Jewellery and dance may seem like distant cousins on the family tree of cultural expression, yet both revel in the shimmer of craft and the discipline of repetition. The facets of a diamond echo the precision of a pirouette, while the fleeting brilliance of a pas des deux rivals any sparkle refracted through a cut stone.
Which is why it feels perfectly apt that Van Cleef & Arpels - whose vaults are synonymous with fantasy made material - should throw its considerable weight behind an immersive dance work of planetary ambition. From 3-6 September, the Southbank Centre in London becomes ground zero for We Should Have Never Walked On The Moon, a four-night occupation that promises to be less lunar landing and more communal lift-off, supported by the jeweller’s initiative Dance Reflections.
The work is a union of choreographic powerhouses Rambert and (LA)HORDE Ballet national de Marseille. Fifty performers, including dancers, DJs, jumpers and even a limousine (yes, really), will move across the entire site, from the Royal Festival Hall’s main stage to the back passages of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Undercroft’s raw concrete recesses. Audiences are not seated but set free, invited to follow instinct over instruction, stumbling across performances as one might stumble upon a late-night warehouse party. Benoit Swan Pouffer, artistic director of Rambert, said: ‘We’re very excited to continue our collaboration with (LA)HORDE and the Southbank Centre with this innovative reimagining of We Should Have Never Walked On The Moon; a coming together of artistic minds and talents. As audiences follow their instincts and create their own unique experiences walking through the different spaces of the Southbank Centre, this immersive dance event promises to be as exciting as it is unexpected.’
(LA)HORDE added: 'We have designed We Should Have Never Walked on the Moon as an encounter between the dancers of Ballet national de Marseille and performers who have been historical collaborators in our early work. Today, we are delighted to expand this dialogue by bringing in dancers from Rambert and students from the Rambert school, uniting two major European companies through a shared repertoire. We're also thrilled to perform at the Southbank Centre in London again - this time taking over the Royal Festival Hall and wider site - as we only recently made our London debut at the iconic venue.’
The project is staged with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, the maison’s global initiative to safeguard and propel contemporary dance. Think less patronage for the sake of prestige and more serious cultural engineering. Dance Reflections commissions new works, supports institutions and dance companies, and fosters the transfer of knowledge between generations of choreographers. For Southbank Centre artistic director, Mark Ball, the link is symbiotic: ‘The Southbank Centre makes culture happen; we are a creative engine room where artists can make inspiring new works and experiences for audiences. This hugely ambitious large-scale project continues our collaborative relationship with two powerhouse dance companies Rambert and (LA)HORDE, and demonstrates our commitment to making bold, surprising and memory-making experiences in the heart of the capital.’
We Should Have Never Walked On The Moon runs from 3-6 September at London’s Southbank Centre. Tickets are available via southbankcentre.co.uk
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion news & features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.