Opening programme: Romeo + Juliet - Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul

/ All Programme / Romeo + Juliet by Hong Kong Ballet

Opening Programme:

Romeo + Juliet by Hong Kong Ballet

/ All Programme / Romeo + Juliet by Hong Kong Ballet

Date & Time

2025.09.26 (Fri) 7:30pm

2025.09.27 (Sat) 5pm

Approx. 135 mintues
with an intermission

Venue

Haeoreum Grand Theater, National Theater of Korea

Price

₩ 120,000 / 100,000 / 70,000 / 50,000 / 30,000

Ticketing

Tickets available at NOL and National Theater of Korea website from 25 July.

Programme
Overview
Arts Group
Introduction
Cast & Key Artistic
Personnel
Fringe Activity

DANCE

Epic and tragic
A love story set in Hong Kong in 1960s

Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) proudly presents this reimagined Shakespeare classic on the National Theater of Korea stage for the first time, marking the opening of the festival. Since its establishment in 1979, HKB has earned international acclaim for its unique perspective and artistic excellence. In this production, HKB Artistic Director Septime Webre brilliantly transplants the classic tale into turbulent 1960s Hong Kong, with winding oriental streets and luxurious cheongsams portraying old Hong Kong’s rich character. Prokofiev’s dramatic score intertwines with Chinese kung fu rhythms, creating an extraordinary masterpiece that showcases a harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Co-presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the National Theater of Korea

Post-performace talk
Date: 27 September 2025 (Sat)
Time: 7pm -7:45pm
Venue: Haeoreum Grand Theater, National Theater of Korea
Speaker: Septime Webre (Artistic Director, Hong Kong Ballet)
Admission fee: Free Admission (for ticket 's holder)
Seating Capacity: > 100 pax

Founded in 1979, Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is a world-class institution that represents Hong Kong's unique character and currently has 50 dancers from all over the globe. With over 50 tours to 70 cities, HKB also maintains the Hong Kong Academy of Ballet, a professionally-oriented ballet school, and numerous community programmes and collaborations to ensure that ballet is accessible to all.

Hong Kong Ballet is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

https://www.hkballet.com/en/

Septime Webre (Artistic Director, Hong Kong Ballet)

Septime Webre is an internationally recognised ballet director, choreographer, educator and advocate. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as its Artistic Director in July 2017 after 17 years as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet in Washington DC, US. Previously he served as Artistic Director of the American Repertory Ballet, based in Princeton, New Jersey, US for six years. In addition, Webre has served as the Artistic Director of Halcyon, a Washington DC-based foundation standing at the intersection of creativity and social impact.

Webre’s tenure at The Washington Ballet ushered in a period of unprecedented growth in the quality and breadth of its work-both onstage and in its engagement and educational initiatives, with its annual budget growing over 500% during that time. In Hong Kong, Webre recently staged a pair of new productions for HKB: a Romeo + Juliet set in the early 1960’s Hong Kong, and The Nutcracker set in Hong Kong in the early 20th century. In addition, he has staged a number of productions for HKB, including new productions of Giselle, ALICE (in wonderland), Sam and Her Amazing Book of Dinosaurs, The Great Gatsby, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella and Peter Pan.

As a dancer, Webre was featured in solo and principal roles from the classical repertoire as well as in contemporary works by choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. He has served on the juries of a number of international ballet competitions, including those in Varna, Bulgaria, Istanbul, Cape Town, New York, Seoul, and elsewhere. He has served on the board of Dance/USA and his work has received numerous honors, grants and awards. He holds a degree in History/Pre-Law from the University of Texas at Austin, and is the seventh son in a large, boisterous Cuban-American family.

Choreography: Septime Webre
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Costume Design: Mandy Tam
Set Design: Ricky Chan
Assistant Set Designer: Ryan Lo
Lighting Design: Ruby Yau
(based on the original lighting design by Billy Chan)
Sound Design: Allison Fong
Dramaturge: Yan Pat To
Make-up Design: M•A•C Cosmetics
Martial Arts Advisor: Hing Chao
Martial Arts Partner: International Guoshu Association

HKW

Opening Programme:

Romeo + Juliet by Hong Kong Ballet