Hard Act to Follow
The Academy Ball
It was a night of stunning jewels, gowns and performances at the annual Academy Ball, made all the more special as the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts was celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Lyric Theatre was transformed into a dazzling jewel-themed environment, with colourful diamond shapes hanging from the ceiling in honour of its sponsor, Bulgari. Organised by the Society of the Academy for Performing Arts, the ball is one of the year’s most highly anticipated social events and attracts many of the city’s heavy hitters. Esther Ma and Ronald Kwok were delightful MCS for the night, during which guests were treated to an elaborate five-course menu and were blown away by a variety of performances by academy graduates, including ballroom dancing by Debbie Chung, a soprano solo by Zhou Xuan and a piano piece for six hands by Cheng Wai, Rachel Cheung and Crystal Lam.
The ball, which raises funds for student scholarships, also served up a surprise in honour of the 30th anniversary—a special catwalk show by eight of the city’s young socialites. They were dressed in couture by Hong Kong’s own Barney Cheng and bedecked in exquisite jewellery by Bulgari, including pieces from its new Musa collection, inspired by the muses of ancient Greek mythology. The ball’s muses—beatrice Ho, Sabrina Ho, Antonia Li, Natalie Chan, Alison Chan, Adelene Chan, Josephine Chiu and Feiping Chang—glided elegantly around the room to enthusiastic applause. Academy director Adrian Walter made a warm speech thanking everyone for supporting the institution and its students. The chairwomen of the ball’s organising committee, Michelle Cheng- Chan and Winnie Chiu, thanked the performers and acknowledged the committee’s hard work. Special guests included Regina Leung, Florence Hui and William Leung.