Tickets Now On Sale for Dance Benefit Honoring Rivera

Rolex will present "One World: A Spectacular Global Celebration" Career Transition For Dancers' 21st Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 23, 2006 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center (131 West 55 Street, between 7 and 6 Aves.) NYC, followed by an Anniversary Supper with the Stars at Hilton New York's Grand Ballroom.  Tickets are now on sale at the box office.

"The Gala will showcase the bringing together of diverse cultures through the universal art form of dance.  Highlighting a variety of ethnic dance as well as ballet and modern, 'One World' celebrates our sameness and reflects the rich cultural fabric of New York City for the entertainment-dance event of the year," according to press notes.

The evening will include appearances by Mercedes Ellington, Sutton Foster, James Earl Jones, Rosie O'Donnell and features special performances by and artists from: American Ballet Theatre; BALAM Dance Theater; Ballet de Monterrey; Dance China NY; Donny Golden Irish Dance; Drum Café NY; Sachiyo Ito; The Joffrey Ballet; Eric Lewis; Luna Negra Dance Theatre; National Dance Institute of New Mexico; Ologunde; Parul Shah Dance Co.; Billy Porter; Noah Racey; Pilar Rioja; Rosie's Broadway Kids; San Francisco Ballet; Sounds of Korea; Thunderbird American Indian Dancers; Mr. Wiggles plus more Stars and surprises.  It is produced & directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo and written by Deborah Grace Winer.  As in the past, the Gala will feature some World Premieres that are especially created for the show (artists and program subject to change).

This year, the Rolex Dance Award will be presented to Chita Rivera, who is one of the theatre's most acclaimed performers. She has won two Tony Awards (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received six additional Tony nominations. She has been acclaimed as "our strongest link to the Golden Age of the American Musical."  Other credits include the original productions of West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chicago. A CTFD Award will be presented to the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation for outstanding contributions to the world of dance.

The annual event is a benefit for Career Transition For Dancers. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, CTFD has helped over 3,200 professional dancers identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option.       

Gala tickets are $600 and $1,000 each, which include the performance and a post-performance 'Anniversary Waltz Supper with the Stars', auction and dancing at the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton New York. Sponsorships and tables are also available as well as Journal ads.  For gala tickets please call Marjorie Horne, McEvoy & Assocs. at (212) 228-7446 x33 and for Group Sales please call (718) 499-9691. The phone number for CTFD is (212) 764-0172.  Show only tickets are now on sale for $125, $75, $55 and $45 at the box office and also by calling CityTix  (212) 581-1212 or online at www.nycitycenter.org.

Visit www.careertransition.org for more information.