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Oscar-winning costume designer Tim Yip injects contemporary elements into the ballet costumes and sets of ‘The Butterfly Lovers’ that also honour traditional Chinese culture
This month, the Hong Kong Ballet will premiere The Butterfly Lovers, a ballet dance production with Chinese dance elements designed by the company's choreographer-in-residence Ricky Hu and his wife Mai Jingwen. The brand new show is a test to the company's artists creativity and courage, given that The Butterfly Lovers is one of the most famous Chinese legends and has, over the years, inspired celebrated performing arts works, such as He Zhanhao's Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto in 1959 and the Shanghai Ballet's dance production in 2001.
So the Hong Kong Ballet has to find the crème de la crème of the design world for the daunting task. They invited Oscar-winning production and costume designer Tim Yip to create elaborate costumes and sets for the production that celebrate Chinese culture in an refreshing, stylish way. Yip had previously designed the sets and costumes for the ballet company's The Great Gatsby (2019).
Ahead of The Butterfly Lovers' world premiere on October 18, 2024, Tatler caught up with Yip to talk about the inspiration behind the designs, the challenges during the process and working on the ballet adaption of legendary filmmaker Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lanterns (1991).
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Above Tim Yip's design for Zhu Ying-tai (Image: courtesy of Yip)
Above Tim Yip's design for Liang Shan-bo (Image: courtesy of Yip)
Tim Yip's design for Zhu Ying-tai (Image: courtesy of Yip)
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Tell us about the creative direction for this production.
I blended the traditional with the contemporary in my reimagination of traditional subjects in The Butterfly Lovers, a violin concerto I’m very fond of.
In creating the costumes and sets, do you draw references from Chinese dance or theatre?
Absolutely. Traditional Chinese elements are crucial and timeless. I want to honour this aspect of my culture by incorporating it into my designs while I innovate them for the future. This fusion resonates deeply with audiences today.
Above Tim Yip's design for Zhu Ying-tai (Image: courtesy of Yip)
Tim Yip's design for Zhu Ying-tai (Image: courtesy of Yip)
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Which of your other projects similarly explore Chinese elements within western art forms?
I did the stage designs for the National Ballet of China’s Raise the Red Lantern in 2005 [based on Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film of the same name, about the repressed fourth concubine of a warlord era household]. It serves as a significant inspiration for my subsequent modern ballet pieces.
I have also collaborated with friends on contemporary projects that explore traditional Chinese theatre, like Peking opera and Kunqu opera, which have a unique and irreplaceable charm.
What is the greatest challenge in your creative process?
The fusion between eastern and western elements must be done with finesse, which is incredibly challenging but also extremely rewarding. It pushes us to new heights, creating a distinctive and profound artistic expression.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
