UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Hong Kong Ballet has announced that, in light of recent developments related to the global coronavirus outbreak, its upcoming tour to the United States will be canceled. The tour, which had been scheduled for April 17–24, was to feature the company’s production of “Alice (in wonderland)” presented by The Virginia Arts Festival, The Peace Center for the Performing Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State.
“As a global cultural ambassador for Hong Kong, the company was really looking forward to performing for our American fans and are disappointed about postponing our April performances,” said Artistic Director Septime Webre. “However, we understand that the health and safety of our dancers and the general public comes first. We sincerely hope that Hong Kong and the rest of the world will recover soon, and are committed to returning to Virginia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as touring in other U.S. cities, in the coming seasons.”
The Hong Kong Ballet remains scheduled to perform at Wolf Trap in Virginia on June 16.
“We are, of course, disappointed to not be able to present the Hong Kong Ballet this April as planned,” said George Trudeau, director of the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State. “Under these extraordinary circumstances, we completely understand that the company has made the difficult but right decision to cancel this tour.”
The Center for the Performing Arts will refund patrons who had purchased tickets to the performance scheduled for April 24 at Eisenhower Auditorium. Patrons will be refunded the original purchase price of their tickets, excluding services fees incurred during phone and online purchases. Ticket refunds will be provided by the methods used for purchases. Tickets do not need to be returned to the Arts Ticket Center.
If paid by cash or check, a refund check will be mailed to the ticket purchaser within two weeks. If paid by credit card, the card used will be refunded the purchase amount. The credit should be reflected on customers’ accounts within three days. Patrons with questions should phone 814-863-0255 or email artstix@psu.edu.