Massachusetts, where they'll make their debut at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; New Mexico and Colorado, as part of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet summer season; and Quebec, Canada, for the Festival Des Arts De Saint-Sauveur.
The tour is crucial exposure for the troupe, says the Ballet's artistic director, Madeleine Onne. For one, Jacob's Pillow, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, is a prestigious dance, music and art festival in the US; on the bill this year are groups such as the Joffrey Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Luna Negra Dance Theatre.
By going on tour, the dancers also get the chance to perform to a wider audience. 'It's not enough to do 45 performances [a season] as we have today,' Onne says, gesturing at a large calendar on the wall covered in neon Post-it stickers. 'These dancers are just too good.'
The tour will add 12 more shows to this year's schedule.
Apart from the increase in performances, the tour will also give the dancers a chance to focus on contemporary works - a genre that has yet to catch on in Hong Kong.
The triple-bill will feature Black on Black by Kinsun Chan and Peter Quanz's Luminous - both are specially commissioned for the Ballet - as well as Nils Christe's Symphony in Three Movements set to music by Stravinsky.