Hong Kong Ballet’s new Butterfly Lovers & Gala

October 21, 2024 06:00

Hong Kong Ballet’s second programme this season was the premiere of “The Butterfly Lovers’ choreographed by Ricky Hu, the company’s choreographer-in-residence, and his wife Mai Jingwen. This new work also has a new music score composed by Tian Mi which incorporates snippets from the famous Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang.

“The Butterfly Lovers” is a Chinese folk tale about the tragic love between a poor scholar Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the daughter of a wealthy family. Zhu disguises herself as a boy so that she can attend school at a time when educating girls is frowned upon. She meets Liang and the pair eventually falls in love. But Zhu has been arranged by her parents to marry a wealthy man. When Liang visits her home to propose marriage, he is beaten up by gangsters and eventually dies. Zhu visits his grave and throws herself into it, whereupon the pair’s spirits are transformed into a pair of butterflies.

Ricky Hu’s new two-hour long ballet is divided into two acts and ten scenes. Act 1 ends with Zhu going home at the request of her parents. Hu is wise enough to keep the plot simple, for instance cutting the character of Zhu Yingtai’s wealthy fiancé. Hu’s choreography is workmanlike without much originality.

Act 1 is more successful than Act 2 and moves along with a quicker rhythm. There is a good variety of solos, duets, and ensemble dancing. The virtuosic solo for Liang Shanbo holding a fan is exciting. The townspeople’s group dance in a street fair early on has some interesting patterns, and the students’ dance with tables in the academy is good fun.

The bedroom scene when Liang realises that Zhu is female is imaginatively presented. Both are playful on the bed which is hoisted vertically to let the audience have a better view. However, their love is represented by another couple dancing a duet in their dreams, which is rather distracting and unnecessary. There is also an incongruous episode with Liang and Zhu surrounded by a white-clad female corps de ballet in classical tutu representing the four seasons. Their farewell duet on a bridge is moving.

Act 2 is pretty heavy going. It starts off with the confrontation scene between Zhu and her oppressive parents who force her to submit to an arranged marriage. The best part is the balcony duet for the two lovers. It is very expressive with lots of soaring high lifts. Then before Liang is beaten up by a group of gangsters, there is also another duet which is superfluous. Hu’s vocabulary for the duets is narrow and repetitive.

The explosive drum dance of the gangsters is sinister and violent. Liang’s death solo is too long-winded though it is theatrical and enhanced by white lighting. Zhu’s grieving episode is melodramatic. The epilogue, with a short duet before the lovers are lifted high by the corps de ballet, is effective and memorable.

Xuan Cheng was superb as Zhu Yingtai on the opening night. Her dancing was luminous. She was not so convincing however as the playful adolescent Zhu in the early scenes. Ma Renjie was impressive as Liang Shanbao. Garry Corpuz and Wang Qingxin danced with authority as Zhu’s parents.

Leading the second cast, Ye Feifei also impressed, and her acting was intense especially at the end of Act 2. Ryo Kato was handsome as her lover.

Tian Mi’s powerful music score is particularly good in Act 2. It was well performed by the Macao Orchestra conducted by Lio Kuokman.

The designer is Tim Yip who won an Oscar award for his designs for the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. His costume and set designs are most spectacular. The predominantly red costumes and sets in Act 2 enhance the oppressive atmosphere in Zhu’s mansion. Overall “The Butterfly Lovers” is more notable for its impressive designs than for its choreography.

Hong Kong Ballet held a Gala on 25 October to celebrate its 45th anniversary. This year’s programme was well planned by the artistic director Septime Webre who invited an excellent group of eight overseas stars.

Daniil Simkin, the most applauded star in last year’s gala, returned this year to dance two duets. He was dazzling in the opening “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux” by Balanchine partnering his colleague from the Berlin State Ballet, Iana Salenko. This Berlin couple was also spectacular in the Black Swan duet from “Swan Lake”.

From the Dutch National Ballet, Constantine Allen danced a virtuosic duet “Grand Pas Classique” with Ye Feifei of Hong Kong Ballet. Allen’s effortless virtuosity and charm were always irresistible.
Victor Caixeta was exciting in the “Don Quixote” pas de deux with his Dutch colleague Maia Makhateli. His big lifts of Makhateli were breathtaking. Makhateli’s dancing was refined, her long balance on pointe was sensational. Caixeta was also hilarious earlier in a solo “ABC” choreographed by Eric Gauthier.

Emma von Enck, a principal of New York City Ballet, was sparkling in two Balanchine masterpieces. Her legwork was sharp and precise in the duet from Balanchine’s “Rubies”. Her performance in “Tarantella” was an absolute joy.

Hong Kong Ballet’s performance of the flamingo scene from Septime Webre’s “Alice in Wonderland” was too long however. “Moonlight” duet by Wu Husheng was well danced by two principals of the Shanghai Ballet – Qi Bingxue and Xu Jingku.

Hong Kong Ballet’s Gala this year was definitely more enjoyable and spectacular than its last two galas.

Photo – by Conrad Dy-Liacco – dancers Xuan Cheng & Ma Renjie

veteran dance critic