Rites of Spring • Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels

This past December I had the pleasure of attending Van Cleef & Arpels’ Dance Reflections Festival at the Park Avenue Armory. The festival notably will only be touring in cities with an established presence with the Maison, all the more reason to spend a handful of days in New York City during Christmas time.

The Rites of Spring performance was comprised of more than 30 dancers from 14 African nations which undoubtedly added to the choreography’s sense of place. As the dance continued to unfold the more voyeuristic it felt to be sitting in the rafters. The dance was raw & truly sacrificial like watching something ancient. This was accentuated by the drill hall itself. The classic Stravinsky score didn’t echo and instead filled the space entirely and the earthen stage seemed to absorb and amplify each movement.

By its close I was deeply moved and inspired. So much so that later the same night at 3:00AM alone in my hotel room in Harlem; I impulsively booked a one way flight to Miami with no particular plan in mind except to chase sunshine that only spring can offer.

PRE SHOW TID BITS:

There may be no better way to get ready for a night out than tuning into the golf channel and ordering a caviar baked potato & Diet Coke.

A vintage Magaschoni black cocktail dress hidden under a wool coat a mere hour before the seam would split while running from the subway to Park Avenue.

Angelina Paris in Bryant Park is how watching an episode of Angelina Ballerina feels. They do have Bellinis on the menu it is yet to be discovered if they can pull off a Rossini.