Soireé du Ballet

August 27, 2010
7:00 PM

The Refinery - transformed!
2302 West John Street, Champaign

An event to benefit Champaign Urbana Ballet

The Experience...

• Abundance of delectable culinary creations from Chef Iren Aikman of San Francisco, flying in just for this occasion and hoping to impress his old friends with some amazing culinary achievements
• Cocktails and free-flowing bubbly from The Champagne Girls
• A little ballet, and a little cabaret -- tid bits of performance to make the evening really exciting
• Gallery of CU Ballet's most ornate costumes; you have to see it, and you'll be a little awestruck when you do!
• Silent Auction with something for everyone
• The Live Auction, with emcee Christopher Harris. Highlights include:
  • Toronto Ballet Getaway: A trip for two (2) to Toronto with hosts Connie and Mike Hosier, departing Champaign on Friday Dec 10th and returning Sunday Dec 12th. The weekend includes airfare, hotel, and tickets to a Saturday evening performance of National Ballet of Canada in the James Kudelka version of The Nutcracker, followed by dinner with NBC company member Kate Hosier.
  • Vino, Bravo!: an enviable case of hand-selected wines from Sun Singer's finest reserves, donated by Mark and Jackie Yarbrough of Sun Singer and Scot Cohen of Heritage Wines.
  • Live at The Nutcracker: conduct Sinfonia da Camera in the overture, or perform as Mother Ginger in Act II - your choice of one or both. A rare opportunity to guest conduct The Nutcracker overture with Sinfonia da Camera under the tutelage of Maestro Ian Hobson and/or appear as Mother Ginger under the tutelage of Tracy McCabe. The Nutcracker guest conducting and/or Mother Ginger cameo occur at the matinee on Sunday, December 5th and includes 4 tickets to the show, music CD of your live performance and/or backstage video, and a commemorative photo of you performing in action. This prize an be assigned to the recipient(s) of your choice.
  • Connoisseur's BBQ: premium cuts and homemade pies for six with grill master Tom Koester, and wine pairings by Samuel Vandegrift, hosted at the home of Brian and Leisa White
  • Magnificent Weekend: A weekend stay in a gorgeous Chicago condo on the Magnificent Mile with views of the lake, just steps from Milennium Park, the Art Institute, and great restaurants; donated by Liang and Sylvia Liu. Includes two (2) tickets to a Joffrey Ballet spring season performance.
  • Fairytale Ballet Parties: You can give your child an enchanted and memorable birthday party and do some magic yourself with Miss Donna! Not only will your child receive their very own fairytale ballet party complete with a 45-minute activity, cake, and treats, but Donna Warwick will donate another party to a classroom of challenged kids who could not otherwise afford or enjoy such a marvelous opportunity. Two parties and two groups of children having the time of their lives...what could be better?!

And more from the best of the arts, entertainment, adventure, health, and happiness.

RSVP and proxy bidding can be sent to Julianna by August 13th, 2010.