How did you all become involved with the Hong Kong Ballet?

Lillian Lee Fong: My first encounter with the Hong Kong Ballet dates to the Nineties when I was still in high school. My dance teacher, Mary Griffiths at King George V School, was one of the founding members of the Hong Kong Ballet. Over the years, I kept up with the company’s news and developments even though I had stopped training. I was invited to join The Hong Kong Ballet Guild seven years ago and also took part in the Hong Kong Ballet Ball Committee in 2017. This is my second year co-chairing The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit.

Colleen Yu Fung: I first got involved with the Hong Kong Ballet seven years ago when I joined the Hong Kong Ballet Ball committee. I was then asked to join and support The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit in 2016. It’s my fourth year co-chairing the event.

Emily Lam Ho: Back in 2015, the benefit committee’s former co-chair Anne Wang Liu invited my family to our very first performance of The Nutcracker. I experienced this joyous festive event, and since then it has become a family tradition to attend every year. I grew up taking ballet lessons and my daughter has inherited my love for this beautiful art. In 2018, as soon as my daughter was able to perform, I joined the benefit committee. This is my second year as co-chair.

Last year, you shifted The Nutcracker Christmas Benefit to a virtual benefit just two weeks before the original event date. Are there any key takeaways from last year’s event? How long in advance did you begin planning this year’s winter event?

Lee Fong: This year’s show has created a brand new experience for our young performers, who [will be] on a real professional stage for their first time. With the new production and choreography of The Nutcracker, we hope to provide an extraordinary experience for all participants. The three co-chairs and the Hong Kong Ballet team began the initial brainstorming and planning right after last year’s benefit, weighing the pros and cons of each scenario with the children’s health and safety top of mind.

Yu Fung: The Nutcracker Benefit has become an important tradition for quite a few of the participating families. As the Covid-19 situation continued to be unpredictable, we worked with the organising committee to figure out what would be the way [to move forward]. For the past three years, contingency planning has always been key when planning this benefit.

Lam Ho: I have to give it up to organisation and commitment of the Hong Kong Ballet team. It was a rollercoaster ride last year when we were planning the event, with regulations changing every week. We had multiple contingency plans, but in the end we decided to do a hybrid event. This year, keeping in mind the current social distancing regulations and the safety of our children and guests, we are putting together a real production and a real live performance by the children on a real stage for the first time.

How does it feel to have the benefit in this current format this year?

Lee Fong: The new format of the benefit has been very well-received by the committee members, and the children performing are highly energised for the new characters and costumes. They look forward to dancing on a real professional stage. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for our young dancers.

Yu Fung: This will be a very immersive learning experience for the children and it will certainly help promote the art form to more families.

Lam Ho: I am beyond ecstatic and a bit emotional to be honest. This is such a special experience for the children and the families involved.

The children sharing the stage with the dance company is exciting. But it must have been extremely challenging to balance their rehearsals with those of the dance company. How did your team manage to pull that off?

Septime Webre: It was a stretch for everyone. But we are all so excited about the designs for the new production, and we knew the kids would really shine in that environment. It will give the whole endeavour a wonderful over-the-top feeling, not to mention give the children some irreplaceable memories.

Did the professional dancers ever stay to watch the children perform? Did they share any tips?

Webre: Several Hong Kong Ballet dancers have been coaching the children for the Nutcracker Benefit every weekend, and the kids will share the stage with one of our Sugar Plum Fairies. So there has been some wonderful mentoring going on.

How long have the children been rehearsing for?

Webre: We began in early October, with rehearsals every weekend. The kids all come with an equal amount of enthusiasm for ballet, but with differing levels of experience and technique. The challenge has been ensuring each child is challenged in the appropriate way given their age and training—we want everyone to reach their personal best.

What can audiences expect from the world premiere of your original Nutcracker?

Webre: A lot of surprises! The production is set in early 20th-century Hong Kong and is packed with hundreds of Hong Kong elements. But in the end, it’s really a classic Christmas tale about a young girl coming of age and experiencing a magical and heart-warming journey, all set to a majestic score.

In what ways is this new version a tribute to our city?

Webre: In many ways, the new production is a love letter to my new home. The ballet starts with a Christmas Eve party set in Kom Tong Hall, the mansion in Mid-Levels, which is currently the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum, with scores of Hong Kong references embedded into the story. Our heroine, Clara, then dreams through time and the rest of the ballet is a celebration of Hong Kong, its natural beauty, and even its food culture.

