Hong Kong Ballet is taking one of the world’s biggest pop culture icons global with its hyper-stylised 80s disco-meets-kung-fu production, Bruce Lee: No Way as Way.
Produced in collaboration with US-based creative agency Design Army, the campaign is a cinematic love letter to Hong Kong's neon-lit heritage. Dancers pirouette over red taxis, twirl on teahouse tables, and high-kick in disco-era bellbottoms. It is at once a tribute to Bruce Lee's legacy and a statement of intent from a ballet company determined to reinvent itself for younger audiences.
This is Design Army's third collaboration with Hong Kong Ballet. The agency previously crafted the whimsical Tutu Academy campaign and the award-winning Never Stand Still rebrand, both credited with shaking the institution out of its white-tutu comfort zone. With Bruce Lee as muse, the partnership delivers something that feels equal parts nostalgic and genuinely fresh.
Artistic director Septime Webre has been vocal about the mission: to spotlight Hong Kong’s flavour and modernity while making ballet more accessible. He has described the Bruce Lee ballet as “a Hong Kong story, but also an international story”—one that can grow beyond the company’s limited artistic funds by leveraging global partnerships.
The production travels to Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, and Tokyo, extending Hong Kong's cultural footprint and aligning neatly with the city's broader tourism ambitions. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has allocated US$213 million for 2026-27 under its Tourism is Everywhere theme, up 12% year-on-year. Performing arts groups sit on a separate funding framework, which means Hong Kong Ballet is doing rather a lot with rather less than you might expect.
The performance art institution has steadily modernised its repertoire, reimagining Hong Kong heritage in its annual Nutcracker showcase, blending Cantopop with ballet in Glam Rock, and landmark partnerships at home—notably with health and fitness institution Pure Fitness and global arts fair Art Basel—integrate ballet into both the city’s wellness community and global arts stage.
Campaign’s take: The bellbottoms, the red taxis, the teahouse tables — this crackles. Proof that traditional art forms aren't going anywhere, and that Hong Kong has something vivid to say to the world. A kung fu legend reimagined in dance turns out to be an unlikely and powerful cultural statement. Bruce Lee always backed the unexpected move. So, it seems, does Hong Kong Ballet. Timothée Chalamet might want to pay for this one.
