About the work
Jewels is a three-act ballet created for the New York City Ballet by co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine. It premièred on Thursday, 13 April 1967 at the New York State Theater, with sets designed by Peter Harvey and lighting by Ronald Bates.
Jewels has been called the first full-length abstract ballet. It has three related movements: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds (usually separated by intermissions). It can also be seen as three separate ballets, linked by their jewel-colored costumes. Balanchine commented: "The ballet had nothing to do with jewels. The dancers are just dressed like jewels." Each of the three acts features the music of a different composer: Emeralds is set to the music of Gabriel Fauré, Rubies to the music of Igor Stravinsky and Diamonds to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
In 1976, Balanchine expanded Emeralds by adding a pas de deux and a closing pas de sept.
More ballets by the composer
All ballets by Igor Stravinsky (48) →
All ballets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) →
Other works by the same choreographer
Mozartiana
Ragtime
Ragtime
Raymonda Variations
Requiem Canticles
Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
1964
Square Dance
Credits from Wikidata (Q3178483), CC0.