LADP PERFORMS: GEMS
Brisbane Festival
Queensland Performing Arts Center
Cultural Precinct Cnr Grey, Melbourne St
South Brisbane QLD 4101, Australia
Thursday, September 4, 2025 | 7:00pm
Friday, September 5, 2025 | 8:00pm
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 1:00pm
Sunday, September 7, 2025 | 1:00pm
The groundbreaking contemporary ballet trilogy shared in full for the first time.
A landmark Australian exclusive and world premiere, Gems by Benjamin Millepied, is presented in its entirety for the very first time at Brisbane Festival.
This bold contemporary ballet trilogy by L.A. Dance Project, in collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels, reimagines the spirit of George Balanchine’s revolutionary Jewels through a modern lens.
Since 1896, Van Cleef & Arpels has maintained close ties with dance, inspiring many creations. A pivotal partnership between Claude Arpels and George Balanchine led to the masterpiece Jewels in 1967. Forty-five years later, Van Cleef & Arpels CEO Nicolas Bos and Millepied envisioned a new contemporary ballet continuing Jewels legacy. This led to Millepied’s trilogy, Gems.
Each chapter, Reflections, Hearts & Arrows, and On the Other Side, serves as a contemporary counterpoint to Balanchine’s Rubies, Emeralds, and Diamonds. Together, they form a dazzling triptych of distinct works, each chapter is inspired by the brilliance and character of its namesake gem.
Now, twelve years since the project began, the entire Gems trilogy is presented together for the first time. This groundbreaking dance event celebrates the unity of dance, music, and visual art.
Reflections
The first chapter of Gems, Reflections, premiered in 2013 and was conceived as a true artistic collaboration, not only between choreographer Benjamin Millepied, composer David Lang, and artist Barbara Kruger, but also between Millepied and the dancers of L.A. Dance Project. Reflections is the contemporary counterpoint to Balanchine’s Rubies. The stark essentiality of Kruger’s artwork captures the sensuality and ephemeral feelings of longing and desire that run through all of Millepied’s work. David Lang’s minimal score for piano solo is a unique selection from This Was Written by Hand/Memory Pieces, carefully chosen by Millepied and Kruger during the collaborative workshop process in Los Angeles, now performed in Brisbane by pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai from Trio Azura.
Hearts & Arrows
Hearts & Arrows premiered in 2014. Millepied has described this trilogy of ballets as “an emotional journey” with “a strong and hopeful sense of lasting love and community amidst the uncertainty in which we live.” Hearts & Arrows is inspired by diamonds and the idea of light and serves as a contemporary counterpoint to Balanchine’s Diamonds. The dancers in this act will be accompanied by Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Choreographed by Benjamin Millepied with visual concept by Liam Gillick and music from composer Philip Glass, The New York Times described the work as “a propulsive, kinetic stream of movement…[that] offers a glowing display of Mr. Millepied’s craftsmanship — the way he keeps his eight dancers constantly moving through asymmetrical and contrapuntal patterns…Everything is unexpected, everything feels serendipitously right.”
On the Other Side
Set to a suite of piano études by Philip Glass, On the Other Side features eight dancers who ebb and flow naturally between ensemble dancing, pas de deux, solos, and groups of three or four. This sustains choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s high lyricism and emotional momentum through the ballet’s pensive conclusion, once again joined by pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai. On the Other Side is the contemporary counterpoint to Balanchine’s Emeralds.
This organization is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, and by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.
