The link dates back to the early 1940s, when the jeweler’s signature piece – the ballerina clip – first appeared. In addition to jewelry and watchmaking creations, Van Cleef & Arpels went on to collaborate with Balanchine and more recently with Benjamin Millepied. Company CEO Nicolas Bos is now taking the connection to another level with a “multifaceted” sponsorship program to “support choreographic heritage and contemporary creativity, and share this artistic universe with as many people as possible”. The initiative is motivated by the same spirit as Van Cleef’s support for The School of Jewelry Arts, with one difference – there is no longer any link with jewelry. The culmination of this program, called “Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels” and directed by Serge Laurent (formerly of the Pompidou Center), will be an annual festival in partnership with the Tate and the Royal Opera. The first event in London, in April 2022, will present 18 works from the 1970s to the present day, by both well-known and unknown artists.