Jewels is a three-act ballet inspired by jewelry designer Claude Arpels that builds from soft, small, and elegant to jazzy, fiery, and dynamic, finishing with opulence, grandeur, and splendor. Each movement not only embodies the characteristics of each gem, but also draws from particular moments in Balanchine’s career trajectory.
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Composers: Gabriel Faure (Emeralds), Igor Stravinsky (Rubies), Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Diamonds)
Premiere: April 13, 1967 by New York City Ballet at the New York State Theater
Key Themes:
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- A Celebration of Ballet: Each ballet showcases a particular style and moment of ballet history. Emeralds embraces the French, Romantic school of dancing. Rubies is American, contemporary, and spirited. And Diamonds is a love letter to Imperial Russia. These inspirations are also visible in the costumes, with long tutus for Emeralds and more familiar tutus in Diamonds.
- Opulence: Since its premiere more than fifty years ago, the dazzling costumes (designed by Karinska) and scenery (three chandeliers, one for each ballet) have become as iconic as the choreography itself.
Notable Sections:
- Emeralds’ Contrasting Pas de Deux: The first pas de deux is dreamlike and elusive, with serene upper body movements and small bourrées. The second pas de deux is more playful before settling back into the restrained feel of the rest of the ballet.
- Rubies’ Tall Woman: A coveted role for tall female dancers, this character is the focal point whenever she is onstage. Filled with demonstrations of flexibility and sass, her choreography includes balancing on pointe as four corps de ballet male dancers manipulate her other leg.
- Diamonds’ Polonaise: Featuring 34 dancers, the final movement draws on ballet’s origins as a court dance as well as the folk dances of Russia.
What to Watch For:
- Jewel Imagery: In the second finale of Emeralds and the opening of Rubies, the choreography gives a little nod to the inspiration for these ballets as dancers form a necklace pattern.
- Ballet Echoes: Balanchine includes little nods to ballets from each school. The precise footwork and sculptural port de bras in Emeralds harkens back to Fokine’s Les Sylphides (1909), while Diamonds has echoes of Petipa’s Swan Lake and Raymonda in the port de bras.
- Rubies’ Horse and Jockey: Keep an eye out for moments of trotting and prancing-like steps, particularly when the principal man gets chased by the rest of the male dancers.
Notable Performances:
Many of the members of Balanchine’s original cast have become synonymous with their roles in Jewels, including Violette Verdy and Mimi Paul (Emeralds); Patricia Neary as the Tall Girl, and Patricia McBride and Edward Villella (Rubies), and Jacques d’Amboise and Suzanne Farrell (Diamonds).
Upcoming Performances
