The 29th edition of the French May Arts Festival is about to kick off, with a series of cultural events filled with French artistic flair set to take place, including the performance of “Balanchine’s Jewels” by the Hong Kong Ballet. This classic dance piece is sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels, allowing audiences to appreciate extraordinary jewelry art while enjoying the spectacular dance performance.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ connection with dance can be traced back to the 1940s, under the leadership of Louis Arpels, who was passionate about ballet and musicals, the brand introduced its first ballerina brooch. Jewelry with its three-dimensional structure and intricate meshwork, depicts lifelike lines and elegant shapes, presenting the graceful dance posture of the dancer, while colorful gemstones become gorgeous dance costumes.
As for the origin of “Jewels,” it began with the friendship between Claude Arpels and the famous choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine. Their shared passion for gemstones and dance led to the creation of “Jewels” choreographed by Balanchine. Since its premiere in New York in 1967, “Jewels” has become one of the important ballet works of the 20th century.
Van Cleef & Arpels sponsored the performance of “Jewels” at the Royal Opera House in London in 2007, and this year’s performance of “Balanchine’s Jewels” at the Arts Festival in May also received brand sponsorship. It was performed by the Hong Kong Ballet from May 21st to 23rd at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Lyric Theatre for 5 shows.
“The Jewels” celebrates the beauty of gemstones in 3 acts of ballet, each connecting a gemstone with a composer: the music for the first act “Emerald” was composed by Gabriel Fauré, the second act “Ruby” features music by Igor Stravinsky, and the music for the third act “Diamond” was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. With the blessing of dazzling jewels, it becomes even more anticipated.