Hong Kong and Chinese-fusion references abound: the Cheung Chau bun festival, mother dim sum and her dim sum clowns, waltzing bauhinia flowers, famed Hong Kong pirate Cheung Po-tsai as the Rat King, mahjong games, and so much more. It’s a real mash-up of our inherited memories of Hong Kong.

Can you tell us about the costumes created for the show?

Lee Fong: Our children have been very secretive and are keeping us in suspense. This is the debut of an entirely new Nutcracker Benefit. We are all very excited to see the enchanting children’s performances.

Yu Fung: The dim sum princesses are certainly my favourite as they add a Hong Kong flavour to this Western performance. I’m looking forward to seeing this new and creative version of the production. I’ve always loved the local touches and adaptation that Webre adds to various Hong Kong Ballet productions including my recent favourite, Romeo + Juliet.

Lam Ho: Webre is a creative genius, and I am very excited to be able to witness the birth of this entirely new Hong Kong-inspired adaption of The Nutcracker. It is hard to choose a favourite as each costume, from the dim sum princesses and the waltzing bauhinia flowers to the jockeys, are carefully and creatively thought out. The costumes are tailor-made to each child’s measurements.

Why do you think it’s important for children to be exposed to the performing arts?

Lee Fong: I believe that performing arts form an integral part of a child’s development as it helps to engage their mind, body and emotions. It helps build the child’s perseverance and self-confidence through many hours of hard work and practice.

Yu Fung: It is important for children to engage with performing arts at an early age to learn to express themselves through different forms and build qualities such as patience and endurance. I believe such art forms can move people emotionally and help children build their emotional intelligence and empathy skills. The beautiful stage and costume designs as well as the accompanying music performances are also important elements for children to be exposed to, as different forms of creativity and arts can bring joy and inspiration to all ages.

Lam Ho: I think it is important to expose kids to the performing arts to develop a creative mind and to foster personalities and imaginations. Performance art allows children to work through their feelings and emotions. It helps them build identities and personalities and become well-rounded individuals. They learn about self-expression and build courage, as well as other skills that will equip them for life.

Are any of your own children performing in this new adaptation?

Lee Fong: Both of my daughters, aged six and nine, are performing this year. The younger one will be one of the peacocks and my eldest will be performing as a cockatoo. I am so excited to see them dance onstage together.

Yu Fung: Yes, my daughter Kylie has been participating in The Nutcracker since she was one-and-a-half years old.

Lam Ho: Yes, and I am very excited to see my little ballerina on stage.

What are your fondest memories of The Nutcracker from your own childhood?

Lee Fong: I have always been fond of classical music and ballet since childhood, so I grew up listening and playing excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s compositions. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dance of the Reed Flutes have always been my two favourites in The Nutcracker.

Yu Fung: I don’t really have any, to be honest. But I did perform ballet when I was six. I was an angel in the Nativity.

Lam Ho: I have loved ballet my entire life. My childhood bedroom was all pink and had ballet décor. When I hear The Nutcracker’s score by Tchaikovsky, I know Christmas is right around the corner and the festive season has started.

In what ways has the Hong Kong Ballet pivoted their fundraising strategy?

Lee Fong: By following the Hong Kong Ballet motto: Never Standing Still.

Yu Fung: Having worked with quite a few non-profit organisations, I believe the Hong Kong Ballet is the most creative when it comes to fundraising initiatives. They never stop exploring different partners to develop moving and beautiful content. The team has been very adaptive to make sure the fundraising activities can still take place under Covid-19 restrictions.

Lam Ho: In unpredictable times like these, the best is to adapt as best as we possibly can.

Where can people make donations this year?

All: There will be live auctions, silent auctions and a ‘Make a Pledge’ [a callout for donations] during the benefit. We will use a special auction system that allows the guests to bid and donate on their mobile phones with just a few taps. We will keep silent auctions and silent pledges open until January 31, 2022, so guests have time to bid (and outbid each other) on their favourite items.

‘Make a Pledge’ is mainly supporting Hong Kong Ballet’s new outreach and community programme. To add some festive elements, we’re offering Hong Kong Ballet Holiday Charity Lucky Bags for sale. Each bag contains festive gifts suitable for both children and adults. Per HK$500 donation, guests get one of these lucky bags.

Most importantly, the Hong Kong Ballet will bring the city together to co-produce the new Hong Kong holiday classic through The Nutcracker crowdfunding campaign. Starting from HK$500, everybody can be a producer of The Nutcracker. Every HK$500 donation will support a special element on stage and will become part of its legacy.