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School Of American Ballet's Winter Ball Showcases Future Stars, Raises Over $1.39 Million

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The School Of American Ballet held its Winter Ball Monday night at the David Koch Theater, raising over $1.39 million to support scholarships and school programs. The evening was chaired by Joyce Giuffra, Julia Koch, Serena Lese, and Laura Zeckendorf. Van Cleef & Arpels sponsored the evening for the eighth year in a row.

"Coming to this night is a way to see some of the greatest future dancers, because the training that the kids get at SAB, regardless of whether they go on to dance or not, is at such a high level, there is probably no other place like it in the world," said Lese. "In many cases we will be watching someone who will go on to be one of the great new dancers of his or her generation. Peter Martins has recently been giving younger, recent graduates of the school the choreographic opportunity, and that's extraordinarily exciting. Peter Walker, who graduated SAB a few years ago, is in New York City Ballet's corps de ballet, and he choreographed tonight. It's the same with Silas Farley who choreographed last year. It's all about the future."

SAB Artistic Director and Chairman Of The Faculty Peter Martins, who is also New York City Ballet's Ballet Master In Chief, had reason to be proud of his students and of twenty two year old choreographer Peter Walker. The piece they performed was contemporary and exuded warmth and energy, and the dancers were as professional and excellent as they come.

"I look at this crowd and I say to myself, 'My goodness, SAB has arrived, big time,'" said Martins. "Deservedly so. The greatest ballet academy in the world. I'm totally biased, but I'm also not wrong."

The ball's theme was an homage to Balanchine's affinity for the unique spirit and energy of America. Table decor was '70's-inspired, as was the Warhol Flowers-topped chocolate cake, a perfect tie-in for the youthful association with that era and the Van Cleef & Arpels flowers being worn by masked models throughout the evening.

"It's a tremendous honor to be chairing tonight," said Giuffra. "SAB is the premiere institution for young, aspiring dancers. It has so much to offer in terms of opportunities. It's just an amazing place. There is a whole new generation of talent out there, not just dancers but also potentially choreographers, as we've seen tonight. Ballet has become so popular, and is once again drawing a wide audience of people of all ages."