L.A. Dance Project (LADP) is a

contemporary ballet Contemporary ballet is a dance genre that incorporates elements of classical ballet and modern dance. It employs classical ballet technique and in many cases classical pointe technique as well, but allows a greater range of movement of the upper ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. It was founded in 2011 by choreographer and dancer

Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has als ...

. It is currently made up of 7 dancers, and led by Millepied.

History

Launched in 2011 as an

art collective An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything t ...

with a commission from the

Glorya Kaufman Glorya Kaufman is an American philanthropist. Early life Glorya (Pinkis) Kaufman was born to a Jewish family in Detroit, Michigan during the Great Depression.

Presents Dance at the

Los Angeles Music Center The Los Angeles Music Center (officially the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pa ...

., L.A. Dance Project was founded by Millepied,

Nico Muhly Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestra ...

Nicholas Britell Nicholas Britell (born October 17, 1980) is an American film and television composer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award. He has received Academy Award nom ...

, art advisor Matthieu Humery and producer Charles Fabius. L.A. Dance Project premiered at

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 23, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Av ...

on September 22, 2012. The program featured ''Quintett'' by William Forsythe, ''Winterbranch'' by

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

, and ''Moving Parts'' by Millepied, in a collaboration with composer

and visual artist

Christopher Wool Christopher Wool (born 1955) is an American artist. Since the 1980s, Wool's art has incorporated issues surrounding post-conceptual ideas. Early life and career Wool was born in Chicago, Illinois to Glorye and Ira Wool, a molecular biologist and ...

. Shortly after founding the company, Millepied was appointed the Director of the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

, and for two years, he ran both companies concurrently. Millepied returned to Los Angeles, and full-time to L.A. Dance Project in 2016.

International acclaim

The company has toured all over the world, performing in venues and festivals including the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

Sadlers Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre build ...

, and

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay or nicknamed as The Durian is a performing arts centre located in the Downtown Core of Singapore near the mouth of the Singapore River. Named after the nearby Esplanade Park, it consists of two rounded struc ...

Collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels

Since its founding in 1896, luxury jewellery brand

Van Cleef & Arpels Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company. It was founded in 1896 by the Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris. Their pieces often feature flowers, animals and fairies. History The ...

has drawn inspiration from dance, with the first ballerina clips appearing from the Maison in the 1940s. The collaboration between L.A. Dance Project and

began in 2012, when Nicolas Bos, CEO of VCA, met Millepied, and the jeweller commissioned a project, the ''Gems'' trilogy. ''Gems'', comprising ''Reflections'' (2012), ''Hearts and Arrows'' (2014) and ''On The Other Side'' (2016), marked the continuation of the collaborative relationship between Van Cleef & Arpels and choreographers, which began with

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

's 1967 opus ''Jewels'', originally suggested by Claude Arpels. The relationship between L.A. Dance Project and

has continued far beyond the initial collaboration on ''Gems'', with the Maison partnering on the creation of multiple works for the company. Most recently, to mark the premiere Millepied's ''Romeo and Juliet Suite'', the Maison unveiled a new collection, retelling the story through jewellery pieces. In 2021, Van Cleef & Arpels furthered their commitment to supporting the creation and performance of dance, with the Dance Reflections initiative, which, in addition to supporting L.A. Dance Project, now supports choreographers and companies around the world.

Performance space

In 2017, L.A. Dance Project opened their first designated rehearsal and performance space in Los Angeles at 2245 East Washington Boulevard. In addition to daily rehearsal, the company presents regular performances in the space, often using it to premiere new works In addition to company repertory performances, L.A. Dance Project frequently partners with other dance companies and organisations to present their work in the performance space. The company now offers artist residencies through the LAUNCH:LA initiative. The residency awards free use of the performance space to emerging choreographers and dance makers, also awarding them production creation and artist stipends.

Repertory

References

{{Dance Companies in the United States Ballet companies in the United States 2011 establishments in California Culture of Los Angeles Performing groups established in 2011 Dance in California Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles