CLASSIC CARMEN - HBSO will perform ballet Carmen Suite at the HCM City Opera House on April 2. Photo courtesy of HBSO

HCM CITY – The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will bring classical and contemporary ballet by Vietnamese and international choreographers to the Opera House’s stage on April 2.

The highlight of the performance will be the classic ballet Carmen Suite, created in 1967 by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso.

The work is based on the 19th-century opera by French composer Georges Bizet to music by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, depicting the tragedy of Carmen, a fiery gypsy, who falls in love with Don José.

The HBSO’s performance is staged by People’s Artist Kim Quy, one of the country’s leading choreographers and vice president of the Việt Nam Dancing Artists’ Association.

It will feature Nguyễn Thu Trang as Carmen, Hồ Phi Điệp as Don José, and dancers from HBSO’s ballet department.

FRENCH BALLET - French choreographer Julien Guerin’s ballet Dépaysement will be featured at the performance on April 2. Photo courtesy of HBSO

The show will also present French choreographer Julien Guerin’s ballet Dépaysement, based on music of Chopin, Satie, Faure, Beethoven and Albioni.

The work was created for HBSO in 2016.

It describes a spiritual journey of a lonely young woman who has a dream of sharing her feelings with other people.

The performance will feature eight of HBSO’s talented dancers - Đỗ Hoàng Khang Ninh, Nguyễn Thu Trang, Trần Thị Hồng Vân, La Mẫn Nhi, Thạch Hiểu Lăng, Phạm Thế Phương, Nguyễn Minh Tâm, and Meritorious Artist Đàm Đức Nhuận.

Guerin was a former dancer at the Ballets de Monte-Carlo. He has created and choreographed numerous ballets such as Le temps du Tendre (Heuristic of the feeling of love) for the Ballets de Monte-Carlo in 2021, and Dear Soaring Thoughts for the Czech National Ballet in 2020.

Vietnamese choreographer Nguyễn Phúc Hùng will bring to the stage his contemporary dance Falling Angels.

The performance aims to juxtapose the female dancer’s pristine innocence and the male dancer’s masculine toughness.

According to Hùng, purity itself can win over one’s heart and the dance moves thus explore this virtue with the understanding that contemplation, deep attention and sophistication are required to observe what is most valuable.

The work will be performed by two dancers, Đỗ Hoàng Khang Ninh and Sùng A Lùng, who won the Gold Medal at the 2016 National Young Choreographer Talent Competition and gave the concept for the dance.

Hùng, a graduate in choreography of Fontys Dance Academy in Netherlands, is general director in charge of HBSO's programmes.

He has choreographed several contemporary dances such as Những Mảnh Ghép Của Giấc Mơ (Dream Puzzles), Chạm Tay Vào Quá Khứ (Touching the Past), Đi Qua Tình Yêu (Gone Through Love), and Lub qhov rooj (The Door).

The dance show will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and at www.ticketbox.vn. VNS