Liza Minnelli, Jerry Mitchell, Andy Blankenbuehler and More Set for NYCDA Gala, 9/5

On Wednesday, September 5 at 7:30pm at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place), dance icon Mikhail Baryshnikov will be honored at the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation's "Bright Lights Shining Stars" Gala where he will receive their prestigious Ambassador for the Arts Award which will be presented to him by longtime friend and colleague Liza Minnelli. Last year's Ambassador for the Arts Award recipient, celebrated American singer, songwriter, musician and four-time Grammy-winner Roberta Flack, will also be present on 9/5. Also set to appear that evening will be ABT star Julie Kent, Oscar-nominee and celebrated dancer Leslie Browne and Tony Award-winning choreographers Jerry Mitchell and Andy Blankenbuehler.

This exciting star-studded evening of song and dance will serve as a fundraiser for the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation and will include performances from the Broadway and dance communities. Currently slated to perform on 9/5 are American Ballet Theatre (Sarah Lane & Luis Ribagorda), NEW YORK CITY BALLET (Tiler Peck & Robert Fairchild), BALLET HISPANICO and THE SUZANNE FARRELL BALLET. The Honorary Co-Chairs for the event are Robin Cofer and Cassandra Seidenfeld and the evening is directed by Joe Lanteri.

The evening begins at 6pm with a pre-show cocktail reception, with the awards gala taking place at 7:30pm and a VIP after party to follow at 9pm. The Ambassador for the Arts Award will also feature a special dance tribute to Baryshnikov and will include a donation to the Baryshnikov Arts Center as well as scholarship recognition for deserving teenage student dancers from across the United States. Since its inception in 2010, over 100 talented teenagers have benefitted from $5 MILLION + in college scholarships awarded through NYCDAF and its College Partners.

A limited number of tickets are available to public and can be purchased by phone at 855-692-5678 or online at http://bit.ly/BrightLightsShiningStars. VIP tickets are priced at $350 (which includes pre and post show receptions and Orchestra seating for the gala), additional tickets are priced at $175 (which includes a ticket to the pre-show reception and a seat to the gala) and $50 (for a balcony seat to the gala).

The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity, committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance. NYCDAF is dedicated to investing in the next generation of professional performers by offering scholarships for secondary and college education. For more information, visit www.NYCDance.com.

Mikhail Baryshnikov, a native of Riga, Latvia, was born in 1948 and began studying ballet at the age of nine. As a teenager he moved to Leningrad where he entered the Vaganova Choreographic School, graduating from student to principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet in 1969. In 1974, he left the Soviet Union to dance with major ballet companies around the world including the New York City Ballet where he worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In 1980 he began a 10-year tenure as Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers. From 1990 to 2002, Mr. Baryshnikov was director and dancer with the White Oak Dance Project, which he co-founded with choreographer Mark Morris. White Oak was born of Baryshnikov's desire "to be a driving force in the production of art," and, indeed, it expanded the repertoire and visibility of American modern dance. In 2005, he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC), a creative home for local and International Artists to develop and present work. Located in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, BAC houses fOur Studios, a studio theater, and the new 238-seat Jerome Robbins Theater. Through its residency program, BAC gives space and time to young and established artists to dream and create in the Center's studios without any commercial pressure. BAC also presents contemporary, innovative work by artists from the worlds of dance, theater, music, and film at low or no cost to the public. Under his leadership as Artistic Director, BAC programs serve approximately 500 artists, and more than 20,000 audience members each year. Among Mr. Baryshnikov's many awards are the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Honor, The Commonwealth Award, the Chubb Fellowship, the Jerome Robbins Award, and the 2012 Vilcek Award. In 2010 he was given the rank of Officer of the French Legion of Honor.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.

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