Last Wednesday night, The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) kicked off their 2006 Fall Seasons with an annual opening night gala performance at City Center followed by a black tie dinner at the Pierre.

ABT’s Principal Dancers performed highlights from the upcoming season including the first movement from George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante, the pas de deux from Lar Lubovitich’s Meadow, the revival premiere of Twyla Tharp’s Sinatra Suite and a performance from Tharp’s In the Upper Room.

After the performance, over at the Pierre, ABT trustee James Regan was presented with the Lucia Chase Award in recognition for his outstanding commitment and support of the company.

Muffie Potter Aston and Dr. Sherrell Aston, Anne and Mario Grauso and Julia and David Koch were co-chairs for the evening. Underwriting co-chairs were Scott Rechler of Reckson Associates and Christian Baha of Superfund Asset Management.

Among the committed ABT glitterati attending were Caroline Kennedy, Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford, Grace Hightower DeNiro, Susan Fales-Hill, Amy Fine Collins, Anne Bass, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Jonathan Farkas, Marjorie Gubelmann Raein, Tivia Kramer, Helen Lee Schifter, Fe Fendi, Debbie Bancroft, Charles Nolan, Anka Palitz, Judy and Sam Peabody, Barbara Hemmerle Gollust, Arlene and Harvey Blau, Cindy Sites, Lewis Rainieri, Rachel Moore, Peter Lyden, and Gillian Miniter. The gala evening rasied more than $550,000 for the company.

Also on last Wednesday night’s docket, the Henry Street Settlement held its annual benefit honoring individuals who are recognized for their humanitarian efforts and philanthropic contributions to both the Settlement and New York City. This years gala, which was entitled “The Glitter Ball” was billed as a “decadent and energetic celebration.” Decadent I don’t know about but “energetic” is a good word for the people who get behind Henry Street’s fund-raising.

They honored John Demsey, Global President of MAC Cosmetics and Chairman of the MAC AIDS Fund, and Brady W. Dougan, CEO, Investment Banking for Credit Suisse. Mr. Demsey’s presence at a gala always offers the possibility of some always popular MAC cosmetics in the goodie bag. George McNeely, Christie’s auctioneer conducted the live auction during the dinner.

Dinner chairs were Liliana Cavendish, Eva Lorenzotti, Claudia Cisneros Macaya, Carol Mack, Pilar Crespi Robert, and Laurie Weltz. Co-chairs were Sebastian Echavarria, Anna Porcella Pinheiro. The New Dimension Committee was Annelise Peterson, Zani Gugelmann, Tinsley Mortimer, and Marisa Brown.

The Henry Street Settlement was founded 113 years ago by Lillian Wald, a plucky social work pioneer. It was based in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, now regarded three generations later as the fashionable East Village, but hardly that when Ms. Wald came on the scene. At the time of it’s founding the Lower East Side was teeming with newly arrived immigrants living in difficult often dire conditions and trying to raise families. All these years later, the Henry Street Settlement delivers a wide range of social services, as it always did, and arts programming for more than 100,000 New Yorkers. Henry Street is distinguished by a profound connection to its neighbors, a willingness to address new problems with swift and innovative solutions, and a strong record of accomplishment.

Henry Street continues to meet the challenges of the effects of urban poverty by helping families achieve better lives for themselves and their children. Its core divisions today include a multidisciplinary arts center, shelter and supportive services, behavioral and health services, senior services, home care services, a workforce development center, day care centers, and after school and summer programs for neighborhood youth.

Last Wednesday night brought a large contingent of dynamic New Yorkers including Rachel Roy, the girl of the moment in some quarters, Ferebee Bishop, Damon Dash, Theodora Richards, Byrdie Bell, Eleanor Ylvisakor, Oluchi, Olivia Palermo, Elizabeth Lindemann, Marielle and Edmond Safra, Valesca Guerrand Hermes, Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo, Adrienne and Gigi Vittadini, Alejandro Santodomingo, Eugenia Silva, Carol Mack, Christine and Steve Schwarzman, Carol McFadden, and Leonel Piraino and Nina Griscom.

The Mount Sinai Breast Health Resource Program of the Mount Sinai Medical Center held its 14th annual black tie gala Celebration of Life at the Starlight Roof of the Waldorf-Astoria last week. Celeste Smith, VP, JP Morgan Chase Private Banking was the Chair and Dr. Benjamin Mizrachy was the Honoree. Mrs. Ruth Aledort was the Vice Chair. Adam Shapiro, WNBC newscaster was the emcee.

Honoree Dr. Benjamin Mizrachy

Thanks to the efforts of the aforementioned and all the supporters who attended the gala in spirit if not in body, they raised over $630,000 for the program. The program offers social worker and volunteer assistance to all and provides group sessions in English and Spanish. The outreach extends into the Harlem and Orthodox communities and beyond.

The Mount Sinai Breast Health Resource Program (BHRP) is dedicated to meeting the emotional and practical needs of women and men with breast cancer through individual and group counseling by social workers and trained volunteers. These services are provided free of charge to anyone who needs them. With breast cancer as the most diagnosed cancer in women in the United States, and with New York State trailing behind only California in the number of annual breast cancer deaths, the Breast Health Resource Program provides a much needed source of support to women and men with breast cancer and their families.

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