Inside Van Cleef & Arpels' long love affair with dance

As beautiful as gemstones are, their beauty is often immutable — that is, they are often fixed and unmoving. Van Cleef & Arpels challenges this with two dynamic new watches from their Extraordinary Dials collection, the Lady Danse and Lady Danse Duo.

The two watches are a loving tribute to the liveliness of Broadway in the ’50s and ’60s — imagine the buzz of Manhattan, the packed theatres that line the streets, the sold-out shows each night, encapsulated into two beautifully- realised dials.

On the Lady Danse watch, an agile soloist is depicted at the split second she enters the stage. She wears a dress set with rubies and hemmed with gold against a three- dimensional background that gives the illusion of depth: White mother-of-pearl, turquoise and chrysoprase are worked on individually before being carefully assembled to create the stunning effect.

Meanwhile, the Lady Danse Duo recalls the electricity of New York City as a group of dancers frolic about an iridescent dial of lapis lazuli, turquoise and white mother-of-pearl.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ relationship with the world of dance — in particular, ballet — is long and storied. It dates back all the way to Louis Arpels; in the ’20s, he would often take his nephew and scion, Claude Arpels, to performances at the Paris Opera.

In 2019, the Maison appointed Serge Laurent to lead their Dance and Culture Programs. Laurent has since helped set up programmes such as ‘Dance Reflections’, an initiative that promotes and supports artists around the world — an especially important mission during a time when the arts are struggling to stay afloat.

As Laurent says, “Dance is part of our history, so it is important to keep writing its new chapters.” He tells us more about the history of Van Cleef & Arpels' relationship with the dance world, and why they will always support the arts.

What is Van Cleef & Arpels’ relationship with the world of dance?

The history of Van Cleef & Arpels with dance goes back to the origins of the house. Some family members have always had a passion for the art of choreography. In the early ’40s in New York, dance became an important source of inspiration with the creation of the first ballerinas. This source of inspiration is present in our collections of today.

Another step in the history of the Maison with dance was taken in the ’60s, when Claude Arpels met the neoclassical choreographer George Balanchine in New York. This meeting between the two men will give birth to Jewels, a very famous ballet inspired by the universe of Van Cleef & Arpels. The creation of this ballet forever links the history of the Maison to the world of dance.

In the 2000s, the Maison’s relationship with dance resulted in partnerships with dance companies such as that of choreographer Benjamin Millepied, classical ballets, or awards like the Fedora Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet. These partnerships, desired by the President Nicolas Bos, have renewed the Maison’s commitment to dance.

As the Maison’s Dance and Cultural Program manager, what does your work entail?
My mission at Van Cleef & Arpels is to continue writing the history of the Maison in its attachment to the art of choreography. We therefore chose to create a sponsorship programme in favour of dance, called Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.

With this sponsorship programme, our wish is to support modern and contemporary dance in addition to our other partnerships, particularly with classical dance. The programme is based on three essential values of the Maison: creation, transmission and education.

Tell me about Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. What does the programme do, and why was it launched in the first place?
It is essential to support creation, and this is why since 2020 we have been providing choreographers with resources for their work. We have also established partnerships with institutions that play an essential role in supporting the creation and presentation of works. We wish to support the creation of new works but also to support the contemporary repertoire and allow the public to discover essential works of the past.

We have also chosen to create a great choreographic event every year. This event will be held each year in a different country or in several cities in the same region. Our wish with these annual events is to continue a fruitful dialogue between the Maison and the world of dance, and to contribute to the presentation of choreographic works to a large audience.

The first edition will take place in London in March 2022. For three weeks, we will present – in collaboration with three famous institutions of the British capital — 18 choreographic works from the ’70s to the present day.

Ultimately, why is it so important to Van Cleef & Arpels to preserve and support the arts?
Dance is part of our history, so it is important to keep writing its new chapters. We are a Maison of creation, and dialogue between the arts is essential for that creation to be enriched. Dance is a source of inspiration for our collections and our creations, and supporting this artistic discipline is also a way of paying tribute to this essential art for us.

Supporting choreographic artists and institutions in their missions, particularly in the field of dance education and awareness, is also the best way to share our passion.