Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017: A Look at the Hottest Dance Event of the Year

by Emilie Dingfeld June 8, 2017

This past Tuesday, Toronto’s most stylish commingled with The National Ballet of Canada dancers and staff for the company’s annual fundraising event, the Mad Hot Ballet Gala at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, which raised over $1.3 million for the company. This year’s rendition, entitled Northern Lights, was an ode to Canada’s 150th birthday and celebrated Canadian talents of the past and present, including Rex Harrington, Veronica Tennant, Frank Augustyn and Evelyn Hart. Canada wasn’t the only one celebrating a milestone anniversary, though: Greta Hodgkinson (who performed Nuages) and Xiao Nan Yu (who danced The Sea Above, The Sky Below) were marking their 25th and 20th years with the company, respectively.

The gala kicked off with a presentation of six diverse pieces, including classical ballet ones and those with a contemporary edge: Surge, Tarantella, a Pas de Deux from Coppélia, Nuages, a Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire and The Sea Above, The Sky Below. For the latter, principal dancer Xiao Nan Yu wore a red floral-printed-tulle dress designed by Canada’s own Erdem.

After the performance, almost 2,000 guests were treated to a cocktail reception, which included photo booths, drinks and sweet and salty treats. It was a feast not only for the bellies but also for the eyes, as men and women donned gorgeous evening attire, with more than a few sequins, embroideries and trains spotted. Dancers, usually in tutus and stage costumes, donned equally glamorous off-stage outfits, but try as they might have to blend in, their impeccable posture was a dead giveaway. A silent auction also took place, and guests bid on luxe prizes including a chance to travel to Paris to tour with the company.

If the performance wasn’t the pièce de résistance, the dinner was: The stage was transformed into a dining area where guests, including revered dancer/choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov, enjoyed a meal prepared by Executive Chef Sash Simpson of Mark McEwan’s North 44 Caters. Afterwards, dancing ensued, and for many it would be as close as they’d ever get to mimicking the life of a ballerina/o.

See some of the gorgeous looks of the evening below:

Photography by Ernesto Di Stefano for George Pimentel Photography

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Ross Petty, Karen Kain, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Frank Augustyn

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Artistic Director Karen Kain

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Gala Co-Chairs Emily Burnett and Jonathan Bloomberg

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancers Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Suzanne Rogers

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancers Sonia Rodriguez and Piotr Stanczyk

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Michelle and Ryerson Symons

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancers Xian Nan Yu

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Elvio and Marlene DelZotto

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Linda and Kevin O’Leary

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Suzanne Cohon

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal dancers Jillian Vanstone and Naoya Ebe

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Lynda Prince

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancer Evan McKie, Ivan Fecan and Principal Dancer Svetlana Lunkina

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Krystal Koo

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Ian Furlong, Gabe Gonda and Mark Mulroney

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Rex Harrington and Bob Hope

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancers Jurgita Dronina and Harrison James

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Moira Wright, Suzanne Cohon and Amoryn Engel

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Nolan Bryant

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Sarah McEvoy and Cornell Wright

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Marcelo Gomes and The National Ballet of Canada Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Ashley and Barry Hughson

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Sylvia Mantella

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Principal Dancers Elena Lobsanova, Evan McKie, Svetlana Lunkina, Harrison James, Xiao Nan Yu, Sonia Rodriguez, Greta Hodgkinson, Jillian Vanstone, Heather Ogden, Guillaume Côté, Jurgita Dronina, Piotr Stanczyk and Naoya Ebe

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Claudine and John Bailey and Principal Dancer Elena Lobsanova

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Artistic Director Karen Kain and Jay Smith

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Brad Wilson and Ron White

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Jane Hanrahan

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Vanessa and Mark Mulroney

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Nicholas Mellamphy

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

David Martins Vuitton and Benoit Louis Vuitton

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Jacqueline Kendal

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Evelyn Hart

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Bernadette Morra and Jimmy Molloy

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Sarah and David Macdonald

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Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017

Mikhail Baryshnikov, Veronica Tennant and Artistic Director Karen Kain

The post Mad Hot Ballet Gala 2017: A Look at the Hottest Dance Event of the Year appeared first on FASHION Magazine.