Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Returns to Hong Kong
A long term devotee of dance, Van Cleef & Arpels has acted as a custodian and proponent of modern dance since their first choreographic partnership in the 1960s with George Balanchine, co-founder of the New York City Ballet. In 2020, the maison launched Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, an initiative to support choreographic heritage and uphold modern and contemporary choreographic repertoire.
This year, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels continues its collaborations in Hong Kong, by supporting the Hong Kong début of Corps Extrêmes by Rachid Ouramdane, presented in partnership with WestK and the French May Arts Festival, from 30 May to 1 June, and co-presenting a two-week workshop for students of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts led by the acclaimed TAO Dance Theater, with a studio performance on 20 June.
CORPS EXTRÊMES by RACHID OURAMDANE
Rachid Ouramdane, Director at the Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse in Paris, France, is bringing together an ensemble of 10 air artists and celestial athletes to showcase a remarkable display of strength and artistic excellence.
A gravity-defying work, Corps Extrêmes is a stunning blend of extreme sports, acrobatics and dance in which seemingly disparate ideas come together to provide inspiration and awe for how the human spirit can reach new heights when stretched beyond expected limits. It is a display of intense physicality, as well as a triumph of teamwork and mutual trust, which weaves a daring exploration of the human desire for weightlessness with a meditation on tranquility and the mental clarity derived from flirting with the void.
The show unites an extraordinary cast, including Italian highliner and circus artist Luca Chiarva, who has collaborated with Cirque du Soleil, the world’s foremost contemporary circus company, American climber Ann Raber Cocheril – one of the oldest women to conquer a difficulty of v13 in the Hueco grade at the age of 37 – along with eight other professional dancers and acrobats.
30 May to 1 June – Xiqu Centre – Details here
TAO YE WORKSHOP
For the first time, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is inviting Tao Ye and his dancers to develop a collaborative piece over two weeks with students at SWEAT – Hong Kong International Dance Workshop Festival and Conference 2025, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Based on the study of a body in movement, the artist invites participants to explore a system of circular choreography. The goal is to discover the endless possibilities of instantaneous change according to the law of inertia, present in Eastern artistic explorations of physicality. At the end of the program, on June 20, a performance of the work created in the studio will be presented to the public.
20 June – The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts – Details here