Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel and… Donald Trump? Oh my!

January 13, 2009

Last night I was thrilled to attend American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Gala at Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House. It was a stunning red carpet affair, to say the least—ballet aficionados and socialites donned tuxedos and floor-length gowns for the event and paparazzi lined the Opera House entrance.

 

The ballgowns and jewelry, however, took a backseat only to the immense talent onstage that night. Renowned dancers (all of whom I had never before seen perform!) including Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Ethan Stiefel and Sasha Radetsky, were all captivating in their respective roles. Even ABT’s Artistic Director, Kevin McKenzie, took the stage during the hilarious Judgment of Paris.

 

My favorite performances of the evening were Diana Vishneva’s The Dying Swan solo and the Le Corsaire pas de deux which was performed by Xiomara Reyes and Jose Manuel Carreño. Vishneva’s bourres were so fast and flawless that she truly looked like she was floating across the stage. Later, when Reyes and Carreño took the stage together, I couldn’t stop grinning because they had such wonderful chemistry.

 

Bonus: The gala was a star-studded event beyond the stage as well! I was just steps away from Donald Trump, Al Roker and Sigourney Weaver, who all came out to support ABT. And while I may have been a little bummed about missing last night’s Gossip Girl finale on TV (don’t you dare tell me what happened!), the fact that I was sitting two seats behind Taylor Momsen (who plays Jenny on the show) definitely made up for it!

 

Needless to say, it was a night to remember and I’ll definitely be back at ABT soon!