As part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels 2026 festival, L’Alliance New York is presenting one of the most innovative contemporary dance programs on stage on Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13, at the Florence Gould Theater.
Two pieces will be performed by dancers from the Choreographic Ensemble of the Paris Conservatory of Music and Dance: “You’re the one we love” by French choreographer Leïla Ka, and “and when we change the landscape…” by South African choreographer Robyn Orlin.
Leïla Ka (34) is a self-taught dancer who worked under Maguy Marin, before becoming a choreographer in 2018 and quickly achieving international success. She has choreographed for Beyoncé and Zaho de Sagazan, who is none other than her sister—but is it even necessary to mention this when both are so talented and have developed their respective arts independently?
Leïla Ka delighted audiences at Live Arts New York in February with “Maldonne,” and in the coming days she will present her second piece of the festival, “You’re the one we love,” at L’Alliance New York. One of her most critically acclaimed pieces, she has danced it as a duet on numerous occasions and is now offering a version for 10 performers. It is a dance that questions identities with electric energy, and viewers will be caught up in its pulsating momentum.
Trained in London and Chicago, Robyn Orlyn (71) began her career as a dancer and choreographer in her native South Africa. Her creations make no concessions, and her pieces, with their lengthy titles, decipher the wounds of her country of birth and demonstrate her commitment to storytelling.
“Curious, ironic, sometimes humorous and… visual” is how the choreographer describes her latest work, presented at the Dance Reflections festival. There will be tutus and bright pink, but the message will not be saccharine—it never is with the Johannesburg native, who always returns to the tensions of her country with a visual eclecticism that has become her signature.
This article was originally published in French on French Morning. It appears here in translation.
