Choreographic Exploration: Crafting Dances informed by Character, Emotional Atmosphere and Narrative

Name: Choreographic Exploration: Crafting Dances informed by Character, Emotional Atmosphere and Narrative
Start: 2/22/2025 12:00:00 AM +08:00
End: 2/22/2025 12:00:00 AM +08:00

Septime Webre (USA/Hong Kong)

22 Feb 2025, Sat, 10.30am

2hrs

(Intermission: None)

Esplanade Rehearsal Studio (Meeting Point: Theatre Studio, Level 4, 20mins before start time)

$70

Photo credit: Tony Brown

Synopsis

All dance works tell a human story of sorts, as the human body is not an abstract instrument.

Designed for choreographers as well as ballet and contemporary dancers interested in exploring choreographic expression, Hong Kong Ballet Artistic Director and choreographer Septime Webre leads a dynamic session of dancemaking, exploration and creativity.

During the workshop, participants will experiment with various modalities for creating movement and learn skills for generating original movement phrases inspired by elements of narrative and character. Drawing on Webre’s experience as a choreographer of narrative work in both contemporary and neoclassical styles, attendees will be tasked with creating dynamic new movement combinations which are informed by the nature of a character, an emotional state or other aspects of storytelling. Newly created phrases will then be both refined and expanded, utilising movement-generating techniques, ultimately creating brief works which meditate on some aspect of the human experience.

Participants can expect to gain new skills for movement generation as well as making works which tell a story.

Participants can also expect to dance during the session and are encouraged to arrive early to do their own warm up. Participants are also requested to bring a smartphone or small video camera for recording and analysing newly generated movement.

Places are limited. Pre-registration is required to be considered for the workshop. Successful applicants will be contacted within five working days to purchase tickets for the class. Please dress comfortably.

This programme is part of da:ns focus – Ballet by the Bay, a ballet lovers’ weekend of classics and neo-classical works. Be inspired by world-class productions and be introduced to new perspectives on this celebrated art form.

Be sure to catch ALICE (in wonderland) by Hong Kong Ballet, a whimsical reimagination of Lewis Carroll’s beloved tale.

Advisory:

Pre-registration is required.

Latecomers will not be admitted once the workshop has begun.

Admission Age:

18 and above.

Language: English

Things to Note:

Accessibility: We provide services and facilities for patrons with access needs. Concessions for persons with disabilities (PWDs) are available for selected shows. Read our accessibility guide.

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Artist Information

Septime Webre

Instagram | Website | Facebook

International Choreographer and Artistic Director, Hong Kong Ballet

Septime Webre is an internationally recognised ballet director, choreographer, educator and advocate. He joined Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) as its Artistic Director in July 2017 after 17 years as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet in Washington DC, United States from 1999-2016. Previously he served as Artistic Director of the American Repertory Ballet, based in Princeton, New Jersey from 1993-1999. In addition, Webre has served as the Artistic Director of Halcyon, a Washington DC-based foundation, launching an annual international Festival for Creativity in Washington DC in June 2018.

During Webre’s tenure at The Washington Ballet, the institution’s budget grew by 500%, and it enjoyed unprecedented advances in the scope and quality of its work on stage, in the size and reach of its professional school, and in the development of several far-reaching community engagement programmes, which he founded. Webre launched an array of artistic initiatives including The American Experience, which developed great works of literature into full-length ballets, including The Great Gatsby and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises among others.

As a choreographer, Webre’s works appear in the repertoires of ballet companies throughout North America, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico and many others, and he has worked frequently in theatre as well as opera. His new works for HKB, Romeo+Juliet, set in 1960s Hong Kong, and The Nutcracker, set in 1920s Hong Kong, world premiered in June 2021 and December 2021 respectively. The latter work also won him Outstanding Choreography at the 2022 Hong Kong Dance Awards.

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 honours, 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.

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Date & Time

22 Feb 2025, Sat

10.30am

Esplanade Rehearsal Studio

Meeting Point: Theatre Studio, Level 4, 20mins before start time

Tickets & Prices

	Standard
Price	$70

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