Darren Walker News

Carnegie Hall today announced that Mercedes T. Bass has been elected as Acting Chairman of Carnegie Hall's Board of Trustees.

Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2015 Lincoln Center engagement kicked off with a star-studded Ailey Spirit Gala on Wednesday, June 10th. The one-night-only benefit performance and party honoring the Ford Foundation and sponsored by FedEx featured supermodel and actor Tyson Beckford as Honorary Chair. Gala Co-Chairs were Gina F. Adams, Ricki Lander, Almaz & Marc S. Strachan, Pamela Zilly & John Schaefer and Daria L. & Eric J. Wallach, and the Vice Chairs were Michele & Timothy Barakett, Dr. N. Anthony & Robyn Coles, and Leslie & Tom Maheras. The evening helped raise over $1 million for Ailey's extensive educational programs for young people, including AileyCamp and scholarships to The Ailey School. Scroll down for photos from the event!

Dance/NYC, dedicated to promoting the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan area, today announced the release of its new NEW YORKERS FOR DANCE campaign spotlighting local residents, community leaders, and artists in Upper Manhattan. This is the latest in a video series by Dance/NYC that celebrates dance's role in advancing local vibrancy.

?Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Bill Rauch has been named a Distinguished Visiting Fellow under a new effort by the Ford Foundation centered on the roles art and culture play in illuminating and addressing urgent issues of equity, opportunity, and justice in the U.S. and around the globe. The yearlong exploration, The Art of Change, reaffirms the central importance of creativity and cultural expression to healthy societies at a time when they are increasingly under threat.

JustFilms, the Ford Foundation's film and digital storytelling initiative, is proud to have supported four films selected for this year's Tribeca Film Festivalthe New Yorkbased celebration of independent filmmaking.

On Monday, March 30, 2015, Ballet Hispanico proudly honors Milena Alberti-Pérez & David Pérez with the Civic Inspiration Award and Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas with the Nuestra Inspiración Award at its annual Spring Gala in The Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom, 768 Fifth Avenue, NYC. Cocktails begin at 6:30pm and dinner and dancing commence at 7:30pm. Attire is festive black tie. To purchase tickets, a table, a journal advertisement, or for more information, please contact Jessica Falco at (212) 362-6710, x46 or jfalco@ballethispanico.org.

Dance Theatre of Harlem Vision Gala held at Cipriani 42nd Street honored Grammy Award-Winning Opera Singer Jessye Norman with the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award; Theodore Bartwink (post-humously) and the Harkness Center for Dance with the Carl & Lily Pforzheimer Family Foundation Medal; Virtuoso Award Honorees Mario Baeza and Under Armour, Inc.

An additional 12 locations have joined the growing movement led by African-American business leaders to raise funds for students across the country to see the Academy Award-nominated film “SELMA,” expanding the first-of-its-kind campaign to 25 locations nationwide.

Paramount Pictures announced today that it will partner with African-American business leaders in New York City to offer free admission to the Golden Globe-nominated film 'SELMA,' from director Ava DuVernay, to 7 th, 8 th and 9 th grade students in New York City.

The Apollo Theater, a leading not-for-profit performing arts institution, announced that its 2014 annual Spring Gala will be transformed into an epic birthday celebration in honor of the storied Theater's 80th anniversary, Tuesday, June 10, at 7pm. Departing from its tradition of inducting legends into the Apollo Hall of Fame, this year's Gala will celebrate the eight decades of artistic brilliance that has been presented on the Apollo stage since 1934. The evening will include special tribute performances by the music industry's biggest artists, some of whom call the Apollo their musical home, including Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, The Isley Brothers, and more. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning and Grammy nominated entertainer Wayne Brady.

On Monday, April 7, 2014, Ballet Hispanico will honor the Ford Foundation with the Civic Inspiration Award at its annual Spring Gala in The Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom, 768 Fifth Avenue, NYC.

On Monday, April 7, 2014, Ballet Hispanico will honor the Ford Foundation with the Civic Inspiration Award at its annual Spring Gala in The Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom, 768 Fifth Avenue, NYC. Cocktails begin at 7:00 pm and dinner and dancing commence at 7:45 pm. Attire is black tie. To purchase tickets, a table, a journal advertisement, or for more information, please contact Emma Epstein, Events Manager, at (212) 362-6710 x43 or eepstein@ballethispanico.org.

Jamie L. Bennett has been appointed Executive Director of ArtPlace America (ArtPlace), effective January 6, 2014, it was announced today by Rip Rapson, CEO of The Kresge Foundation and Chairman of the ArtPlace Presidents Council. Mr. Bennett, who is currently Chief of Staff and Director of Public Affairs for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for ArtPlace, a unique collaboration of philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, and federal agencies that promotes the inclusion of arts in community development strategies.

New York City Ballet's annual Fall Gala will celebrate dance and fashion with three world premiere ballets, and costumes designed by some of the fashion world's most exciting talents. The one-time-only gala evening will take place tonight, September 19, 2013, and this year's participants include choreographers Benjamin Millepied, in collaboration with the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen; Justin Peck, who will create a new ballet featuring costumes by the acclaimed New York-based fashion designer Prabal Gurung; and Angelin Preljocaj, who will work with Olivier Theyskens, the Belgian-born designer who is the Artistic Director of the American fashion house Theory.

New York City Ballet will open its 2013-2014 season tonight, September 17 with six performances of Peter Martins' full-length production of Swan Lake. Set to Tschaikovsky's score and featuring sets and costumes by the acclaimed Danish painter Per Kirkeby, the production was last performed by NYCB in the fall of 2011 to sold-out houses.

New York City Ballet will open its 2013-2014 season on Tuesday, September 17 with six performances of Peter Martins' full-length production of SWAN LAKE. Set to Tschaikovsky's score and featuring sets and costumes by the acclaimed Danish painter Per Kirkeby, the production was last performed by NYCB in the fall of 2011 to sold-out houses.

New York City Ballet will open its 2013-2014 season on Tuesday, September 17 with six performances of Peter Martins' full-length production of Swan Lake. Set to Tschaikovsky's score and featuring sets and costumes by the acclaimed Danish painter Per Kirkeby, the production was last performed by NYCB in the fall of 2011 to sold-out houses.

New York City Ballet's annual Fall Gala will celebrate dance and fashion with three world premiere ballets, and costumes designed by some of the fashion world's most exciting talents. The one-time-only gala evening will take place on Thursday, September 19, 2013, and this year's participants include choreographers Benjamin Millepied, in collaboration with the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen; Justin Peck, who will create a new ballet featuring costumes by the acclaimed New York-based fashion designer Prabal Gurung; and Angelin Preljocaj, who will work with Olivier Theyskens, the Belgian-born designer who is the Artistic Director of the American fashion house Theory.

New York City will host more than 125 artists from Cambodia for a major celebration of Cambodian arts, culture, and humanities when Season of Cambodia lights up the city's cultural landscape in April and May 2013.

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) will make its highly anticipated return to the New York stage at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center, New York City on Wednesday, April 10, for six performances through April 14.