Dinner, Dance and Devotion: Inside American Ballet Theatre’s Glittering Spring Gala

May 22, 2026 / Sophie Clearwater /

Julie Halston and Katie Holmes. Getty Images for American Ballet

On a sweltering Wednesday evening in May, stars, philanthropists and dancers with enviable posture sparkled on the red carpet at Cipriani 42nd Street. The occasion: ABT’s 2026 Spring Gala honoring Katie Holmes, whose “genuine love for the arts and steadfast support of our mission make her a truly deserving honoree,” said company director Susan Jaffe. Holmes, accompanied by her mother, beamed in a white Ashlynn Park peplum top and voluminous ankle-length skirt—structured yet effortlessly breezy.

Notable guests included Katie Couric, Michael Imperioli, Constance Wu, Zac Posen, Iris Apatow, Sai De Silva and Nate Berkus, among others. Caroline Kennedy served as Honorary Chair of the evening, continuing her family’s longstanding support of ABT, which mounts its spring gala each year to support the company’s performances, education programs and community initiatives.

For many in attendance that night, ballet stirs wonder—it feels deeply personal. “Ballet is like living sculpture,” Imperioli told Observer. “When I watch it, that’s how it kind of reveals itself.” Wu called ballet “one of the most beautiful art forms,” adding, “I just love the discipline, the craft, the elegance, the athleticism, the musicality, the sensitivity. It’s just gorgeous.” For Posen, the art is almost elemental. “I think it’s as important as eating, sleeping and making love. I think it’s part of humanity,” he told Observer.

Guests in bright-colored gowns and well-cut tuxedos mingled beneath the neo-Renaissance arches, clinking champagne glasses while eagerly anticipating what Jaffe jokingly called the “Reader’s Digest version” of a new production of Don Quixote, staged by herself and Susan Jones. A perennial audience favorite first staged in 1869, the ballet is known for its high-spirited energy, technical virtuosity and Ludwig Minkus’s rousing score.

After cocktails, attendees were ushered to tables adorned with towering orange-and-gold floral arrangements featuring a first course of cucumber, avocado, corn and cherry tomato salad alongside Kalamata olives and Cipriani’s signature breadsticks. As the assembled balletomanes dined, actor Alex Hurt took the stage to present Holmes with her award. “For Katie, dance is not just movement—it’s joy, it’s eloquence, it’s beauty, it’s connection. It’s a way of saying something that words can’t quite reach,” Hurt said, before praising Holmes for her support of the arts and ABT, adding, “You make rooms warmer, you make work better, you make people braver.”

Holmes accepted her award with grace, telling the audience she was “in awe of ballet… Ballet itself has informed, healed and entertained the many generations that have come before us. And I am always stunned by what feels like an offering, a gesture inviting human connection, a welcoming into the world of poetry that is ballet.”

American Ballet Theatre dancers take a bow. Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for American Ballet

Dancers then took to the stage in a whirl of vibrant hues, performing selections from Don Quixote. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes‘s classic tale, the ballet follows the idealistic knight and his loyal squire as they champion the young lovers Kitri and Basilio. Principal dancer Skylar Brandt dazzled as Kitri, leaping across the stage in a ruffled tangerine dress. “Performing the role of Kitri had been a dream role of mine since I was a child,” she told Observer. “Don Quixote is one of those ballets that is so playful. I always thought it seemed like it would be the most fun to dance. As my teacher told me, Kitri must burn brighter than a thousand suns. I hope the audience could feel her radiating joy.” We can confirm, they certainly could.

After a long applause, Chilean sea bass with lemon and capers arrived at the tables, followed by an assortment of miniature pastries including Napoleons, zabaglione cake and tiramisu. Over dessert, associate artistic director Clinton Luckett reflected on the deeper meaning of Don Quixote: “The question at the heart of the ballet is love or money. Kitri’s father wants her to marry the rich fop Gamache, but she is in love with the poor barber Basilio. Don Quixote is the quest for Kitri and Basilio to become married and realize their love.”

“In the ballet,” he added, “the answer is love.”