Past (intense) two weeks !

Finally, I am back to my Sunday morning routine—comfortably seated in front of my computer, with a sunny Parisian view through the window—ready to reflect and blog about the past two weeks.

These last 14 days have been quite intense! I managed to complete my piano and dance performance in Lisbon, which I had organized for the government’s Chinese New Year dinner reception. Just before leaving for Portugal, I even had the misfortune of spraining my ankle… But amidst all that, I was also nominated for the AROP Prize at the Paris Opera! And to top it off, I hosted another dinner cocktail at my wealth management firm last Thursday.

Chinese New Year reception in Lisbon

Because of my ankle injury just before departure, I was unable to dance as planned. Instead, I focused on the overall vision of the performance I had imagined, ensuring that everything would run smoothly.

The performance took place during a Chinese New Year dinner reception organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, aimed at fostering connections within the local community and showcasing Hong Kong’s strengths as an international city in Asia. The event was held in a stunning botanical garden in the heart of Lisbon, called Estufa Fria—a truly beautiful venue. The reception itself took place in a spacious covered area, surrounded by the garden’s lush and diverse plant life.

My idea was to create a connection between this garden and Hong Kong, and I immediately thought of Hong Kong’s breathtaking natural landscapes. Did you know that nearly half of Hong Kong’s territory is green space? The city offers surprisingly serene and easily accessible nature escapes, just steps away from its bustling, modern office and residential districts. I wanted to highlight this lesser-known side of Hong Kong to the Portuguese community.

With the invaluable help of Rémy Nicollet, a French lighting designer I had the pleasure of meeting on this occasion, we set up a stage featuring five vertical LED screens as a backdrop. Throughout the performance, we projected stunning visuals of Hong Kong’s natural landscapes.

Accompanied by the renowned French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, we presented an original choreography by Wun Sze Chan set to Prélude à l’après-midi d’un Faune by Debussy, arranged for solo piano by Tharaud himself. This piece, which evokes nature and the mythical creature Faun, was embodied by the dancer.

It seemed to be a success—the audience appeared to enjoy it, and I couldn’t be more satisfied and happy!

My nomination for the AROP Prize !

And what a surprise! I just learned that I have been nominated for the AROP Prize! While it’s just a nomination for now, the voting process by AROP members will take place over the next four weeks through this link: https://arop.operadeparis.fr/prix-arop.

Regardless of the outcome, I already feel deeply honored to be nominated for the first time. This recognition alone means so much to me, and I am incredibly grateful for it.

Another PerformanceS cocktail at my office

Last but not least, a few days ago, I hosted another successful cocktail event at the office in partnership with insurance company MetLife!

I had never been so unprepared for a PerformanceS event—with physiotherapy, dancing, clients, and various projects keeping me busy, I hadn’t even started preparing the content of our presentation just two days before! But in the end, everything went smoothly.

This time, we discussed the social protection of performing artists, a topic that sparked great interest. I’m really starting to enjoy organizing these events at my office—I can feel that our guests appreciate them, and more importantly, that they find them useful.

For the upcoming events, I plan to cover French life insurance, followed by a special presentation tailored specifically for musicians. I’m looking forward to it!

Next…

With exactly two weeks until the first performance of Sleeping Beauty at Opéra Bastille and three weeks until my departure for Hong Kong—where I am organizing my first “Nureyev & Friends” Ballet Gala in collaboration with D&D Arts Production at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, presenting a Nureyev program while also performing in it the variation of Manfred by Nureyev—I am starting to feel the pressure (https://www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/programme/Nureyev_&_Friends_A_Ballet_Gala_Tribute?). I truly want to master and deliver these two challenges successfully. Now that Lisbon and my last cocktail event at my firm are behind me, I can fully dedicate myself to these next two major projects, and I am committed to giving them my all.

Thank you all for your continuous support.