The Hong Kong Ballet, having just returned from their triumphant Beijing performance of Swan Lake, have a captivating season ahead in Hong Kong. The highlight of their upcoming programmes is next month's series of contemporary ballet performances set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, called All Bach.
The programme, being staged as part of the 37th Hong Kong Arts Festival, is an eclectic bill of contemporary ballets by world-class choreographers. The lineup includes William Forsythe's Steptext, Stanton Welch's Clear, George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco and Wang Xin Peng's Mein Bach. Performances take place on February 13 to 15 at the Lyric Theatre of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
The Hong Kong Ballet artistic director John Meehan said that Bach's music made an ideal accompaniment for ballet.
'I think that Bach's music is of such high quality melodically, rhythmically and chromatically, that it remains very relevant to today's audiences,' he said. 'Many beautiful ballets have been created to Bach music, which lends itself as a perfect partner for dance.'
It will be the first time that The Hong Kong Ballet performs Steptext, a piece set to one of the greatest solos ever written for violin, the Ciaccona from Bach's Partita No2. In the piece, a ballerina is surrounded by three male dancers as she weaves with fluid motions.
Forsythe, considered one of the world's foremost choreographers, is recognised for his work with Ballett Frankfurt and his independent ensemble, The Forsythe Company. He is known for reconfiguring the classical art form of ballet into a dynamic 21st-century dance.
Meehan said Forsythe's work poses a challenge for both the dancers and audience. 'Forsythe is a very physical choreographer whose work is inspired by intellectually provocative ideas,' he said. 'But I think the company is now ready to tackle Forsythe after having danced more Balanchine, Stanton Welch's Clear and the Stephen Mills ballet Hush.'
