The snow couldn’t stop countless Toronto arts supporters from joining Canada’s National Ballet School for their Gatsby Gala on Friday, February 8, 2013 at the Arcadian Court. With the theme of Monte-Carlo-Meets-Gatsby, the glamorous evening drew no shortage of fabulously dressed charity-ball regulars, who, as expected, took the theme seriously, with headpieces, feathers, sequins and fedoras galore. Notable guests included Karen Kain (the famed ballerina is the National Ballet artistic director), Margaret Atwood and Kurt Browning, among others.
Highlights of the evening (which kicked off early at 6:15 with cocktails) included a beautiful student presentation, a lively and bustling casino that went into the late hours of the evening and extravagant raffle prizes. Cocktail hour was followed by the dinner and performance before the Gatsby Casino and lounge opened at 9:00pm.
Canada’s coveted ballet school for emerging dancers from across the country, NBS prides itself on talent being the sole criterion for admissions into the school. With 80 per cent of its students requiting financial assistance, the annual gala plays a crucial role in supporting students and ensuring the development of its gifted dancers.
At $1000 per ticket (the evening is admittedly out if the price point for most young professionals on the younger end of the YP age demographic) and lavish auction items, the gala raised close to 1 million dollars for NBS- securing almost half of their annual tuition fees in a single memorable night.
Images courtesy of: Tom Sandler for NBS