State-of-the-Art Giving

Guests at UJA-Federation of New York’s signature Generosity event at the Puck Building.

Last Tuesday night, the Ronald K. Brown and Evidence, A Dance Company launched its annual New York season at The Joyce Theater, with “One Shot” – a seven-part tribute to African-American life in dance, music and spoken word. The second program featured three dances, including “Come Ye,” a tribute to the legendary “high priestess of soul” Nina Simone, “Truth Don Die” which takes its title from the Femi Kuti song of the same name, and “Upside Down,” which was performed to live music by afro-beat singer Wunmi.

A seamless fusion of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography, One Shot, was inspired by the photography of Charles “Teenie” Harris, who captured the spirit of African-American life in Pittsburgh from 1936-1975. His photos are brought to life by Ronald K. Brown, who has been lauded as “one of the most profound choreographers of his generation” by The New York Times.

Evidence's New York City Season was launched with the Company's annual Winter Gala, “Grace in Winter” The Red Ball Last Monday at the Hudson Theater in the Millenium Broadway Hotel.

Gregory Generet and Tamara Tunie

B Michael, Cecily Tyson, and Mark Anthony Edwards

Artistic Director and Choreographer Ronald K. Brown founded the New York-based Evidence/A Dance Company at the age of nineteen in 1985 blending traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Brown says, “I want people to have their spirits lifted. I am interested in sharing perspectives through modern dance, theater, and kinetic storytelling. I want my work to be evidence of these perspectives.”

Brown has received numerous awards and fellowships, including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Choreography, a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers’ Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance Award (a “Bessie”).

B Michael and Cecily Tyson

Terry McMillan and Cecily Tyson

James A. 'Buff' Parham and Rene Syler

Khetanya Henderson, Keon Thoulouis, Shani Collins, Arcell Cabuag, Clarice Young, Donovan Herring, Tiffany Quinn, Juel Lane, and Ronald K. Brown

Bernard Jackson and Joyce Mullins-Jackson

Dwayne Ashley and Latoya Henry

Kimberly Richardson

Patricia Howell

Pamela Joyner

Dancers performing on stage at Evidence's "Grace in Winter"

Valerie and Harriet Michel

Debbie Allen

Bruce Gordon and Tawana Tibbs

Lisa Arrindell Anderson

Susan Taylor

Reginald Van Lee, Patricia Howell, and Lloyd Howell

Harriet Michel and Mark Anthony Edwards

UJA-Federation of New York’s signature Generosity event brought together more than 750 Jewish singles in their 20s and 30s for an evening of philanthropy, dancing, and state of the art fundraising technology at the Puck building in New York.

Natalie Portman, Generosity’s Honorary Event Chair, addressed the gathering in a video. Abby Levin and Pamela Wohl were generosity’s Division Chairs while Dean Matus, Sarah Mohr, and Aaron Zises were the event chairs. The Generosity event to date has raised more than $300,000 to help people in need.

With Generosity fostering a sense of community and commitment to Jewish philanthropy among Jewish leaders, the event used cutting-edge donor pledge technology enabling guests to use their cell phones and Blackberries to text message their gifts which were then transmitted to a board in real time on multiple screens in the event space. Certain UJA Federation donors announced that they would match the text to pledge proceeds including Howard and Janet Kagan, Steve Lefkowitz, Daniel Och, and Andrew Sussman.

The world’s largest local philanthropy, UJA Federation of New York, strengthens community and helps 1.4 million people in New York, Westchester and Long Isalnd, as well as 3 million in Israel and 60 other countries. Funds raised by UJA-Federation sustain the activities of more than 100 Health, Human Service, Education and Community agencies.

Jonathan Schulman, Will Bressman, Peter Stern, and Shanna Weinberg

Sarah Mohr, Abby Levin, Lindsay Sobel, and Lara Crystal

Adrienne Bavar, Pamela Wohl, Abby Levin, Lindsay Sobel, Lara Crystal, Shanna Weinberg, Sarah Mohr, Samantha Elfland, Blake Kohn, Alexandra Weiss, and Karen Nir

Christine Pope and Michael Baron

Kyle Koeppel and Sam Koeppel

Top row: David Baron, Jerome Shapiro, Dean Matus, Adam Bergman, Jonathan Schulman, and Will Bressman. Bottom row: Jeffrey Mazur, Evan Weinberg, Aaron Zises, Michael Baron, and Peter Stern

