City Ballet Gala Celebrates 26 Years of Artistic Excellence, Education & Community Outreach

CITY BALLET of San Diego Creating Legends Gala ~ Hotel del Coronado

A Celebration of 26 Years of Artistic
Excellence, Education and Community Outreach

The legendary Hotel del Coronado was the setting for City Ballet of San Diego’s Creating Legends Gala on Saturday, October 13, 2018. Over 250 guests came to help celebrate the ballet company’s 26^th Anniversary! Through the generosity of the many guests, City Ballet of San Diego raised over $235,000. This was the most successful gala to date and thus ensures City Ballet of San Diego will continue to present ballet and Education and Outreach Programs to over 200,000 children and patrons annually.

City Ballet is thrilled and privileged to have the vibrant support of the gala’s Honorary Chairs, Anna and Mario Scipione. Their guidance, support and enthusiasm encourage and energize the company daily. Congratulations to the Gala Committee and Volunteers for a splendid evening.

The Hotel del Coronado, City Ballet’s Season Sponsor, and the Gala Committee created a beautiful Cocktail Reception in the Ballroom. Ballerinas, in legendary ballet costumes from ballets such as Giselle, Carmen, Swan Lake, Firebird and The Nutcracker, posed with guests for delightful photo opportunities. Master of Ceremonies, Mario Lopez, host of the Emmy® award-winning entertainment news TV show, Extra, posed for photos with guests and added to the excitement of the evening.

The fabulous sounds of The Mighty Untouchables beckoned guests into the Crown Room where each table was decorated with custom-made, ballet themed, Top Hat centerpieces. City Ballet Choreographer and Dancer, Geoff Gonzalez and City Ballet’s ballerina Jessie Leigh Olson, took the stage and performed a stunning new piece, “When Eyes Meet” to Claude Debussy’s Rêverie. As dinner was served, a video was shown describing the Education and Outreach Programs City Ballet offers as well as excerpts of the City Ballet Company performing at their home theatre, the legendary Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego.

Dinner began with a Baby Kale Caesar Salad. Guests had a choice of three entrees, Legendary Braised Short Ribs, Chorizo-Crusted Black Cod or a Vegetarian Delight which included black bean, quinoa, and brown rice-stuffed Piquillo Peppers. Dessert was a marvelous Milk Chocolate Mousse on Chocolate Sable, Almond Chocolate and Caramel Sauce.

Darren Diess, the engaging and dynamic Auctioneer for the evening, had the audience laughing and enjoying themselves during the Live Auction. Thanks to the Hotel del Coronado, Master of Ceremonies Mario Lopez, and the other generous donors, the Live Auction had some unique and unusual packages such as “Brunch with Mario Lopez” in the Crown Room the morning after the gala, a “Behind the Scenes at Extra with Mario Lopez” where the winner will be a VIP Guest and visit the set of Extra. Other delightful auction packages included a Beach BBQ for 30 on the sands of the Hotel del Coronado, an incredible 9-Night Hawaiian Holiday, a stay at the Cliveden House in the UK including Business Class tickets provided by Delta Airlines, a NYC Adventure including a stay at the New York Marriott Marquis and tickets and backstage tour of the NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center, and three other amazing items.

The Mighty Untouchables worked their magic all night long, with guests unable to resist dancing during dinner and for the remainder of the evening after the Live Auction. This was a high-energy, exciting night and a perfect way to kick off the 26^th Anniversary Season for City Ballet of San Diego.

Proceeds from the Creating Legends Gala fund City Ballet’s Performances and Education and Outreach Programs which include:

Discover a Dancer program provides free year-round ballet instruction for disadvantaged children and youth at risk. This program offers a creative alternative to violence, gang association, substance abuse and leaving school early, for low income children.

Ballet Goes to School program offers a complete ballet education package for school children, including in-theater performances with teacher instruction packages and fun, as well as, informative in-school assemblies that give children a special, close-up look into the world of ballet. The current program is “Beauty and the Beast”.

Outreach Programs are specially designed to make ballet accessible to everyone in San Diego County with free and low-cost concerts throughout the county. Additionally, City Ballet volunteers its services by participating in many art festivals each year, reaching even more of our population.

Summer Intensive is an annual 3-week summer program that offers dedicated, career-minded ballet students the opportunity to study with some of the finest ballet instructors assembled on the West Coast. Guest artists this summer included: Maria Kowroski (principal dancer with New York City Ballet), Gillian Murphy (principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre) and Daniel Ulbricht (principal dancer with New York City Ballet).

The critically acclaimed company, under the direction of Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich, both former Boston Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet dancers, is best known for its commitment to presenting ballets by the legendary George Balanchine. This season the company continues that commitment by offering three of Balanchine’s master works. “We are honored that the prestigious George Balanchine Trust in New York continues to grant us permission to present works by this great artist,” said Wistrich.

City Ballet’s 26th Anniversary 2018-19 Season performance offerings begin November 2-4 with Tchaikovsky Spectacular. The ballets include Swan Lake Act II, Black Swan Pas de Deux, and Tchai Celebration. Awarded the “Best Nutcracker” in San Diego by the Tommy Awards, the perennial favorite production of The Nutcracker follows with twelve public performances, December 7-23. Balanchine Masterpieces 2019 offers three ballets by the legendary George Balanchine, including Apollo, Rubies from Jewels and The Four Temperaments March 8-10, 2019. The season concludes May 10-12 with Mozart’s Requiem and a World Premiere by Resident Choreographer Geoff Gonzalez. All performances are accompanied by The City Ballet Orchestra, conducted by John Nettles.

All ballet performances are at Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, downtown San Diego. Tickets range from $29 – $89

Currently season ticket packages are offered at www.cityballet.org or by calling 858-272-8663. Single tickets went on sale September 1.

ABOUT CITY BALLET 

Heralded as “a top-tier dance company” and “an oasis of classical dance in a city otherwise too often a desert.” City Ballet is San Diego’s world-class professional ballet company, now celebrating its 26^th season under the direction of former Boston Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet dancers, Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich. City Ballet is a non-profit organization committed to furthering the ballet art form.

The company produces classic and contemporary ballet programs that critics rave as “polished, eye-catching and delightful.” and highly entertaining and professional.” International dance critic Sheila Orysiek wrote, “San Diego finally has a classical ballet company that is worthy of the name”. The company is best known for performing works by George Balanchine. City Ballet is one of a few ballet companies to receive permission from the Balanchine Trust in New York City to perform works of George Balanchine. The Balanchine Trust grants such permission only to those ballet companies it judges artistically competent to perform Balanchine’s masterworks.

Unsurpassed training programs for children and pre-professionals are offered at City Ballet School, the official school for the City Ballet Company, whose alumnae dance with companies including American Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet. City Ballet’s innovative, education programs range from arts outreach to inner-city children to bringing the world’s best ballet instructors to San Diego. City Ballet is partially funded by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust, US Bank, Qualcomm, The Hotel del Coronado and individual patrons.

www.cityballet.org