Gems, a ballet collaboration with Benjamin Millepied
Since its founding, Van Cleef & Arpels has forged close ties with the world of dance, a key source of inspiration for the Maison. The artistic affinity between Claude Arpels and George Balanchine sparked the creation of the 1967 ballet Jewels, followed in 2012 by a new collaboration with Benjamin Millepied, former star dancer at the New York City Ballet and founder of the L.A. Dance Project troupe.
Reflections ballet credits Laurent Philippe
Hearts & Arrows ballet credits Joe Gato
On the other side ballet credits Laurent Philippe
This partnership led to the birth of Gems, a contemporary ballet trilogy designed by the French choreographer. The first chapter, Reflections (2013), features music specially composed by David Lang, as well as a set design and costumes created by American artist Barbara Kruger. The second chapter, Hearts & Arrows, was released in 2014, with music composed by Philip Glass and Liam Gillick as Visual Concept Artist. In 2016, Benjamin Millepied created the final opus in the trilogy with On the Other Side, once again set to music by Philip Glass and featuring costumes and set design by Alessandro Sartori and American artist Mark Bradford, respectively.
Benjamin Millepied portrait credits Morgan Lugo
Created by Benjamin Millepied, L.A. Dance Project is no mere dance troupe, but a genuine collective that seeks to redefine the very notion of artistic collaboration through joint projects. Bringing together figures from diverse artistic backgrounds, from the audiovisual arts to painting and sculpture, this unprecedented adventure aims to project dance beyond its traditional borders with both theatrical performances and dances in non-traditional environments.
Luck is in sight
