Miami City Ballet announces Jewels as well as Principal Dancer Rainer Krenstetter’s final performance with the company.
A crowning jewel in the Balanchine canon, Jewels is inspired by a visit to famed French jewelers Van Cleef & Arpels. Those mesmerizing, light-reflecting gemstones ultimately led to the creation of one of Balanchine’s most revered ballets.
It is a pure dance triptych that features three distinct mini-ballets – the mysterious and poetic Emeralds that recalls a verdant French countryside, the quintessentially American Rubies, and the opulent, Imperial Russian splendor of Diamonds.
When the company premiered the ballet in 1992, it became an instant hit with audiences and critics alike, and MCB’s dazzling presentation of the famed ballet helped catapult the company to international acclaim.
“A gem analogy is irresistible. Jewelers sometimes call inferior emeralds, rubies and diamonds ‘sleepy’ or ‘tired.’ The most brilliant jewels are described as ‘having life.’ Life is what made the Miami City Ballet’s Jewels the triumph it was.” – The Sun-Sentinel
Rainer Krensetter's Final Performance
Krensetter’s last MCB performance will take place on April 24 at the Broward Center.
“Being hired as a principal dancer at MCB after a long-time dancing in Europe definitely enriched my dancing. I am thankful to Lourdes for trusting me with such a different repertory!
Now is my time to move on. I’ll still dance on various projects but I’m excited to pass on my knowledge to rising dancers as artistic director for a company in Tokyo as well as the Margot Fonteyn Ballet Academy in Arizona.
It is not easy to say goodbye, but it was clear to me since day one that this moment would come. I look forward to saying farewell and dancing my heart out for our audiences during my final performances of Jewels.”
Featured Photo of Shimon Ito and Nathalia Arja in George Balanchine’s Jewels. Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.
