With more than 40 dancers representing 10 nationalities, the Hong Kong Ballet has evolved into one of Asia’s premier classical dance companies, with a strong repertoire presented in a range of stunning and technically difficult productions. 

However, despite the high calibre of the troupe, ballet here—and globally—faces a challenge in engaging the younger generation. While Hollywood hits such as Billy Elliot and Black Swan have begun to reframe ballet as “cool,” selling a 15th-century art form to the youth of the 21st century is no small feat. Thirty-six years since its inception, the Hong Kong Ballet is now taking an elegant leap to elevate the medium in the hearts of the young. 

At the helm of the campaign is the chairwoman of the ballet company, business magnate Daisy Ho, who has long had a desire to overhaul the medium’s image to engage youth. She called in two friends—fashionista Mira Yeh, co-chair of last year’s Ballet Ball committee, and Maya Lin, head of high jewellery at Cartier Far East—as reinforcements. Their job: to induct 10 of Hong Kong’s most passionate cultural supporters into this year’s Ballet Ball committee and charge forward with rebranding the art form.

To celebrate the formation of the 2015 Ballet Ball committee, Hong Kong Tatler gathered these glamorous women and dapper men for a photo shoot—and to chat about their mission. Between the couture, Cartier and cameras, we quizzed committee members on what ballet means to them—in a word. “Graceful,” “classic,” and “elegant” are a few popular adjectives, as are “artistic” and “romantic.” Lawyer Ronald Kwok, a council member of the Academy for Performing Arts, sums up the art form by saying, “Ballet exemplifies dedication and finesse.”

In considering how to engage a younger audience, committee members draw on their own experiences of performances and discuss what they enjoy most about ballet. Entrepreneur Jennifer Ma, the co-founder of Arch Education, recounts tales of her  youth, when she was encouraged to practise in her tiny pink or blue tutus. As cute as it may sound, Ma remembers ballet as “an immensely fun but disciplined activity,” a statement that epitomises the paradoxical nature of the art form. 

Society mover and shaker Colleen Fung believes ballet’s value lies in its fundamentally expressive nature—the precision and fluidity of movement of each dancer, which are the result of painstaking practise and technique. Interior designer Alicia Tan says, “Some tatler_stories are better told in ballet.” Glamorista Rendy Ng agrees, saying, “Ballet has the power of telling the same tatler_stories in different ways—it isn’t bound by time or facades.” 

Recognising the timelessness of dance is fundamental to the fight to promote and maintain its relevance today. It’s now widely believed that ballet is overlooked as an art form. This sentiment is shared by social dynamo Diana Chen, but she believes the Hong Kong Ballet is a reflection of what the city can be—“diverse, adaptable and full of potential.” 

A discussion ensues on whether the climate for arts and culture in a world city like Hong Kong provides a suitable environment to foster the growth of the performing arts, which often struggle to compete with globally recognised cultural hubs such as London and New York. 

Lawyer and philanthropist Vena Cheng notes, “Although there are sufficient arts and cultural programmes in Hong Kong, unfortunately a lot of these performances suffer from poor attendance. I think the government could be more proactive in providing more support to the arts, especially local arts groups, so that better programmes can be made available to more people.” 

Businessman Ambrose Lee reiterates these concerns, saying, “Hong Kong currently lacks diversity within the arts programmes available.” He believes that boosting support to these groups will help in developing Hong Kong’s cultural image, with a much-needed step forward in cementing the city’s status as a global hub of the arts and culture. Lee finishes with an astute observation, noting, “A city without diverse arts programmes is a city that lacks culture and character.” Maya Lin concludes, “Ballet is like a living language of art. It’s important for every city to have access to appreciate it. All that we are doing for the Hong Kong Ballet is to keep this art alive for the benefit of the generations to come.”

As the discussion moves onto the comprehensive rebranding exercise of the Hong Kong Ballet, the room lights up with excitement and committee members express their optimism about the future of ballet and the growth of the cultural programmes available in the city. Businessman Eric Fok, Hong Kong Tatler’s 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year, says, “I enjoy helping make a difference and raising awareness for this social cause. Ballet has entered a time where rebranding is necessary. In today’s digital era, everything comes and goes quickly, but art needs time and patience to perfect. I think it’s very important to build a strong foundation and develop perseverance for youth.” 

Fok details various projects under way to give the art form its much-needed injection of “cool,” projects that will ensure the Hong Kong Ballet gains traction in its goal of appealing to a younger audience. Style maven Veronica Lam explains, “We hope to make ballet more widely accepted by reaching a newer and younger audience, through the incorporation of newer and cooler elements in the performance.”

With Prada as its main sponsor and Perrier-Jouët as the champagne partner, the Ballet Ball, set for September 11, will be a highlight of the year’s social calendar. It will also be the perfect setting for unveiling the new image of the Hong Kong Ballet by the committee, a “dream team” steering the dance company in the right direction.

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This story originally appeared in the August 2015 issue of Hong Kong Tatler