Hosting a benefit that continues to grow in size is a wonderful problem to have, but it still requires making adjustments to accommodate an ever-increasing number of guests and participants. Case in “pointe”: the American Ballet Theatre’s Culinary Pas de Deux, overseen by the organization’s director of special events, John Banta.Returning to the Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday night, the evening of food, wine, silent auctions, and performances has consistently outgrown host venues over its 12-year history. (Previous spaces enlisted for the event include the Puck Building and the Copacabana.) A move to the 34th Street theater in 2006 helped remedy space concerns, but Banta decided that for this year’s benefit, a solution more radical than a change of scene was in order. Instead of adhering to the schedule of years past (a cocktail hour accompanied by the silent auction, followed by the opening of chef stations and then a performance), Banta chose to open the silent auction and the chef and winery stations all at once to promote a “convivial, leisurely” atmosphere. (Of all the ABT’s fund-raising events, the Pas de Deux is typically the most informal, and comparatively funkier in its aesthetic.) To free up even more space in the entrance to the auditorium—the sole space used to display last year’s silent-auction items—several of the auction tables were relocated throughout the theater floor.
“The challenge of this event is that because we sell tables, we need space for them. We need space for a performance, and the chefs and wineries, and the silent auction,” Banta said. “All of that takes real estate. We keep outgrowing the space.” Even room on the event’s tabletops was at a premium—the surface couldn’t accommodate both a centerpiece and preset hors d’oeuvres. The solution was something Shai Tertner of Shiraz NYC called an “edible centerpiece”: A multitiered frame wrapped in pointe-shoe ribbon (similar to that found on the event’s invite) held assorted truffles, cheeses, quiche, and more. “We wanted to make sure there was enough food on the table,” said Tertner, who designed the event. “There’s not enough space on the table for both [a centerpiece and food], so that meant either a bigger table or eliminate the food. We can’t eliminate the food—it’s a food event.”
—Mimi O’Connor
Posted 02.28.07
Photos: Peter Field Peck (All but silent auction bags)
“The challenge of this event is that because we sell tables, we need space for them. We need space for a performance, and the chefs and wineries, and the silent auction,” Banta said. “All of that takes real estate. We keep outgrowing the space.” Even room on the event’s tabletops was at a premium—the surface couldn’t accommodate both a centerpiece and preset hors d’oeuvres. The solution was something Shai Tertner of Shiraz NYC called an “edible centerpiece”: A multitiered frame wrapped in pointe-shoe ribbon (similar to that found on the event’s invite) held assorted truffles, cheeses, quiche, and more. “We wanted to make sure there was enough food on the table,” said Tertner, who designed the event. “There’s not enough space on the table for both [a centerpiece and food], so that meant either a bigger table or eliminate the food. We can’t eliminate the food—it’s a food event.”
—Mimi O’Connor
Posted 02.28.07
Photos: Peter Field Peck (All but silent auction bags)
A palette of turquoise and brown was borrowed from the event’s invitation. Blue tablecloths adorned silent-auction stations, and blue tutus embellished large vases of pussy willows.
The ABT’s Pas de Deux hosted 450 guests and raised $300,000.
The night’s silent auction featured more than 100 items, including the Marc Jacobs and Gucci handbags pictured here.
Edible centerpieces from Shiraz NYC offered assorted food by chef Tamara Fox.
Guests sampled food from such New York restaurants as Brasserie 8 1/2, Tribeca Grill, Water’s Edge, and One if by Land, Two if by Sea. Gold and white chargers identified the eateries at stations positioned along the perimeter of the theater space.
