HBSO artists will join a “Ballet in Ravel’s Bolero” show featuring two world renowned pieces, “Bolero” choreographed by Maurice Béjart and music by Maurice Ravel; and “Serenade” choreographed by George Balanchine and music by Piotr Tchaikovsky at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Ballet Bolero which was created by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein had its brilliant premiere on November 22, 1928 at Paris Opéra. Its music by Maurice Ravel has inspired hundreds of movies and TV shows later in France, the U.S. and Japan.

In 1960, popular French choreographer Maurice Béjart unveiled the latest version of Ravel’s Bolero featuring a dancer on a round platform surrounded by other artists to create impressive dancing performances. This version was a hit and since then has been played globally.

The ballet will be revived on stage of the HCMC Opera House on Friday with the choreography by Chloé Glemot from France. HBSO’s ballet talent Sung A Lung who has recently been awarded a gold medal for young choreographers nationwide will be the soloist dancing on a round platform of the show. Choreographer Chloe Glemot joined the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1996 and completed her training in 2003.

She pursued her career as a professional dancer for American Ballet Theater in New York, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal and English National Ballet in London where she performed ballets from classical repertoire such as Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, Raymonda, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, and Coppelia.

In 2006, Chloe completed her teacher training in the Centre National de la Danse in Paris. Since then she has been teaching for several conservatories and schools in Paris and more recently in New Caledonia in Noumea. She moved to Vietnam in September 2013.

Serenade was the most favorite ballet of the 19th century with its music by P.I.Tchaikovsky and choreography by George Balanchine from Russia. After its premiere in New York in 1934, Serenade was a ballet phenomenon as it inherited all the elite features and techniques of traditional ballet. Seventeen dancers in long dresses will have a beautiful dance under the moonlight while male dancers will appear for a moment and leave the stage. The artwork symbolizes an aspiration for freedom of women.

The Friday show in HCMC will also feature the latest ballet by Julien Guérin from Monte Carlo with the presence of HBSO’s artists. Julien Guerin began his dance studies at the La Rochelle conservatory in France at the age of 9 years old and completed his training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

In 2001, he joined the Junior Ballet and the Atlantic Southeast Ballet in Charleston, South Carolina in 2003. After he graduated with the State Degree as a Ballet Teacher from Centre National de la Danse de Paris in 2005, Julien joined the English National Ballet. In 2006, he performed with the Ballet of the National Opera of Bordeaux and the Scottish Ballet before joining Les Ballets de Monte Carlo in 2007.

In 2013, he was nominated as a Protégé for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. In 2014, Julien was a recipient of the New York Choreographic Institute (affiliate of New York City Ballet) in the Spring session where he created “Beaudelaireans Souls” in association with the composer Gity Razaaz for the music performed with the musicians of Julliard School. He created a ballet entitled “Somnia Vertigo”, based upon the Fifth symphony of Beethoven for the Académie Princesse Grace. This creation was performed and accompanied by the young Monte-Carlo philharmonic orchestra in June 2014 at Salle Garnier in the Opera of Monaco.

Tickets to the show are priced at VND550,000, VND400,000, VND350,000 and VND200,000 per person.

The HCMC Opera House is located 7 Lam Son Square in HCMC’s District 1.

SGT