New York City Ballet Announces 2024 Fall Fashion Gala

On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, New York City Ballet will present its annual Fall Fashion Gala, celebrating choreography and costume design with works showcasing some of today's most exciting artists from the worlds of dance and fashion.  

The Company's twelfth edition of the annual Fall Fashion Gala will feature a World Premiere ballet by Caili Quan, the New York-based choreographer and former dancer with BalletX, with costumes designed by acclaimed designer Gilles Mendel of the House of Gilles, set to a score by Camille Saint-Saëns, with lighting by Mark Stanley. 

The gala evening will also include the NYCB Premiere of Gianna Reisen's Signs, which was originally created for the School of American Ballet Workshop in 2022, and is set to music by Philip Glass, with costumes by Marc Happel and lighting by Mark Stanley. 

The final ballet of the gala evening will be the return of Tiler Peck's Concerto for Two Pianos, which premiered in February 2024, and features costumes by the acclaimed American fashion designer Zac Posen, with music by Francis Poulenc, and lighting by Brandon Stirling Baker.

NYCB's Fall Fashion Gala was conceived by NYCB Board Vice Chair Sarah Jessica Parker, and launched in 2012 with a gala celebration of the legendary designer Valentino.  The event has since featured costumes designed by more than 30 fashion designers including Virgil Abloh, Thom Browne, Sarah Burton, Giles Deacon, Prabal Gurung, Carolina Herrera, Mary Katrantzou, Humberto Leon, Narciso Rodriguez, Anna Sui, Iris van Herpen, and Dries Van Noten.  All of the designs have been created in house at the New York City Ballet Costume Shop in collaboration with the designers and NYCB's Director of Costumes Marc Happel.

Since its inception in 2012, this annual celebration of ballet and fashion has raised more than $30 million for New York City Ballet.  The Chairs for the 2024 event will include Parker and co-Chairs Georgina Bloomberg, Carmen Busquets, Andy Cohen, Laverne Cox, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, Nicole Ari Parker, Zanna and Mazdack Rassi, Jordan Roth, Elaine Welteroth, and Scott Wittman.

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World Premiere by Caili Quan

Costumes by Gilles Mendel

CAILI QUAN is a New York-based choreographer who danced with BalletX from 2013 to 2020.  She has created works for Vail Dance Festival, The Juilliard School, BalletX, Ballet West, American Repertory Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, the University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, the School of American Ballet, Flight Path Dance Project, and Ballet Academy East. In the fall of 2022 Quan participated in a Working Session of the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of NYCB.  She was an Artist-in-Residence at the Vail Dance Festival in 2022 and is an Arnhold Creative Associate at The Juilliard School.  She has also served as an Artistic Partnership Initiative Fellow and a Toulmin Creator at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU.  With BalletX, Quan performed new works by Matthew Neenan, Nicolo Fonte, Gabrielle Lamb, Penny Saunders, and Trey McIntyre, and danced at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Belgrade Dance Festival, and DEMO by Damian Woetzel at the Kennedy Center.  Mahålang, a short documentary that wove familial conversations of her Chamorro Filipino upbringing on Guam with scenes from BalletX's Love Letter, was shown at the Hawai'i International Film Festival, CAAMFest, and the Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center. 

GILLES MENDEL's passion for couture and his rich legacy in special occasion attire are at the heart of every creation at House of Gilles. As a fifth-generation designer and previous CEO of J. Mendel, Gilles embodies the tradition of luxury craftsmanship while infusing a distinctive New York City flair into every piece. His exceptional design talent has attracted a distinguished clientele, including celebrities like Taylor Swift, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Celine Dion, and earned him numerous awards, including the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion, the National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and membership in the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).  

House of Gilles, led by Gilles Mendel alongside his daughter Chloe Mendel, epitomizes a legacy of savoir faire and generational expertise in the fashion world. Launched in 2024, this esteemed fashion house is rooted in a tradition of European craftsmanship and enriched with New York City flair, ensuring that each creation embodies timeless elegance and unparalleled craftsmanship. With a prestigious lineage spanning generations, the House of Gilles carries forward a rich history of excellence. Gilles Mendel stands as a luminary in haute couture, dressing celebrities and influencing the future of fashion as a respected member of the CFDA. Together, the Mendels curate unforgettable experiences through fashion, showcasing a portfolio of high-profile weddings and special occasions. From exquisite haute couture gowns to meticulously crafted made-to-order ensembles, each creation reflects a dedication to celebrating life's greatest moments with sophistication and style.

NYCB Premiere of Signs by Gianna Reisen

Costumes by Marc Happel

GIANNA REISEN is a New York City-based choreographer and movement director.  Born in Wyckoff, New Jersey, she trained locally at In the Spotlight Dance Studio before entering the School of American Ballet, the official school of NYCB, in 2010.  Reisen choreographed for SAB's Student Choreography Workshop in 2015 and for the New York Choreographic Institute in 2016, and became the youngest choreographer in NYCB's history with her first work for the Company, Composer's Holiday, which premiered at the 2017 Fall Fashion Gala. Judah, which premiered in 2018, was her second work for NYCB, and Play Time (2022), to an original score composed by Solange Knowles, was her third work created for NYCB.  A former apprentice with Ballet Semperoper Dresden, Reisen is also a former dancer with L.A. Dance Project, where she choreographed Rising Water (2019).  She has also choreographed for SAB's Winter Ball, the Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and Carolina Ballet.  Signs was originally created for SAB's Workshop Performance in 2022.

MARC HAPPEL's career in costume design and production has spanned over 40 years in the worlds of theater, opera, film, and dance.  Since 2006, he has brought his expertise to New York City Ballet as Director of Costumes, overseeing a shop of craftspeople that maintains and cares for the costumes of the Company's full repertory, in addition to the production of costumes for new works.  In this role, he has also been instrumental in working with every designer and choreographer of the Company's Fall Fashion Gala since its inception in 2012, guiding and bringing their designs to the stage.  In addition to his own designs for New York City Ballet, his work has been seen on Broadway, Off Broadway, in film, and many other dance companies.  In 1991, along with members of the advocacy organization Visual AIDS Artist Caucus, Marc and his husband Harvey Weiss were instrumental in the conception, production, and iconic design of the AIDS Red Ribbon, as well as other AIDS-related projects.  Happel is the author of the 2023 book New York City Ballet: Choreography & Couture, which showcases the creative collaborations between New York City Ballet and contemporary fashion designers over ten years of the Company's annual Fall Fashion Gala.