THE WASHINGTON
BALLET BEATLES BALL
June 1st • Mellon Auditorium
PHOTOS BY KYLE SAMPERTON
BY KAY KENDALL
THE EVENT: "With A Little Help From Our Friends," The Washington Ballet had its most successful gala
ever. The party featured excerpts from this Spring's
ballet, Always, No Sometimes, choreographed by
Trey McIntyre and set to a medley of Beatles' tunes. The theme, coupled with the desire to show
support for The Washington Ballet, attracted an
unprecedented 500 guests and raised a record
$500,000 plus.
THE SCENE: What sets the
Washington Ballet festivities apart from the rest is
that everybody dances. Madly. Beatles music, lipsynched
by four mop-topped impersonators, got
everyone "Moving and Shaking" from the get-go.
Many were inspired to jump up between courses
and dance to those familiar tunes until they were
dripping. KUDOS TO "Our Magical Mystery
Tour" would have never happened without the
amazing energy of the chair, Cindy Jones and
generous sponsors, notably the Fannie Mae
Foundation and underwriters Arturo and Hilda
Brillembourg, Ned Evans, Cindy and Evan Jones
and The Jonathan Ledecky Foundation. I'm not
sure what was in the punch, but I've never seen so
much smooching at a Washington event – proving,
once again, that "All You Need Is Love…"
THE
GUESTS: Jim Kimsey, John Cecchi, Jack Davies,
Mary and Robert Hatt , Mark McFadden, Bill and
Betsey Delphos, Netherlands Amb. Boudewijn
and Jellie van Eenennaam, Barbara Harrison
and Penny Yerks.
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