Press Release - April 2, 2004
The following is jointly issued by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver:

When the Hong Kong Ballet will perform its new repertoire, �Legend of the Great Archer�, in Vancouver in May, it will be presenting not only a new ballet that blends the east with the west but also the world�s first-ever full-length ballet to be accompanied by Chinese music.

Creating the Chinese music for the two-hour ballet drama was the award-winning composer, Mr Kuan Nai-chung, and the world-renowned Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will perform his original music score.

All these unique features, together with the classical Chinese folk tale of Yi, the Archer God, as its storyline, have made �Legend of the Great Archer� a rare ballet attraction not to be missed.

Vancouver is the second stop of the Hong Kong Ballet�s North America Premiere of the Legend of the Great Archer created by its Artistic Director, Stephen Jefferies. The first stop of the tour will be Toronto and the other two visit destinations will be San Jose and Washington DC in the United States.

Organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO) as part of the �Relaunch Hong Kong� campaign worldwide, the Hong Kong Ballet�s Legend of Great Archer will be staged on May 14 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. As Hong Kong�s contribution to Canadian culture, this ballet performance will be a joint presentation of the HKETO, the Chinese Cultural Centre (CCC) of Greater Vancouver and the City of Vancouver in support of the CCC�s expansion program.

Pledging his support on behalf the people of Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, and in his capacity as the Hon Adviser of the Hong Kong Ballet Vancouver Performance, at a press conference this (April 2) morning, Mayor Alan Lowe of Victoria said: �I am delighted to be associated with the premiere performance of Legend of the Great Archer in Vancouver. Not only will we enjoy this gala performance by the Hong Kong Ballet in Vancouver, we will be contributing in a meaningful way in support of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver.�

Introducing his new creation which was successfully launched in Hong Kong a few days ago, the Hong Kong Ballet Artistic Director, Stephen Jefferies said: �This dynamic ballet drama is the first full-length ballet to use Chinese music and it is also the first time that the world-renowned Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will perform the original score by award-winning composer Kuan Nai-chung to accompany the two-hour ballet repertoire.�

According to Mr Jefferies, the ballet represents a long journal of discovery and the scenario has undergone many transitions, from the initial suggestion by the Hong Kong Ballet Board Chairman, Cissy Pao Watari to its final form. �Eventually, the story of the Great Archer was used as a framework to explore human emotions and characters in a neo-classical style,� he added.

A former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada, Mr Jefferies said he was excited about his role as Hong Kong�s Goodwill Ambassador to make use of his ballet to promote closer Hong Kong � Canada cultural ties. �I have great affection towards Canada and I hope the Canadian audience will enjoy Legend of the Great Archer and our presence will strengthen our bond with Canada.�

Introducing his original Chinese music score in a video appearance, Mr Kuan Nai-chung said that it was the first time ever that a Chinese orchestra would be used to play the live accompaniment for a full-length ballet.

�The Chinese orchestra is made up of a wide spectrum of musical instruments than its western counterpart, thus lending the music richer tone colours,� Mr Kuan said.

�It was difficult to write Chinese music that was expected to sustain a two-hour ballet drama. I was fortunate to have Stephen�s understanding and support during the course of writing the score and this resulted in the most enjoyable collaboration I have ever had with a choreographer in my career.�

Also present at today�s press conference were the HKETO, Mr Bassanio So, the Chair of the Hong Kong Ballet Vancouver Performance Organising Committee, Mr Brian Lo and the President of the Fairchild Media Group, Mr Joseph Chan.

To acknowledge the great support that the Hong Kong Ballet performance has received in Vancouver, Mr So said he was very pleased with the encouraging response so far received and he expressed his hope that this successful cultural collaboration would bring Hong Kong and Canada closer together and pace the way for long-term co-operations at all fronts.

The Chairman of the Hong Kong Ballet Vancouver Performance Organising Committee, Mr Brian Lo, also took the opportunity to thank the many sponsors who have given their support selflessly. �As a non-profit cultural organization, the CCC is thankful for the support from the three levels of the Canadian Government, other organizations and community service clubs, and individuals. My special thanks must go to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and the City of Vancouver for co-organising this event for a meaningful cause,� he said.

The sponsors of the Hong Kong Ballet Vancouver Performance include the Special Sponsors and Supporters from Hong Kong, J.P. Morgan, OOCL, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the Information Services Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government; the Exclusive Travel Sponsors, Air Canada and Tour East Holidays; the Premium Media Sponsors, Fairchild Media Group, Fairchild TV, Fairchild Radio, and TelentVision; Media Sponsors: Ming Pao and World Journal; and the Promotion Sponsor, Cathay Pacific Airways.

Other Vancouver sponsors and supporters include Gold Sponsors: Holborn Group and LG Cashmere Mr Johnny Fong; Silver Sponsors: Dorset College and Kingston College; Bronze Sponsors: Park Georgia Insurance, Olympic Distributors, VanCity Savings Credit Union and Tak Shing Chau; and other sponsors: Cathay Importers, CIBC, Mr Kam Wai Lee, Kitty�s Beauty Studio, Kiu Shun Trading Co. Ltd, Mr Lawrence Woo, Parker Place Medical Clinic, Transpacific and University of Victoria.

Tickets at $30, $40, $50, $100 and $200 for the performance are available at Ticketmaster through charge-by-phone number (604) 280-4444 and online ticket sales website: www.ticketmaster.ca.

For enquiries about ticket sales and sponsorship, please contact the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver at (604) 658-8850.

Background Information about CCC:

Incorporated in 1973, the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver (CCC) has striven to preserve and promote the Chinese culture and heritage. It is the mandate of CCC to foster better understanding and act as the bridge between Chinese and the community at large.

Over the past 30 years, CCC has development a comprehensive range of education and cultural programs, specializing in promoting the learning of the Chinese language. There are now 4,000 students in our Chinese School in different locations in British Columbia from West Vancouver to Coquitlam. In addition, CCC organizes a variety of events including historical displays, arts exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances, as well as cultural celebrations on Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Apart from the educational and cultural aspects, CCC also offers a wide range of community services, namely services for women, seniors and youth, language training and immigration workshops.

The CCC has an operating cost of $2 million per year. Membership fees, cost recovery programs, fundraising events and rental income are the primary source of income to support our community services, education programs and other cultural celebration events. Annually, CCC has two major fundraising events: Telethon/Radiothon and Fundraising Dinner. It is with the support of community service clubs, corporations and donors that we could reach our goals and continue our steadfast mandate.

For further information, please contact John Tam, Chief Information Officer at (416) 924-5544, email [email protected] or
Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected] or
Catherine Yuen, Principal Consultant (Vancouver) at (604) 331-1300, email [email protected].