This August, experience a breathtaking fusion of East and West as the Hong Kong Ballet premieres its award-winning The Butterfly Lovers in New York. This ballet redefines classical storytelling with innovative choreography, all brought to life by the live accompaniment of the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Originating from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), The Butterfly Lovers has been around for over 1,700 years. It is recognized as one of China's four great folktales and is often referred to as the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet.
Zhu Yingtai, a young woman from a wealthy family, disguises herself as a man so she can attend school, where she meets Liang Shanbo, a fellow student from a humble background. Zhu falls in love with Liang over time. During a visit, Liang discovers Zhu's true identity. He hopes to propose to her, but her parents have already arranged for her to marry a wealthy man.
Liang eventually dies from grief. On Zhu's wedding day, her bridal procession passes Liang's grave, and a storm stops them from passing. Zhu runs to the grave, and it miraculously opens. She jumps in, and moments later, two butterflies rise from the grave together, representing a symbol of their eternal love.
The ballet show made its debut in Hong Kong on Oct 18, 2024, and received several major awards at the 26th Hong Kong Dance Awards 2025, including Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer (Xuan Cheng as Zhu Yingtai), Outstanding Music Composition, and Outstanding Ensemble Performance.
The performance was envisioned by Hong Kong Ballet artistic director Septime Webre, a Cuban-American who previously worked with The Washington Ballet.
Webre said he wanted to serve the audience with tailored content that reflects the ballet company's roots.
Webre said that The Butterfly Lovers sparked his interest as it explores a remarkably progressive theme — a woman seeking education in a time when it was forbidden for females. Webre described it as "a compelling contemporary theme in many parts of the world", which deeply resonated with him. He stated that the elements of modernity and themes of gender and class are still important today.
Written by the lead choreographers, the couple duo Songwei Hu and Jingwen Mai, they said the piece not only highlights the great love story at its core, but also weaves in themes such as the oppression of the old feudal system and patriarchal society.
This ballet blends contemporary and traditional styles in a unique and expressive way. Drawing from their deep experience in Chinese classical dance, choreographers Hu and Mai said they brought in traditional movement elements to challenge and contrast with the upright, structured posture of ballet.
"We incorporated more Chinese dance into the upper body," Mai explained.
The dance and story were backed by Academy Award winner Tim Yip, who designed both the costumes and the stage. He is known for his art directing work on Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.
For this performance, Yip designed 12 moving screen panels. He said those 12 screens help to slow down certain elements of ballet, pushing them into a more ethereal, virtual state.
Idea of fluidity
Yip said he wanted to emphasize the idea of "fluidity". He said that unlike Western art, Chinese art emphasizes atmosphere and poetic resonance. Instead of laying everything out, it sets a mood that pulls the audience into the feel and flow of the Chinese aesthetic and way of thinking.
In partnership with China Arts and Entertainment Group and the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in New York, the Hong Kong Ballet will present The Butterfly Lovers for the first time from Aug 22 to 24 at Lincoln Center in New York.
"As a Chinese myself, it brings me great joy to share our unique perspective on love. I hope audiences in New York can see that China, too, has its own version of Romeo and Juliet, and feel how Zhu Yingtai, even in that era, was willing to defy her family and fight for love and freedom," Hu said.
For his next "ambitious" project, Webre said he has spent years researching and making. It will be a ballet based on the life of Hong Kong's legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. Mixing kung fu and ballet, Webre hopes the performance will premiere in 2027.
