City Ballet of San Diego Gala 2016

Under the clear blue sky of Coronado, City Ballet of San Diego opened its 24^th Anniversary 2016-17 season at the iconic Hotel del Coronado with a stunning gala ~ IlluminAsia ~ on October 22nd, 2016. The Hotel del Coronado is the company's Season Sponsor and hosted the most successful fundraising gala in the history of the ballet company.

Lesley Ann Warren, American actress and singer known for her role as Cinderella in the Rogers and Hammerstein production and roles in Victor Victoria, The Happiest Millionaire and other movies, graced the stage as this year's Celebrity Honorary Chair. She spoke about her career as a ballet dancer, training at the School of American Ballet before going on to her illustrious career as an actress.

Rita Steel, President of Professional Staffing Services, Western and Central United States for Robert Half, served as the Gala Chairperson and led the way to record-breaking attendance, surpassing all previous records for raising funds for the education and outreach programs of City Ballet of San Diego. The annual gala has become the company’s major fundraising event for Southern California ballet patrons.

This spectacular gala ~ IlluminAsia ~ began with an exciting reception hosted by the Hotel del Coronado, which included an open bar and wonderful hors d’oeuvres served in the courtyard under a warm, starry night. The outstanding silent auction included trips to Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii, Colorado Springs, and Lake Tahoe, as well as artwork, jewelry, tickets to performances, and much more! Guests were amazed and delighted by a Flash Mob performance and a surprise fireworks display! 

Gala guests then proceeded to the beautifully decorated, Asian-themed Crown Room where they enjoyed an evening of delicious food, wine, a ballet performance by City Ballet Company Dancers, a Live Auction featuring a 6-Month Membership at the Hotel del Coronado, and a Viking River Cruise including airfare provided by Delta Airlines. The Mighty Untouchables played dance music so guests could dance the night away. The Gala served as the official kick-off to City Ballet’s 24th Anniversary 2016-17 season.

Proceeds from ~ IlluminAsia ~ benefit City Ballet’s Education and Outreach Programs, including:

Discover a Dancer - provides free year-round ballet classes and dance shoes for at-risk children

Ballet Goes to School - provides special performances during school hours for San Diego’s school children, both at the theater and as all-school assemblies reaching over 10,000 children annually;

Summer Intensive - allows career-track students the opportunity to study with some of ballet’s greatest stars. This program culminates with a public performance at the Spreckels Theater in downtown San Diego. This year the guest faculty included former soloist Zippora Karz from the New York City Ballet, formal principal dancer Paloma Herrera from the American Ballet Theatre, and former principal dancer Jonathan Stafford from New York City Ballet.

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