Septime Webre

Septime Webre is an internationally recognised ballet director, choreographer, educator and advocate. He joined Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) as its Artistic Director in July 2017 after 17 years as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet (US) from 1999-2016, and six years as Artistic Director for the American Repertory Ballet in Princeton (US) from 1993-1999.

Much sought-after as a choreographer, Webre’s works appear in the repertoires of ballet companies globally. Webre’s new works for HKB, Romeo + Juliet, set in 1960s Hong Kong, and The Nutcracker, set in 1920s Hong Kong, world premiered in June 2021 and December 2021 respectively. The latter work also won him Outstanding Choreography at the 2022 Hong Kong Dance Awards.

As a dancer, Webre was featured in solo and principal roles from the classical repertoire as well as in contemporary works by choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. He has served on the juries of a number of international ballet competitions, including those in Varna, Bulgaria, Istanbul, Cape Town, New York, Seoul, and elsewhere. He has served on the board of Dance/USA and his work has received numerous honors, grants and awards. He holds a degree in History/Pre-Law from the University of Texas at Austin, and is the seventh son in a large, boisterous Cuban-American family.