The Boston Ballet gave its patrons what they wanted (and paid for) at Saturday night’s ball, showcasing three performances throughout the evening. Held at the Park Plaza Castle and dubbed “Black, White, and Brilliant” in honor of the company's production of Black and White, the ballet’s largest fund-raiser of the year garnered 700 guests and exceeded the group’s $850,000 fund-raising goal by raising $1 million.
“Our goal this year, as it is every year, was to make the gala different and better than the year before,” said special events manager Renee Dunn. “We want to keep it fresh. We have a lot of people who are our regular donors and attendees, so we want to keep changing it up for them. We didn’t want to rest on our laurels.”
A major production change this year had ballet company members performing on two identical stages on either end of the main dining area, rather than one stage in the center of the room. One of the three performances was meant to be a mirror image on the two stages, while another featured two simultaneous but different performances, and the third was one performance that took place on both stages.
For the second consecutive year, the ballet’s in-house production team collaborated with outside vendors including MAX Ultimate Food, Winston Flowers, Be Our Guest, and Altieri Events to turn the venue’s raw space into something dramatic and upscale. The dining room mixed textures—silver and black damask table linens, black and sequin-backed chairs at some tables, and high-backed clear chairs at others—and pops of color came in the form of hot pink orchids, a favorite of the company's artistic director, Mikko Nissinen.
Following the cocktail hour, three-course dinner, and performances, the gala underwent a changing of the guard: An after-party hosted by the Young Partners of the Boston Ballet drew in twenty- and thirtysomethings with a passion for the arts—and lots of dancing. DJ Miss Thang provided non-ballet tracks for dancers and guests to move to.
“The goal of the after-party,” Dunn said, “is to give access to the Young Partners, who we see as the future donors of the ballet. It gives exposure to a whole new audience.”
