Rolex presents America Dances! Celebrating Our Sparkling Heritage—Broadway, TV & Film

Career Transition for Dancers 24th Anniversary Jubilee, America Dances!, celebrating our sparkling heritage-Broadway, TV, film. For one night only we celebrate the diversity of entertainment that defines our American culture — Past, Present, and Future. The eclectic evening will be a cornucopia of styles that move from theater to concert dance, television and film in a vibrant homage to American culture. Highlights include a film montage to pay tribute to the crazes and evolution of dance in our country. America — the "mover" and "shaker" of all times.

Mark your calendar: November 2, 2009 at 7pm
Join us at New York City Center on Monday, November 2, 2009 at 7pm for our 24th Anniversary Jubilee. The Anniversary Supper with the Stars, live auction and dancing to follow at the Hilton New York's Grand Ballroom.

...extraordinarily spectacular...everything that showbiz should be. - The New York Times

Artists And Performers: Celebrating American dance
Join artists from around the world to celebrate one of America's greatest art forms.

Featuring Tony Award Winner Laura Benanti,  Ashley Bouder & Andrew Veyette from New York City Ballet, Emmy Award Winner Valerie Harper, and the Metropolitan Opera's Samuel Ramey.

Plus special appearances and performances by, and artists from Bob Fosse's Dancin', Bullettrun, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Jacques d'Amboise, "Dancing with the Stars",  Decadancetheatre, Electric Boogaloo's Mr. Wiggles, Nicole Fosse, Lombard Twins, Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company, Kathleen Marshall, John Selya, "So You Think You Can Dance", Sophisticated Ladies -Tribute to Duke Ellington, Jock Soto, "Step UP 3", The Street Beats Group, Tap City Youth Ensemble, and Sonya Tayeh Dance.

(Artists and program subject to change without notice)

Gala Honorees: Celebrating their excellence
Lawrence Herbert
Lawrence Herbert
Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance Award
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
(1952-2009)
Rolex Dance Award
Photo: Greg Goman
Lloyd E. Rigler
Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation
Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance Award

Gallery: Slide shows of our previous Galas >
A look back at some of the quintessential moments that have made the Career Transition For Dancers Annual Gala an exceptional event.

...dazzling...sizzling...flawless execution. - Variety

Behind the scenes: Bringing our annual gala to life
Career Transition For Dancers' 24th Anniversary Jubilee is produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo and is executive produced by Alexander J. Dubé. The 24th Anniversary Chairs are Anka K. Palitz and Allen Brill. The Jubilee Chair is Michele Herbert.

Previous Gala Honorees: Leaders in the dance community
Each year the organization honors individuals, corporations, and institutions that enable dance artists and companies to excel artistically. Many also support the organization to help our dancer-clients.

Artistic
Debbie Allen - Rolex Dance Award recipient
Cyd Charisse - Movado Dance Award recipient
Merce Cunningham
Cynthia Gregory
Gregory Hines
The Joffrey Ballet - Rolex Dance Award recipient
Peter Martins
Kevin McKenzie
Bebe Neuwirth - Rolex Dance Award recipient
Fayard Nicholas
Donald O'Connor*
Ann Reinking - Rolex Dance Award recipient
Chita Rivera - Career Transition For Dancers Award & Rolex Dance Award recipient
Richard Rodgers*
Herbert Ross
Gwen Verdon
Tommy Tune - Rolex Dance Award recipient

Philanthropic
Anne H. Bass
Luigi Gasparinetti
Patricia J. Kennedy
Caroline H. Newhouse
Anka K. Palitz
Lewis S. Ranieri
Brian Heidtke
Sono Osato

Corporate-Institutional
Capezio-Ballet Makers Dance Foundation
Howard Gilman Foundation
Harkness Foundation for Dance
Jerome Robbins Foundation
Philip Morris Companies Inc.
Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation
Turner Entertainment Co.

* Recognized posthumously

Previous Gala Hosts & Presenters: Advocates of our mission
Every year some of the best-known dancers and performers donate their time to help raise money for our programs and services. They are masters in their field, many of whom have friends and colleagues who have had similar transition experiences as our dancer-clients. Career Transition For Dancers is grateful to these artists who are passionate about our mission.

