When?: December 15, 2022

Where?: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Who?: Winnie Chiu, Jonathan Cheung, Charmaine Ho, Gillian Choa, Kenneth Fok, Anna-Pao-Sohmen, Victoria Tang-Owen

Here's what you missed:

On hiatus since the start of the pandemic, the ball came back with a bang, much to the delight of guests, including honourary patron of the Society of the APA Regina Leung as well as Danny Yeung and Vanessa Kwan, who wore their glitziest cabaret-inspired attire for the event.

After posing for photos for the paparazzi in the foyer, guests entered the Moulin Rouge-themed venue, complete with black and gold accents, red roses and the word “cabaret”  spelt in light bulbs above the stage. The black-tie affair kicked off with a special performance by Anna Pao-Sohmen, daughter of the late shipping tycoon YK Pao, and her dance partner Ivailo Tonchev. The duo performed a sultry Latin dance to Cry Me a River by Arthur Hamilton. The opening sequence was met with roaring applause and before guests could catch their breath, the Academy’s dance and drama students transported the audience to the jazz age, performing hit after hit of cabaret classics including All That Jazz, Big Spender, and Lady Marmalade. The medley ended with a modern take of Shallow, the ballad from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s 2018 movie A Star is Born. Finally, celebrity pianist Niu Niu enchanted guests with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

“Is it not wonderful to be able to gather here tonight after a lapse of three years?” said Gillian Choa, director of the HKAPA. “The Academy Ball has always been a highly anticipated event, full of delight and surprises. Over the last few years, we had been living under the new norm. With resilience and adaptability, the Academy has been moving ahead with new initiatives to retain its reputation as a leading performing arts institute in Asia and globally.”  Choa then proudly announced that the HKAPA is currently ranked first in Asia and among the top ten in the world for performing arts schools, according to the QS World University Rankings.

Afterwards, speeches were made by Winnie Chiu, co-president of the Society of the APA, who has been working alongside the Academy for more than nine years, as well as touching words by the Academy’s co-chairs Jonathan Cheung and Charmaine Ho.

Music and dancing aside, guests were invited to the ball for an important reason—to raise much-needed funds for scholarships and for the ongoing development of the Academy.  After dinner, a live auction saw an origami mahjong table by André Fu Living go under the hammer, as well as bottles of 2008 Chateau Lafite Rothschild and artwork by artist Zhu Jinshi. But it was a pair of earrings from Bulgari that saw the most action, setting Anne Wang-Liu and Michelle Cheng-Chan in a high-energy bidding war.

As far as events go, The Academy Ball was one for the books.