Galapalooza weekend

The Indianapolis City Ballet hosts its annual Evening With The Stars gala at the Murat Theatre this Saturday. The organization has been engaged in an effort to rebuild the city's interest and commitment to ballet through events such as these annual galas and extraordinary Sunday master class programs throughout the year. Scheduled to perform this year at the gala are Tiler Peck, Gillian Murphy, Robert Fairchild, Aaron Smyth, Eric Underwood, Melissa Hamilton and many others.

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The XVIII International Ballet Festival of Miami will hold its All Star Gala performances at The Jackie Gleason Theater on Saturday and Sunday.  The host organization is the Miami Hispanic Ballet.  Dancers scheduled to perform are from a wide array of companies including Ballet Estable Teatro Argentino de la Plata (Argentina), São Paulo Companhia de Dança (Brazil), Compania Nacional de Danza (Mexico), Barro Rojo Danza Contemporanea (Mexico), Ballet de Monterrey (Mexico), Arizona Ballet (USA), De la Roza Contemporay Dance (Switzerland), American Ballet Theater (USA), Alberta Ballet (Canada), and Northern Ballet (England).

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In Mexico, the Monterrey International Ballet Gala is combining glamour and artistry for its Gala Performances on Saturday and Sunday.  If there's ballet and glamour, then there must be Irina Dvorovenko.  Yep, she and Max Beloserkovsky are performing, and Irina is teaching a master class for advanced pre-selected students.

This annual festival has more than a few ultra high-end sponsors including Mercedes Benz which provided a fleet of shiny vehicles to ferry the artists around. MB, which knows a little something about taste and glamour, detailed each of its vehicles with the Monterrey International Ballet Gala's name and logo for the ocassion. Now that's class. Let's take a look at some wheels:

Photo from Monterrey International Ballet Gala FB

Oh, look, look, look here!  It's Irina exiting from her Mercedes Benz cab and arriving at her hotel. (Paparazzi everywhere, it seems.)

Photo from the MTYIBG FB page.

Now, about that hotel. 

When the dancers arrived at the snazzy Hotel Camino Real Monterrey, they were greeted with an official Monterrey International Ballet Gala banner with their names listed on it.  Let's take a look at that banner:

Photo from MTYIBG FB page.

Stella Abrera, Sascha Radetsky, Guillaume Côté, Heather Ogden, Irina and Max, Sarah Van Patten, and Dave Friedman.  Wait a minute, Dave Friedman, the famous photographer?  He's known for snapping fast race cars and racy ballet dancers, and of course, Rambo. Getting a clear shot of a Ferrari on fire on the track isn't any harder than snapping a clear pic of Côté in mid-air. So, we might see some fine photos of this event – eventually.

If Haglund didn't have to sit home this weekend to assess each of the NYC mayoral candidate's positions on all the important issues, e.g., who would or would not stop the subway trains to rescue kittens on the tracks, he'd be on the road enjoying some ballet.  But we all have responsibilities.

Comments

[angelica]

Thanks for this, Haglund. Even though I realize the names are in alphabetical order, it makes me happy to see Stella's name at the top of any list.

[Haglund]

Yes, I feel the same way. We can't lose hope.

[Jose Ramirez-Garza]

Thanks Haglund, this is Jose Ramirez writing. I direct the Monterrey International Ballet Gala. Dave Friedmans´ photos will be posted soon on our Facebook page, please feel free to share or write me @ [email protected].

[Haglund]

Hi Jose.

Not only did MTYIBG have a fabulous lineup of performers, the organization seemed to have a top flight marketing campaign as well. What a terrific start you have made.