Merrill Ashley
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Kelly Bishop
Wayne Brady
Trisha Brown
Leslie Browne
George Chakiris
Marge Champion
Merce Cunningham
Charlotte d'Amboise
Arlene Dahl
André De Shields
Hugh Downs
Christine Ebersole
Mercedes Ellington
Frederic Franklin
Sutton Foster
Marilyn Taylor Gleason
Cynthia Gregory
Maurice Hines
Virginia Johnson
James Earl Jones
Angela Lansbury
Peter Martins
Malcolm McDowell
Liza Minnelli
Arthur Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell
Liliane Montevecchi
Mary Tyler Moore
Bebe Neuwirth
Jerry Orbach
Robert Osborne
Rosie Perez
Jane Powell
Phylicia Rashad
Tony Randall
Lee Roy Reams
Lynn Redgrave
Ann Reinking
Chita Rivera
Isabella Rossellini
Donald Saddler
Brooke Shields
Tommy Tune
Ben Vereen
Edward Villella
Esther Williams
Karen Ziemba

Previous Gala Performers: Dancers who give back
Gala performers represent the vast level of talent the organization strives to support. They celebrate the passion and dedication of dancers to enrich every stage of their professional lives. Many previous performers or members of the following institutions are also dancer-clients. Previous gala performers include:

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater*
American Ballet Theatre*
American Repertory Dance Company
AntiGravity
Atlanta Ballet*
Balam Dance Theatre
Ballet de Monterrey
Ballet Hispanico*
Ballet San José - Silicon Valley*
Toni Basil
Big Apple Circus
Boston Ballet*
Chicago*
Cirque du Soleil
Complexions*
Crazy Legs & Rock Steady Crew*
Dance China NY
Dance Theatre of Harlem*
Dance Times Square
DP ONE
Sandy Duncan & Don Correia*
Fosse*
42nd Street*
Houston Ballet*
Jennifer Muller-The Works*
The Joffrey Ballet*
Jane Krakowski & Cheyenne Jackson
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company*
LaChanze
Melissa Manchester
Martha Graham Dance Company*
Merce Cunningham Dance Company*
Miami City Ballet*
MOMIX*
Murray Louis-Nikolais Dance*
National Dance Institute
National Dance Institute of New Mexico
New York City Ballet*
New York Theatre Ballet
Ohio Ballet*
Pacific Northwest Ballet*
Elizabeth Parkinson* & Scott Wise*
Paul Taylor Dance Company*
Peter Pucci Plus Dancers*
Philadanco*
Pilobolus Dance Theatre*
Radio City Rockettes®*
Desmond Richardson*
Riverdance*
Keith Roberts*
Parsons Dance Company*
Rosie's Broadway Kids
The Royal Ballet*
San Francisco Ballet*
John Selya*
Benji Schwimmer
Jason Samuels Smith
Randy Skinner
Rasta Thomas*
Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
Mr. Wiggles
World Cup Shooting Stars All Star Cheerleading
Karen Ziemba & Noah Racey*
* Performers who are also dancer-clients

Presenting Sponsors and Underwriters: Our steadfast supporters
We would simply not be able to conduct the annual gala without the invaluable support of our sponsors and underwriters. Their generosity, belief, and dedication to our mission have enabled us to excel in our efforts to raise more funds for our programs year after year. We salute our major supporters as the keepers of the future careers of our dancer-clients and thank them for their belief in our mission.

Presenting Sponsors
Rolex Watch U.S.A. 2002, 2004-2010
Movado Group Inc. 2003

Underwriters
Condé Nast Publications 1999-2008
Luigi Gasparinetti 1998-2002
Caroline H. Newhouse 1998-1999, 2001-2003
Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation 1999-2008

All proceeds from the annual gala go toward the organization's career counseling, financial assistance and career resource programs. Career Transition For Dancers is deeply grateful for the support from individuals, corporations and foundations across the nation.

Coverage of the annual gala: See our many supporters
The annual gala is covered each year in the winter issue of the organization's newsletter MovingOn. Previous issues of MovingOn include images of our many performers, presenters and patrons.

Volunteering for the annual gala: Join our team
Interested in joining our many volunteers in support of the annual gala? Contact us at info@careertransition.org for more information.

Browse The Annual Gala Archive: By year

There's no better way to learn about the history of the Annual Gala than in our archive of previous Gala events. Select a year for a look back at the original content presented on our site.


Twitter the Gala >
Conveniently stay up to date with new presenters and performers with twitter.