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Hong Kong Ballet’s Dunhuang: In Search of Light arrived at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the scale and confidence of a major cultural occasion. Its five-performance world-premiere run played to packed houses.
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Inspired by the extraordinary Buddhist cave murals of Dunhuang and the old Silk Road, the new ballet gave audiences an accessible story of a young man searching for purpose. Along the way, he meets love, loss and temptation, while the Feitian – the floating celestial figures found in the murals – guide him toward a clearer understanding of himself.
Part of the production’s appeal lay in its sheer theatrical richness. Magnificent stage design transformed the Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre into a shifting landscape of desert, cave and temple, while evocative video, atmospheric lighting and vivid costumes created a sense of wonder. A score bringing together the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and musicians of the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble added to the sensory splendor.
The company’s exceptional dancers brought the murals vividly to life, transforming their iconic poses and flowing energy into an expressive, emotionally charged language of modern ballet.
The enthusiastic response confirmed that audiences are ready to embrace ambitious new ballet rooted in Chinese culture but made for Hong Kong today. Dunhuang: In Search of Light was a tremendous success: visually lavish, emotionally direct and warmly received by capacity audiences.
The success also reflects Hong Kong Ballet’s ever-growing international standing. Founded in 1979, the company now has nearly 50 dancers from around the world and has undertaken more than 50 overseas tours, performing across Asia, mainland China, Europe and North America. Recent engagements have included New York, London, Venice, Seoul and Shanghai – evidence that the company has become one of Hong Kong’s most visible international cultural ambassadors.
That international standing makes the company’s next move even more significant. Next year, Hong Kong Ballet will become the inaugural resident company of the new WestK Performing Arts Centre, with Dancehouse – Hong Kong’s first purpose-built dance venue – at its heart. It will give the company the space, resources and confidence to create on a larger scale, nurture the next generation of artists and carry Hong Kong’s cultural voice to audiences far beyond the city.
Bernard Charnwut Chan is the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District
