En Pointe, Be Water: Hong Kong Ballet Is Making a Bruce Lee Ballet
We've filed Bruce Lee under playing cards, skate decks and luxury pens. Next up: pointe shoes. Hong Kong Ballet will premiere Bruce Lee: Hong Kong Legend in September 2027 at the WestK Performing Arts Centre, the new West Kowloon venue that's been ten years in the making and is due to open in summer 2027. The company is the centre's first resident, and the ballet traces Lee's path from Hong Kong to international stardom and his influence on martial arts, cinema and pop culture.
The creative line-up is the real hook. Artistic director Septime Webre creates and directs. Oscar-winner Tim Yip (yes, the Crouching Tiger art director) designs the sets and costumes. The libretto comes from Tony, Grammy and Obie winner David Henry Hwang, whose Golden Child London premiere we linked to back in 2013. The score mixes a classical orchestra, Chinese instruments and contemporary pop. Martial-arts fans get a double bill, too: WestK opens in July 2027 with Wong Fei Hung, a dance drama that blends contemporary dance and martial arts to reimagine the folk hero.
The big question is whether anyone en pointe will try the one-inch punch. We'll be watching the choreography credits.
