L.A. Dance Project, the dance company led by Artistic Director, Benjamin Millepied, held its annual gala this Saturday, October 19, 2019, raising over 1 Million dollars towards the arts and bringing in a packed house of dance enthusiasts and industry leaders. The event, presented by Van Cleef & Arpels and CAA, honored the LUMA Foundation and its founder Maja Hoffmann, whose mission is to support the activities of independent artists and pioneers, as well as institutions working in the fields of art and photography, publishing, documentary, and multimedia.
LL Cool J, Natalie Portman. Photo by Getty Images.
This year’s attendees gathered at Hauser & Wirth in Downtown Los Angeles and included LL Cool J, Barry Jenkins, Andie MacDowell, Frank Gehry, Charles Gaines, Elisabeth Shue, Greg Lauren, Nicholas Britell, Tim Fain, Antonio Villaraigosa, Nick Fouquet, Laura & Kate Mulleavy and more. Guests were dazzled by special performances by L.A. Dance Project, pianist, and composer Nicholas Brittell and violinist Tim Fain, and students from the Gabriella Foundation, which serves students in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout LA.
Andie MacDowell, LL Cool J and Benjamin Millepied. Photo by Getty Images.
The evening kicked off with a Dom Perignon hosted cocktail hour, with waitstaff clad in Greg Lauren. Guests were then treated to a rare musical performance by Moonlight composer Nicholas Brittell and violinist Tim Fain, who performed excerpts from the Academy Award-winning film, making for a great reunion with director Barry Jenkins in the audience. The duo then surprised the guests with a never performed excerpt from HBO’s hit drama Succession, leaving everyone in complete awe.
In close collaboration with LADP Company, choreographer Kyle Abraham, presented ‘Excerpt from Chapter Song,’ a series of constantly shifting vignettes that explore the textures and sensations of transition set to an eclectic playlist in order to disrupt expectations. Following Kyle’s dynamic work, guests were wowed by LADP dancers performing Benjamin Millepied’s ‘I Fall, I Flow, I Melt,’ which examines different aspects of Bach’s music for a moving experience set to the famous composers’ melodies. A solo performance of ‘Adagio in B Minor’ by Janie Taylor captivated onlookers with a combination of old and new styles of social and classical dance, which lead into a final performance by Gabriella Foundation students choreographed by Gianna Reisen.
Andie MacDowell, Natalie Portman. Photo by Getty Images.
As the performances concluded, guests were greeted with Casamigos cocktails and feasted on a seasonally curated dinner by local Los Angeles Chef Kris Tominaga of Manuela and special pours of local California wines. Wrapping up the evening with a live auction, the LA Dance Project Gala raised over 1 million dollars to support the arts in Los Angeles.