Lindsay Klatsky and Geoffrey Mackler

Karen Nir and Jerome Shapiro

Andrew Waranch and Pamela Wohl

Chairs Dean Matus, Sarah Mohr, and Aaron Zises

Zev Norotsky, Stella Keitel, and Dara Reiter

Top row: Shanna Weinberg, Evan Weinberg, Karen Nir, Jonathan Schulman, Lindsay Sobel, Pamela Wohl, Adrienne Bavar, Jerome Shapiro, Michael Baron, Adam Bergman, Abby Levin, David Baron, Will Bressman, Alexandra Weiss. Bottom row: Jeffrey Mazur, Lara Crystal, Dean Matus, Sarah Mohr, Aaron Zises, Michelle Waranch, Samantha Elfland, Peter Stern, and Blake Kohn

Farryn Weiner and Aaron Zises

Adri Chaikin and Boaz Weinstein

Jaclyn and Adam Bergman

Jared Kushner and Michael Olshan

In celebration of Valentine’s Day 2008, Opus, Contemporary Patrons of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) hosted LOVESTRUCK, inspired by Saint Valentine – an intimate affair emphasizing the sensuality stirred by an amalgamation of music and art.

The event, which was held the day before Valentine’s at Caio Fonseca Studio, the evening revolved around combining musical performances by artists of the Chamber Music Society, with an exhibition of paintings by renowned artist Caio Fonseca.

Chocolate lovers were indulged by an display of elixirs and sweets by La Maison du Chocolat. The evening was spearheaded by Opus members Lisa and Saar Banin, Melissa and Dan Berger, Lise and Michael Evans, Justin Hays Green and Jenny Slaton, Karen and Dennis Mehiel, and Bill and Marie Samuels.

Proceeds from LOVESTRUCK will go directly to Chamber Music Society’s wide range of education programs, which reach thousands of children, families, adults, and outstanding young musicians at Lincoln Center.

Among thse attending: Michele Oka Doner, Will Ryman, Woody Johnson and Suzanne Ircha, James and Stephanie Loeffler, Chad Ritchie, Geoffrey Bradfield, Ernie de la Torre, Janis Gardner Cecil, Michael Moreno, Justin Hays Green, Susan Zises Green, Richard and Carol Miller, Christina Lang Assael, Anson and Emma Frelinghuysen, Azadeh Ghotbi, Catherine Naggair, Fernanda Kellogg, Artistic Director Wu Han, Executive Director Norma Hurlburt.

David Finckel

Philip Bigar and Gigi Tang

Allie Powell and Anna Nordberg

Arnaud Sussman and Erin Keefe

Elizabeth Fonesca, David Finckel, Wu Han, and Caio Fonseca

Dr. Annette Rickel and Victor Rubino

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

OPUS Leadership

Bill and Kitty Samuels

Jeff Winner and Victoria Schmidt

La Maison du Chocolat chocolates

Justin Green and Jenny Slayton

Saar Banin, Lisa Banin, and Ed Papier

Atmosphere ...

... and Romance

Norma Hulburt and Marie Samuels

Lise Evans and Carolina Yunis

Teresa Melhado and Emma Becker

Joanna Goldenstein and Kathleen Dickson

Priya Shivangi and Theresa Olszewski

Gregory Outwater and Rich Miller

Karen and Erica Mehiel

The 2008 Tribeca Ball celebrated the 25th anniversary of the New York Academy of Art with a triumphant return to the school’s longtime home at 111 Franklin Street in Tribeca last Tuesday night. Friends, patrons and honoary chairs Eric Fishl, April Gornik, Jeff Koons and Jenny Saville paid tribute to this significant milestone for the only graduate school in the United States devoted exclusively to the study of the human figure.

Over cocktails, guests roamed through five floors of artists’ studios and classrooms, seeing artists and models at work. Surprise entertainment occurred throughout the evening. Dinner, dessert and dancing took place in the Cast Hall which houses the Academy’s signature collection of plaster casts of classical sculptures.

There was a decidedly offbeat downtown ambience in this 19th-century building, the bohemian chic concept of event designer John Owen’. The evening was chaired by Eileen Guggenheim and Russell Wilkinson and Beatrix Ost and Ludwig Kuttner. Dinner Chairs were Julie Tauber-McMahon and Sonya Rolin-Donald. Vice-chairs were Larry Creel, Carolie Charriol Paul and Dennis Paul, Natalie Riessen, David Schafer, Sophie Sutton and Jeff Drubner.