FANCY FOOTWORK
An adorable new baby may be keeping lovely Liane Weintraub on her feet these days, but the dance-loving Malibu mom retains a toehold on her favorite cultural cause-bringing world-class dance to the local arts scene.
Liane hosted an elegant opening night gala celebrating the second season of Dance at the Music Center. Liane is the founding chair of the Dance Center Association and she calls the move into year two “a dream come true.”
The evening kicked off with a splashy VIP cocktail bash. It featured an eclectic crowd with actress/animal rights activist Alicia Silverstone, Miami Vice-man Don Johnson, legendary swimmer Esther Williams, supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, soap queen Lisa Rinna and former Wall Street whiz Michael Milkin among the minglers.
Soon, it was show time. The program featured the famed New York City Ballet in its first-ever engagement at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Dancers delighted the crowd with three of NYCB favorites, including “Agon” by Stravinsky, “Who Cares” by Gershwin and “Symphony in C” by Bizet.
In the months ahead, Dance at the Music Center season will offer performers from around the world. “The 2004-2005 season brings us artists from Russia, China and the United States,” says the Music Center’s Karen Schmidt. “They will be dancing to an extraordinary range of music-from Stravinsky, Saint-Saens, Tschaikovsky, Bizet and Gershwin to Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall,’ to the Jamaica Jazz All Stars, to Radiohead and Sigur Ros.”
Those who prefer their dance on the traditional side won’t want to miss the American Ballet Theater’s special presentation of “Giselle” and the Eifman Ballet Company of St. Petersburg’s West Coast premiere of ‘Anna Karenina.'”
The opening night performance by NYCB seemed the perfect way to celebrate the spirit of the upcoming season. Following the performance, guests made their way up to the Grand Hall of the Dorothy Chandler, which was transformed into an East Coast garden. The place was draped in midnight blue chiffon and filled with five-foot berry branches, ferns and maple leafs to create the feel of autumn in New York. Under this makeshift sky, ballet fans savored a first-class feast prepared by those fine tastemakers over at Patina, topped off by a selection of sweet treats. They wrapped up the evening with a little dancing of their own, taking a few spins to the swinging sounds of the Art Deco Orchestra.