The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returned to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 1 for its 12th annual opening night performance and dinner gala. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ailey’s "Revelations" dance piece, the gala attracted a record 830 guests, nearly 130 more than last year.
“We had an amazing set of co-chairs and vice chairs, who are extremely supportive the company and really got out there, talked to those they knew, and said it was something they needed to support and witness,” said the company’s director of special events and development initiatives, Justin Garlinghouse. “The Ailey spirit is fun and uplifting, and I think that really translates into the benefits that we throw.”
The increased attendance, along with returning sponsors Southern Company and Diageo, helped the gala raise $700,000—about $65,000 more than in 2010. The money will be used to create scholarships for local Washington residents to attend the Ailey School in New York.
To accommodate guests for dinner following the nearly two-hour performance, Garlinghouse made use of Kennedy Center’s rooftop terrace dining space, as well as the adjoining atrium and connecting passage, for the second year in a row. DC Rental provided hot pink, orange, light blue, and steel gray linens for the tables, along with matching seating cushions on the surrounding Lucite chairs. Volanni created two centerpiece designs using white hydrangeas, callas lilies, orchids, and greenery.
Garlinghouse used pink and blue uplighting and plants along the walls of the atrium, which is farthest from the dance floor and stage, to create an intimate ambience for guest seated there. “We didn’t want those who were in that room to feel like they were in a secondary space,” he said.
Free Spirit Band performed throughout the evening, getting many guests on the dance floor from before dinner service began until the event concluded at midnight.
![E19943dsc 0427](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/02/e19943dsc_0427.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Restaurant Associates served seared tuna ceviche with grilled pineapple, serrano chili, chili oil, and cumin vinaigrette dressing for the first course.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Free Spirit Band had guests on the dance floor from before the dinner service began until midnight.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Volanni created two centerpiece designs mixing white hydrangeas, callas lilies, orchids, and greenery.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Waiters served two specialty cocktails made with Ciroc Vodka and either pineapple juice or lemonade, as guests arrived at Rooftop Terrace after the performance.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image4.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![DC Rental mixed blue, pink, orange, and steel gray linens with clear, white, and black chargers.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Guests received gift bags with Wanda Sykes' I'ma Be Me DVD, a notebook from BET Networks, and other promotional materials.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image6.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The gala had record attendance of more than 800 people.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Frost Lighting projected matching gobos of the event's name on the white drape in the atrium and behind the stage of the main room.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The band covered dance songs, from Gloria Estefan to current hits by Taio Cruz and the Black Eyed Peas.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image9.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Frost Lighting provided pink and yellow uplighting and graphic gobos in the atrium to create an intimate space for those seated away from the main stage.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e19943image10.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)