On December 4th, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater pirouetted into its 2013-14 season at New York City Center with an Opening Night Gala.
Wayne McGregor’s "Chroma" ballet served as a sensational start to the evening's repertoire, but the party program afterwards with models Joan Smalls and Carolyn Murphy, actor Taye Diggs, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, operatic soprano Jessye Norman and Elaine Wynn, tried to reach even greater heights.
Millionaire patrons ponied up big for the event, which raised nearly $2.4 million for the creation of new works and Alvin Ailey’s extensive educational programs for young people.
Photographs by Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan