{"id":308223,"date":"2025-10-16T14:13:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/308223\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:13:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:13:15","slug":"going-for-optical-symmetry-la-dance-project-brings-all-of-benjamin-millepieds-gems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/308223\/","title":{"rendered":"Going for Optical Symmetry \u2013 LA Dance Project Brings All of Benjamin Millepied\u2019s \u201cGems\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia hosted the world premiere. New York gets a look next Spring, and SoCal has the U.S. premiere next week as\u00a0LA Dance Project<\/strong>\u00a0brings Benjamin Millepied\u2019s triptych\u00a0Gems\u00a0to Beverly Hills\u2019 Wallis Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run October 23-25 (LA Dance Project \u2013 Gems<\/a>).\u00a0Comprised of three ballets that Millepied created over several years that have been presented separately,\u00a0Gems\u00a0presents the trio as originally intended in a single program acknowledging George Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Jewels\u00a0(1967) and Van Cleef & Arpels, the jeweler that inspired Balanchine and a major LADP sponsor.<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project in \u201cHearts & Arrows.\u201d Photo by Laurent Phillippe<\/p>\n

\u00a0
Despite his career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, directing the Paris Opera Ballet, and establishing LA as the base for his LA Dance Project, to the general public, Millepied is known for his film choreography (Black Swan\u00a0and the \u2018sandwalk\u2019 in\u00a0Dune), and his marriage with\u00a0Black Swan\u00a0star Natalie Portman.\u00a0Gems\u00a0reinforces Millepied\u2019s commitment to his choreography and LA Dance Project.<\/p>\n

Gems\u00a0returns to LA\u00a0with strong reviews from Australia\u2019s Brisbane Dance Festival and vivid descriptions of LADP\u2019s dancers in the three ballets-Reflections, Hearts & Arrows,\u00a0and\u00a0On the Other Side. Despite their unanimous praise, reviewers were divided as to which of the three ballets was strongest.<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project in \u201cReflections\u201d Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

The Guardian\u2019s Dee Jefferson found that with the ballets presented in chronological order, it was \u201cimpossible not to read them as a progression through Millepied\u2019s choreographic development \u2013 made more interesting by the fact the final work in the trilogy, 2016\u2019s\u00a0On the Other Side, got an overhaul ahead of its Brisbane showing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jefferson favored the first work\u00a0Reflections\u00a0(2013) with music by David Lang and Barbara Kruger\u2019s red-drenched backdrop and floor, elements referencing the\u00a0\u00a0Rubies\u00a0section of Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Jewels.\u00a0She found it \u201cthe most flawless of the evening\u2019s works, a showcase for the dancers\u2019 superb technique. The duets are masterclasses in silken independence. A solo by Shu Kinouchi is stunning, his supple control and springy athleticism drawing a huff of appreciation from the audience. The piece\u2019s variegated movement keeps it constantly \u2013 delightfully \u2013 surprising, along with playful interactions that feel intuitive and off-the-cuff. The influence of Jerome Robbins, godfather of contemporary American ballet and Millepied\u2019s mentor, shows. The blend of balletic lyricism and playful, jazzy movement often feels like a genuine interaction between people, witnessed by chance, rather than a deliberate choreography performed\u00a0to\u00a0the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project\u2019s Shu Kinouchi. Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

The second ballet,\u00a0Hearts & Arrows, with music by Philip Glass and inspired by the\u00a0Diamonds\u00a0section of Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Jewels, was preferred by\u00a0Caitlin Halmarick writing for\u00a0Australian Dance:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe curtain opened to a set of old theatre lights, embracing an industrial aesthetic. The choreography was reminiscent of a work that New York City Ballet might present, with bright energy that sparkled like a diamond. Short divertissements were divided by blackouts, each one increasing the sharpness of its movement until the legs and smother were flown out and the entire stage was revealed, a la\u00a0In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and formations took on the shape of an exquisitely cut diamond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note: The title\u00a0Heats & Arrows\u00a0refers to a 1980\u2019s Japanese developed diamond cut designed to maximize perfect optical symmetry.<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project in \u201cHearts & Arrows\u201d Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

The third ballet,\u00a0On the Other Side,\u00a0with Mark Bradford\u2019s multi-colored splashed backdrop and more Philip Glass music, doesn\u2019t directly reference Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Emeralds\u00a0ballet from\u00a0Jewels,\u00a0yet it was the one that found favor with\u00a0The Scoop\u2019s\u00a0Sarah Skubala.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps the longest work of the three, but my personal favourite overall. The choreography, featuring solos, duets and trios, was at its strongest here. None more so than in the show stopping duet between Robert Hoffer and Tom Muilbaud. Still a rarity in dance, the duet, featuring two male dancers, was beautifully executed. Technically outstanding, the pair drew us in with their sensuality and visually mesmerising movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project\u2019s \u201cOn the Other Side\u201d Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

