Creation Transmission education

The initiative Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels marks a new chapter in the history of the Maison’s ties with the world of dance. Developed in collaboration with partners from across the world, the program expresses Van Cleef & Arpels’ desire to support the choreographic heritage, nourish contemporary creation and bring this artistic universe to the widest possible audience.

"Dance has been a significant field for the Maison throughout its history, with examples that include the encounter between Claude Arpels and George Balanchine in the 1960s, the partnership with Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project (LADP), collaborations with various companies and operas across the world and the FEDORA – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet. In 2020, we wished to take things a step further by uniting our activities in this domain. With the program Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, the Maison aims to support modern and contemporary dance, and encourage new choreography.”

Nicolas Bos

President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels

Finally, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels aims to raise the general public's awareness of the history and culture of dance. Committed to the values of transmission and education, the Maison plans to complement its annual event with a cultural program, intended for both professionals and amateurs: it will offer film screenings retracing the history of dance, lecture series, master classes presented by the artists and workshops open to all.

“Dance brings all the artistic disciplines together: it can incorporate music, the plastic arts, costume, lighting, set design, graphic design and even jewelry. It is a fascinating art form and an incredible field of expression. That is why it can appeal to such a wide audience. I’d like to encourage spectators to admire the works freely, with no preconceptions.”

Serge Laurent

Van Cleef & Arpels' Director of Dance and Culture Program 

The Maison’s shared history with the world of dance goes back to the Paris of the 1920s. Louis Arpels, one of the founders and a passionate ballet-lover, enjoyed taking his nephew Claude to the Opera Garnier, just a short walk away from the boutique in Place Vendôme. Van Cleef & Arpels’ first ballerina clips were unveiled in the early 1940s, and soon became one of its signatures.

This attachment to the realm of dance grew stronger in the 1950s, when Claude Arpels met the renowned choreographer George Balanchine, co-founder of the New York City Ballet. Their shared passion for precious stones blossomed into an artistic bond that produced Balanchine’s ballet Jewels, first performed in New York in April 1967. Each act in this non-narrative triptych is associated with a gem and a composer: Gabriel Fauré for Emeralds, Igor Stravinsky for Rubies and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for Diamonds.

Echoing to Claude Arpels’ encounter with George Balanchine, a new collaboration with Benjamin Millepied began in 2012. With his company the L.A. Dance Project, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, Benjamin Millepied has created the trilogy Gems, made up of Reflections (2013), Hearts & Arrows (2014) and On the Other Side (2016), as well as the ballet Roméo et Juliette in 2019.

Since the 2000s, the Maison has tied bonds with world-renowned institutions such as the Royal Opera House in London, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow or the Australian Ballet. It also supports the Croisements festival in China which celebrates artistic Franco-Chinese encounters, notably in the field of dance.

In addition, since 2015 the FEDORA – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet has rewarded excellence and inventiveness in a new choreographic creation each year.