Cover Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels makes its Hong Kong debut (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels makes its Hong Kong debut (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
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The renowned high jewellery house presents a reflection of movement in collaboration with Le French May Arts Festival
High jewellery maison Van Cleef & Arpels has always had a deep connection to the world of dance. Its founder Louis Arpels was a ballet lover and frequent visitor to Opéra Garnier, located just a short walk from the original Place Vendôme boutique in Paris.
This passion for dance soon found its way into the brand’s jewellery, with the maison creating its first ballerina clips in the 1940s. Depicting dancers’ elegance and movement with engraved precious stones, these became signature pieces that encompassed inspirations from across the world, including dance.
Above Raymonda powder case, 1945, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Above Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantee watch (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Raymonda powder case, 1945, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
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As Nicholas Bos, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, explains, “The maison’s dancers [captured mid-movement in precious gemstones] embody its constant desire to forge links between different artistic fields and demonstrate how the Far East has always nourished its creativity and interpretation.”
This rich heritage continues today through the Dance Reflections initiative. Launched in 2020, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is designed to foster creation, transmission and education through dance; this year, it makes its Hong Kong debut, in collaboration with Le French May Arts Festival, from May 5-21.
Above Nicholas Bos (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Nicholas Bos (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
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Featuring seven internationally acclaimed artists performing at a variety of venues over three weekends, the exceptional line-up offers an unprecedented showcase of the diversity and originality of 21st-century choreographic arts. Meanwhile, a series of interactive workshops and artist encounters offer audiences the opportunity to express and explore their own relationships with the dance world.
Highlights include Rachid Ouramande’s Les Traceurs, which makes the most of the city’s incredible architecture—bringing aerial artists and athletes together to create an ever-evolving piece set directly in Hong Kong’s urban landscape. Elsewhere, Alessandro Sciarroni, who won a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice Film Festival, brings the past to the present with Save the Last Dance for Me, reviving a near-extinct traditional Italian folk dance.
Above Gems by Benjamin Millepied's LA Dance Project (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Gems by Benjamin Millepied's LA Dance Project (Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
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Perhaps most excitingly, in a dynamic dialogue with the city’s choreographic scene, Christian Rizzo embarks on a three-week creation workshop with eight local dancers at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts—culminating in an exciting post-show talk that explores visual arts and choreographic elements.
By sharing the maison’s passion for this magnificent multi-faceted art form, the event is a true celebration of movement—and an unmissable event in Hong Kong’s arts calendar. “We are delighted that Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is once again contributing to promote the field of choreography in Asia,” Bos says, “and we hope to go on nurturing artistic exchanges that may inspire future worldwide collaborations.”
Find out more about the line-up here.
