Shanghai: French jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels will present the first Shanghai edition of its Dance Reflections festival from 14 October to 8 November 2026, in collaboration with the China Shanghai International Arts Festival. The programme will bring together contemporary dance performances, workshops, masterclasses and a photography exhibition across the city’s cultural venues.
Led by Serge Laurent, Director of Dance and Culture Programs at Van Cleef & Arpels, the festival features 17 performances, showcasing established choreographers alongside contemporary voices. The programme extends the jeweller’s longstanding support for dance, with a focus on artistic creation, education and the preservation of choreographic heritage.
Opening alongside the festival, We Deem We Dream, an exhibition by French photographer Estelle Hanania, will run at the Museum of Art Pudong from 14 October to 14 November. Her photographs capture dancers in rehearsals, backstage settings and stage productions, offering audiences a closer view of the creative process behind the performances.
The international programme includes the Lyon Opera Ballet’s presentation of Lucinda Childs’ DANCE. Belgian company Rosas will perform Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Rosas danst Rosas and EXIT ABOVE – after the tempest, bringing two distinct works from the choreographer’s repertoire to Shanghai audiences.
Other highlights include Rachid Ouramdane’s Outsider, performed by the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, and He who falls by the Yoann Bourgeois Art Company. At the Power Station of Art, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will present Trisha Brown: In Plain Site, a programme that takes the choreographer’s work beyond conventional theatre settings.
Chinese companies also feature prominently. TAO Dance Theater will present Tao Ye’s Numerical Series 15 | 18, while Shanghai-based Xiexin Dance Theatre will perform When Mountains Cry, choreographed by Brigel Gjoka.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ relationship with dance is reflected in its jewellery heritage. The house introduced its first dancer clips in 1941, translating the gestures and costumes of ballet into gem-set figures that became a recurring motif in its collections.
Its association with choreographer George Balanchine later helped inspire Jewels, which premiered in New York in 1967. The three-act ballet comprises Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, connecting the world of precious stones with distinct musical and choreographic expressions.
Launched in 2020, Dance Reflections formalised the house’s support for contemporary dance through partnerships with artists and cultural institutions. The Shanghai edition continues that commitment, combining performances with opportunities for audiences to engage more closely with dance and its creative process.