April 20, 2009
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND
MRS. MICHELLE OBAMA TO SERVE
AS HONORARY CHAIRMEN OF
ABT'S 2009 SPRING GALA,
MONDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 6:30 P.M.
AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE
EVENING TO INCLUDE SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE
BY JAZZ ICON HERBIE HANCOCK AND
A PIČCE D'OCCASION FOR NINA ANANIASHVILI
CHOREOGRAPHED BY ALEXEI RATMANSKY
President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama will serve as Honorary Chairmen, along with Carolina Herrera, Caroline Kennedy, Blaine Trump and Renée Zellweger, for American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Gala on Monday, May 18.
In honor of the farewell season of Principal Dancer Nina Ananiashvili, ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky has created a pièce d’occasion set to the waltz from Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite to be performed by Ms. Ananiashvili. The Gala evening, which begins at 6:30 P.M., will feature ABT’s Principal Dancers in highlights from the Company’s eight-week season, a special guest appearance by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and a performance by the students of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre.
Henri Barguirdjian, Anne Grauso, Ashley McDermott, Florence Low Sloan and Caryn Zucker will serve as Gala Co-Chairmen and Danielle Ganek and Ivanka Trump will serve as Vice Chairmen of the evening. Aileen Mehle is Chairman Emerita and Karin and Stephen Sadove are Corporate Co-Chairmen.
American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Gala is sponsored by Graff and Carolina Herrera, Ltd. Superfund Asset Management, Inc. is the sponsor of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season. A portion of the proceeds from the Spring Gala will support ABT’s education and community outreach programs.
A Gala dinner under the Tent at Lincoln Center will immediately follow the performance. Gala benefit tickets priced at $1,500, $2,000 and $2,500 include the performance and post-performance dinner. For Gala benefit ticket information only, call American Ballet Theatre’s Special Events office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3239. Performance-only tickets, priced $30 to $150, are available online, at the Metropolitan Opera House box office or by calling 212-362-6000.