Celebrating 50 years of Balanchine's opulent ballet

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of George Balanchine's literally sparkling ballet, the Royal Ballet will pay homage to our favourite gemstones by performing his iconic work. Originally created for the New York City Ballet, this work has been performed across the world by various companies, as part of the modern repertory. Inspired by the gorgeous artistry some of the biggest fashion jewellery houses based in the Big Apple, including Van Cleef and Arpels, Balanchine chose music that perfectly reflects three entirely different dance forms, unified by elegance of the jewel theme and Barbara Karinska's opulent costumes.

Celebrating the beauty of gemstones through dance

Each segment of the ballet is distinct from each other, representing a different time period, mood and dance style. For instance, Emeralds, which Balanchine considered "an evocation of France - the France of elegance, comfort, dress, [and] perfume," recalls the 19th century dances of the French Romantics. Rubies represents the crisp and witty, epitomizing the collaboration of Stravinsky and Balanchine in their works.And finally, Diamonds recalls the order and grandeur of Imperial Russia and the Maryinsky Theater, where Balanchine was originally trained.