NYCB, Paris Opéra Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet Announce Historic Jewels Collaboration

George Balanchine’s Jewels, a glittering three-act, plotless ballet that many consider one of the choreographer’s most revered masterpieces, turns 50 next year. In honor of its anniversary, Lincoln Center announced this morning that three of the world’s most prestigious companies—New York City Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet—will share the stage in a historic series of performances at the Lincoln Center Festival, July 20-23, 2017. An international press conference was held this morning on Facebook Live, with company directors Peter Martins, Aurélie Dupont and Makhar Vaziev answering questions from their respective offices.

NYCB in”Rubies” from Jewels. Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.

The collaboration makes complete sense: When Balanchine choreographed Jewels in 1967, each act not only represented a different gemstone, but a distinct era of ballet from the three countries that shaped his career. The first act, “Emeralds,” set to music by Gabriel Fauré, recalls dreamy French Romanticism; “Rubies,” with its jazzy Stravinsky score, represents fast-paced American wit and modernism; and “Diamonds,” danced to Tchaikovsky, celebrates the grandeur of Russian Imperial ballet.

The Bolshoi Ballet’s Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin in “Diamonds.” Photo by E. Fetisova, Courtesy Bolshoi Ballet.

On opening night of the Lincoln Center Festival, the Paris Opéra Ballet will dance “Emeralds,” NYCB will do “Rubies,” and the Bolshoi will perform “Diamonds.” (On subsequent performances, NYCB and Bolshoi will alternate between the second and third acts.) Casting will be announced at later date, but with a lineup like this, it’s sure to be an unforgettable celebration.

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