Like a breath of fresh air, “Dance Reflections,” a festival presented by Van Cleef & Arpels, is taking place in London this spring. The jewelry house, a century-long devotee of dance, is in partnership with the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and Tate Modern for the program, live March 9-23. Together, they’re honoring modern and contemporary choreographic art, featuring 17 leading repertory productions and wholly original pieces. The celebration across venues was inspired by the principles of creation, transmission, and education. In addition to live performances, “Dance Reflections” offers exclusive film screenings, masterclasses, and workshops.
Through a wide-ranging and robust program, the festival’s spirited choreographers and dancers are articulating their most cutting-edge work. The event commenced with Neighbours, a rich, cross-cultural examination between Kurdish b-boy Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit and Albanian contemporary dancer Brigel Gjoka, activated by their participation in William Forsythe’s A Quiet Evening of Dance. The Lyon Opera Ballet reenvisioned the minimalist ballet, Dance, created in 1979 by Lucinda Childs with composer Philip Glass, utilizing stage, screen, and flowing body language.
Alessandro Sciarroni, photo by Umberto Favretto.
Une maison, photo by Marc Domage.
Experimental creator Boris Charmatz explores the solo dance and introduces Somnole. Derived from somnolence, the feeling of drowsiness, Charmatz finds sanctuary in a mesmerizing rhythm, bolstered by the gossamer melodies of whistling. In contrast, his subsequent Infini is a dazzling collective event, drawing from the historic ways in which dancers must count whilst dancing. Here, Charmatz tests the finite nature of the body against the infinite quality of time.
Italian choreographer Alessandro Sciarroni, who was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance at the 2019 Venice Biennale Danza, presents The Collection, by the Lyon Opera Ballet. Exploring the endurance and fragility of the ballet dancer, Sciarroni breathes new life into one of his own lauded pieces. Inspired by Schuhplattler — the traditional Tyrolean folk dance — Sciarroni takes fellow performers to the physical and intellectual edge in a trance-inducing imagination of clubbing. Still paying respect to cultural heritage with Save The Last Dance for Me, Sciarroni and fellow dancers unearth the Bolognese dance Polka Chinata — a dance of courtship once performed only by men. A workshop follows, led by the performers and open to all.
To close the festival, the legacy of distinguished choreographer Trisha Brown, paragon of the foundation of postmodern dance, is carried on with the reimagining of her revolutionary Set and Reset. The program features performances by the Rambert Dance Company in Brown’s original style as well as by the Candoco Dance Company in their own singular version of Brown’s vision. Her living legacy is rounded out by a major installation at Tate Modern, providing performance lectures and extraordinary insight into the mind that forever changed art and dance history.
D’après une histoire vraie, photo by © Marc Domage.
Fase, 2018, photo by Anne Van Aerschot.
The festival showcases Van Cleef & Arpels’s ongoing engagement with the art of dance. In 1920s Paris, founder Louis Arpel adored taking nephew Claude to the Opera Garnier. The house’s ballerina clips became a signature in 1941. And choreographer George Balanchine, co-founder of the New York City Ballet, shared his deep affinity for the artistry of the jewelry-maker with Claude Arpel in the 1950s, culminating in the abstract ballet Jewels.
Today, Van Cleef & Arpels is known for supporting a range of programs, such as Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project, and the FEDORA, Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet, rewarding excellence and ingenuity in choreography.
The festivities will come to a close on March 23. To explore the calendar of the “Dance Reflections” by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, visit HERE.
Ola Maciejewska, BOMBYX MORI, courtesy of Théâtre de la Cité internationale.
Fase, 2018, photo by Anne Van Aerschot.
