JewelsThe Bolshoi Ballet43th Hong Kong Arts Festival

Like his frequent collaborator, Igor Stravinsky, Balanchine was a Russian emigré who settled in New York. Both were defining forces in 20th century culture. In merging traditional Russian technique with new world dynamism, Balanchine created a new style of “American” ballet. He changed the way we look at dance.

For years the exclusive property of New York City Ballet which commissioned it in 1967, Balanchine’s masterpiece was the first full-length abstract ballet, a jewel-themed triptych, inspired by the beauty of precious stones. Each of its three acts focuses on one dazzling gem, each also evoking a different city: Paris in Fauré’s dreamy French romantic music for Emeralds; New York, with Stravinsky’s score evoking jazz-age Broadway, in Rubies; the classical grandeur of Balanchine’s home town, Imperial St Petersburg, in Diamonds.

A jewel in the repertoire of many of the world’s great ballet companies, no other production compares to the Bolshoi’s, premiered in 2012. Performed by star soloists and its famous corps de ballet, it is simply breathtaking.