Interviewer and Text: Natasha Rogai *This interview was originally conducted in Russian and translated into English. “From my earliest childhood, I knew it was my destiny to become a ballerina.” Elizaveta Kokoreva says, “I never even thought of there being any other path because I always loved to dance.” The Moscow-born 25-year-old made headlines in the ballet world in 2023 when she became the Bolshoi Ballet’s youngest ever principal (prima ballerina) at the age of 22. In town to make her...

Text: Natasha Rogai Legacy & Heritage is the theme of this year’s Hong Kong Dance Awards (the Awards). Since they began in 1999 the Awards have themselves become part of the legacy of the dance sector, offering a precious record of its leading lights and their achievements. Hong Kong is notorious for neglecting or forgetting its heritage. Buildings are torn down, iconic local traditions like street hawkers are disappearing, land in the New Territories which held small farms 30 years ago...

Text: Natasha Rogai Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) celebrates its 45th anniversary this year and marked the occasion with international guest stars joining the home team for a gala performance. Gala programmes are inevitably a curate’s egg. If there were a few blips on the radar, this one still offered much to enjoy with some outstanding dancing from the guests and HKB’s own artists in works which ranged from gala staples like the Black Swan and Don Quixote pas de deux to three pieces by...