Hong Kong Ballet to move to city’s first dedicated dance venue in 2027

Hong Kong Ballet will relocate to the city’s first dedicated dance art venue for at least five years, starting in April 2027, according to the institution and the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD).The move to the “Dancehouse” at the soon-to-be-finished WestK Performing Arts Centre will follow the ballet company’s departure from its base of 16 years at the government-run Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.An announcement last December that the city’s flagship ballet company would be departing the Cultural Centre prompted concerns that the group would be left without an appropriate venue.In an interview with the South China Morning Post ahead of the announcement, Hong Kong Ballet artistic director Septime Webre expressed relief at being able to finally reveal the news of the move. The move is expected to take place in April next year.In his annual policy address last week, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu described the Dancehouse as “the first dedicated venue for dance art in Hong Kong” and said it was “built to the highest international standards”.Hong Kong Ballet artistic director Septime Webre likened the cultural district’s importance to dance at an international level to how M+ had put the city on the map in the visual arts world. Photo: Dickson LeeWebre said the new venue woudl allow the group to increase its number of performance weeks annually by more than 40 per cent, from seven to 10. He added that the rise could amplify the company’s impact.“That’s the main thing we exist to do – to perform at an excellent international level,” he said, adding that the ballet company and the WKCD shared a synergy that could take Hong Kong dance to a higher international level.