NEW YORK –(SMI-WIRE,10.18.17) – Actress and co-chair, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Sofia Coppola, Ray Donovan’s Liev Schreiber, American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, as well as fashion designers Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Paul Andrew and Fernando Garcia, joined the American Ballet Theatre to celebrate its 2017 Fall Season at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. 

​

Additional notable attendees included actress Cicely Tyson, artist Marina Abramović, Amy Fine Collins, Deeda Blair, Ariana Rockefeller, Vanessa Friedman, Diggy Simmons, Alexandre de Betak and Sofia Sanchez de Betak and models Liya Kebede and Constance Jablonski. In addition, ABT chairs Star Jones, Karen Phillips, Sutton Stracke, co-chairs Lisa and David Klein, Sarah Arison, Amy Astley, Hamish Bowles, Anh Duong, Cynthia Erivo, Rachel Feinstein,Allison Sarofim, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer and Victor Cruz attended the gala. 

​

The evening featured ABT’s world-renowned dancers in the World Premieres of Songs of Bukovina by Alexei Ratmansky, ABT’s Artist in Residence and The Gift by choreographer Jessica Lang. Songs of Bukovina was set to new music Bukovinian Songs (24 Preludes for Piano) by Leonid Desyatnikov, performed live by guest soloist Alexey Goribol. ABT dancers Christine Shevchenko 

and Calvin Royal III led the opening night cast. The Gift, set to music by Arcangelo Corelli, was created by Lang in honor of Kevin McKenzie’s 25th anniversary as Artistic Director. 

​

The work showcased ABT apprentices, Studio Company and students from the upper level of theABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Diversions rounded out the opening night program with Sarah Lane, Misty Copeland, Stella Abrera, Skylar Brandt, Joseph Gorak, Gray Davis, Joo Won Ahn, Thomas Forster and Zhiyao Zhang in the leading 

roles. Following the performance, guests enjoyed a multi-course dinner and dancing by DJ  Jason Fioto.