PHOTO: Inside the glittering American Ballet Theater Spring Gala

Julie Halston and Katie Holmes. Getty Images for American Ballet

On a sultry Wednesday evening in May, stars, philanthropists and dancers with enviable attitude sparkled on the red carpet at Via Cipriani 42. Occasion: Honoring ABT’s 2026 Spring Gala Katie Holmes“whose sincere love of the arts and unwavering support of our mission make her a truly deserving honoree,” said the company’s director Susan Jaffe. Holmes, accompanied by her mum, shone in a white Ashlynn Park top and a voluminous ankle-length skirt – structured but effortlessly cool.

Featured guests included Katie Couric, Michael Imperioli, Constance Wu, Zac Posen, Iris Apatow, Say De Silva AND Nate Berkusamong others. Caroline Kennedy served as the evening’s Honorary Chair, continuing her family’s long-standing support of ABT, which hosts its annual spring gala to support the company’s performances, educational programs and community initiatives.

For many in attendance that night, the ballet evokes wonder—it feels deeply personal. “Ballet is like living sculpture,” Imperioli told the Observer. “When I look at it, that’s how it turns out.” 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 wonderful.” For Posen, art is almost elementary. “I think it’s as important as eating, sleeping and making love. I think it’s part of being human,” he told the Observer.

Guests in brightly colored gowns and well-cut tuxedos mingled beneath neo-Renaissance arches, clinking champagne glasses as they eagerly awaited 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 performed in 1869, the ballet is known for its high energy, technical virtuosity and Ludwig Minkusits exciting result.

After cocktails, attendees were ushered to tables adorned with towering orange and gold floral arrangements, with a first course of cucumber, avocado, corn and cherry tomato salad along with Kalamata olives and Cipriani signature bread. While the assembled ballet dancers were having dinner, an actor Alex Hurt took the stage to present Holmes with her award. “For Katie, dance isn’t just movement — it’s joy, it’s eloquence, it’s beauty, it’s connection. It’s a way to say something that words can’t quite convey,” Hurt said, before praising Holmes for her support of the arts and ABT, adding: “You warm up rooms, you make work better, you make people stronger.”

Holmes accepted her award with grace, telling the audience that she was “awestruck by ballet…Ballet itself has informed, healed and entertained so many generations that have come before us. And I’m always amazed by what feels like an offering, a gesture that invites human connection, a welcome to the world of poetry that is ballet.”

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

The dancers then took to the stage in a swirl of vibrant colour, performing selections from Don Quixote. Inspired by Miguel de CervantesHis classic tale, the ballet follows the idealistic knight and his loyal boss as they protect young lovers Kitri and Basilio. The main dancer Skyler Brandt dazzling as Kitri, dancing across the stage in a skimpy tangerine dress. “Playing Kitri has been a dream role of mine since I was a child,” she told the Observer. “Don Quixote is one of those ballets that is so playful. I’ve always thought it would be the most enjoyable thing to dance. As my teacher told me, Chitri should burn more than a thousand suns. I hope the audience can feel her joy radiating.” We can confirm, they certainly can.

After a standing ovation, Chilean sea bass with lemon and capers arrived at the tables, followed by an assortment of miniature desserts, including Napoleon, zabaglione cake and tiramisu. Over dessert, associate art 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 man Gamache, but she is in love with the poor barber Basilio. Don Quixote is the quest for Kitri and Basilio to marry and realize their love.”

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