Taking a more inclusive view, Michelle Potter, writing for\u00a0On Dancing,\u00a0observed\u00a0\u201cThe true highlight of\u00a0Gems, however, was the exceptional dancing of all eight dancers throughout the three sections. There was quite a bit of \u2018grounded\u2019 work, which was something that Balanchine avoided but which is commonplace in contemporary dance. But what stood out was the way the bodies of all eight dancers were managed by Millepied in ways that did to a certain extent recall a Balanchine choreographic mode, but that had been manipulated in quite complex ways to create a new, contemporary look.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Benjamin<\/p>\n

Benjamin Millepied. Photo by Diego Uchitel<\/p>\n

Prior to the Brisbane performances, LADP hosted several rehearsals as Millepied polished his choreography and did some serious reworking of\u00a0On the Other Side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Working with recorded music for the rehearsal, Millepied ran a section where a tight dancer cluster swept across LADP\u2019s voluminous studio like waves, skimming and swirling, with couples intermittently revealed for a separate moment of dance then replaced as they exited by new couple who emerged from what would be the wings onstage. Each couple had distinct movements, a leitmotif reflecting different textures in the music, that were recalled periodically in later choreography.<\/p>\n

After the initial run through, Millepied singled out sections for notes. During a\u00a0 section where the group surrounds a single dancer, Millepied\u2019s instructed the group to \u201cdance with your eyes.\u201d Repeating the section, the dancers\u2019 unified focus followed the single dancer bringing with them the audience\u2019s focus.<\/p>\n

In giving notes, Millepied repeatedly attended to achieving seamless transitions as the group spit out the couples who established their movement identity then were absorbed back into the unified whole.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the invited audience,\u00a0 Millepied explained that he returned to\u00a0On the Other Side\u00a0because \u201cThe first version was not as light as the qualities I now hear in the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project \u2013 \u201cOn the Other Side\u201d Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

Later, LADP\u2019s associate director\u00a0S\u00e9bastien Marcovici talked with dance writer Ann Haskins about the evolution of\u00a0On the Other Side\u00a0from an earlier, more balletic original in 2004. In that version, Marcovici danced with his wife Janie Taylor when they and Millepied were all principal dancers with New York City Ballet and the choreographer put together an off-season touring company.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time Benjamin choreographed to those Philip Glass etudes was in 2004 and on ballet dancers. It was on pointe and was different. When he redid it for LA Dance Project in 2016, he kept some things\u2013one of the duets and some other little parts\u2013but he created much that was new,\u201d Marcovici explained. \u201cWhen we started thinking of putting this program together, he mostly talked about\u00a0On the Other Side\u00a0and how he wanted to revisit it. I think he also was listening to the music a little bit differently than he did that the first time that he choreographed it. He rechoreographed the opening; he took some dances out, and made new ones. He did remake it lighter, to what he feels is now, really now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"S\u00e9bastien<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project\u2019s S\u00e9bastien Marcovici. Photo by Patrick Fraser<\/p>\n

While the three works were created and have been presented separately, from their inception Van Cleef and Arpels encouraged Millepied to create three works that would stand alone, but also be presented together, providing a contemporary reference and perspective on Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Jewels .\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the reworking of\u00a0On the Other Side,\u00a0it seemed the right time to bring the three together in one great program and to acknowledge the support and impetus from Van Cleef and Arpels,\u201d Marcovici said. \u201cWhat Benjamin said when he first redid it in 2016 was it felt closer to his emotion at that time. So I feel this is also why he wanted to change or reshape some of the things to how he feels presently. It is choreographed with more emotion from Benjamin. Once again, the choreography speaks for itself. Everything is embedded. I tell dancers to do the choreography and let yourself just be inspired by it and the music. Obviously, the music is everything for Benjamin, and then we go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dancers are Courtney Conovan, Daphne Fernberger, Robert Hoffer, Shu Kinouchi, Clay Koonar, Audrey Sides, Hope Spears, and Noah Wang.<\/p>\n

LA Dance Project\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Gems (Reflections, Hearts & Arrows,\u00a0and\u00a0On the Other Side)\u00a0at The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts, 390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 23-25. 7:30 pm, $42.90-$108.90.\u00a0LA Dance Project \u2013 Gems<\/a><\/p>\n

Also at\u00a0Perelman Performing Arts Center,\u00a0251 Fulton Street,\u00a0New York, NY 10007; Sat., Feb. 21, 8 pm,\u00a0Sun., Feb. 22, 3 pm, $54-$114.\u00a0LA Dance Project in New York<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured image: LA Dance Project \u2013 Photo by Jade Ellis<\/p>\n

Written by Ann Haskins for LA Dance Chronicle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia hosted the world premiere. New York gets a look next Spring, and SoCal has the U.S. premiere…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":308224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337],"class_list":{"0":"post-308223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-los-angeles","12":"tag-losangeles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}