Outlandish campaign takes ballet to another level

The Hong Kong Ballet wanted to pull out the stops and make an impact to mark its 45th anniversary. It's achieved that with an outlandish campaign the reimagines the classic art form, presenting ballet in a way we've never seen before.

A rollercoaster video mashup blends inspiration as diverse as Edgar Degas’ classic ballerina portraits and hip hop. There's a 'Tutu Academy', there are koi-inspired hairdos and punks... and there's a gold-toothed alien. All on a wild tour of Hong Kong. Giselle it is not.

Devised by Design Army, the video is intended to celebrate the universal language of dance in a way that's authentic to Hong Kong culture and that connects with everyone... yes, even extra terrestrials. 

The 50+ ballet subjects Hong Kong to a tutu take-over, taking in its university halls, Tai Kwun’s plaza and High Island Reservoir. And they're pretty much unfazed when an alien shows up to join the troupe. The combination of gravity-defying dance, bold color and general weirdness is quite bizarre, but it's fresh and unconventional and captures the joy and expression of dance.