| Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 2:11 pm Post subject: Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet / Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet |
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Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director of
The Hong Kong Ballet,
continues to lead the Company to
make great strides in the ballet world
<Hong Kong – 30 April 2013> Following Daisy Ho’s appointment as Chairman of the Board of Governors, The Hong Kong Ballet announces that Madeleine Onne will continue service as Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet until May 2017.
“I can think of no-one better to lead The Hong Kong Ballet to new heights of excellence. Madeleine has worked tirelessly to get the Company the international recognition it deserves, and I look forward to working closely with Madeleine and Executive Director Rebecca Ip on continuing that mission to elevate the Company’s international level of artistry and reputation.” Daisy Ho said.
Madeleine joined The Hong Kong Ballet as Artistic Director in 2009 and has led the Company to go from strength to strength. She has consistently leveraged her international connections to bring the crème de la crème of the ballet world to Hong Kong, either as choreographers, dancers, teachers or répétiteurs, and in 2012 she secured a North America tour for the Company, including performances at the highly prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. She was also instrumental in facilitating dancer exchanges with the Royal Swedish Ballet and The Australian Ballet.
Madeleine has made great progress in helping The Hong Kong Ballet to grow artistically, in particular by commissioning new ballets Luminous by Peter Quanz and a new version of The Nutcracker by Terence Kohler, as well as a number of ballets with a Chinese or Hong Kong connection such as Black on Black by Kinsun Chan, A Room of her Own by Fei Bo, Dancing with the Wind by Li Jun, The Frog Prince – A Ballet Chinois by Yuri Ng, Yuh Egami and Ricky Hu, and the upcoming ballet inspired by The Dream of the Red Chamber by Wang Xin Peng, Artistic Director of Ballett Dortmund.
Under her leadership, The Hong Kong Ballet’s artistic excellence was once again recognised when the Hong Kong Dance Alliance recently awarded the Company The 2013 Hong Kong Dance Award “Outstanding Ensemble Performance” for Castrati, a ballet by world-famous choreographer Nacho Duato who granted The Hong Kong Ballet the exclusive privilege as one of the few companies to perform Castrati on tour worldwide.
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About Madeleine Onne
Dancer of the Swedish Royal Court
Born in Stockholm, Madeleine Onne has established herself as a formidable artistic force to be reckoned with in the international dance world. One of Sweden's leading ballerinas, she was Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Ballet, the world's fourth oldest ballet company, from 2002 to 2008. She took up the role of Artistic Director at The Hong Kong Ballet in May 2009.
Madeleine was Principal Dancer of the Royal Swedish Ballet from 1984 to 2002, and is renowned for her engaging style and dramatic talent. In 1996, she founded an off-shoot of the main company, Stockholm 59 Degrees North, which toured during Royal Swedish Ballet's summer break. The company presented Swedish and international contemporary choreography, featuring 15 of the best soloists. It has garnered critical acclaim ever since their spectacular debut at the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts in 1997.
Madeleine has danced major roles in almost all classical repertoire as well as MacMillan's Romeo & Juliet and Manon, Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew and Onegin, Neumeier's A Midsummer Night's Dream and contemporary ballets by Balanchine, Cullberg, Kylián, Robbins, Tudor and Béjart. During her time as Artistic Director, she has worked with some of the world's top choreographers including Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Natalia Makarova and Christian Spuck, to name a few.
Madeleine's appearances as a guest artist and jury member of international ballet competitions have taken her to most European countries as well as Russia, USA, Cuba, Canada, South America, Japan, Korea and China.
Madeleine has received a long list of honours, among others the prestigious Royal medal Litteris et Artibus and is one of only five women to have received the title of 'Dancer of the Swedish Royal Court' from HRH King Carl XVI Gustaf. In recognition of her years as Principal Dancer as well as Artistic Director for the Royal Swedish Ballet, she was awarded The Royal Swedish Opera's Gold Medal of Honour in April 2009.
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About The Hong Kong Ballet
One of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia, The Hong Kong Ballet is becoming internationally recognised as a world-class institution with an identity that fully reflects the unique vitality of Hong Kong. The Company turns 34 in 2013, and over time has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organisation with accomplished dancers, a strong repertoire, and sparkling, technically challenging productions.
The Company’s artistic team is led by Artistic Director Madeleine Onne, with over 40 dancers originating from all over the world. The Company performs a repertoire that combines classical masterpieces and acclaimed contemporary works from the 19th to 21st centuries, as well as new commissions. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has raised its international profile by conducting over 30 tours; in the summer of 2012, The Hong Kong Ballet toured the United States and Canada, performing at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and in Aspen, Montreal and Santa Fe. An integral part of the Company’s activities is an extensive education and community outreach programme, which brings the art of ballet to students as well as to the wider community of Hong Kong. |
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