48 replies to this topic

[32tendu]

Hello everyone,
I am researching for an upcoming television pitch and I am wondering what famous/celebrities are often seen support ballet.
I know SJ Parker and Kevin Klien made appearances on the Balanchine Celebrations. Are there notable others? Thank you!

[Marga]

Joanne Woodward, Jackie and (now) Caroline Kennedy, Chelsea Clinton (and her parents at one time). Chelsea is even on the Board of Directors of SAB.

[carbro]

Susan Sontag, Tommy Tune (two alliteratives! ) were two I used to see regularly at NYCB.  Not together!

Most recent First Ladies have, at one point or another, been Honorary Co-Chairs of NYCB's or ABT's Annual Gala.

Wasn't Princess Diana (a former ballet student) a patron of ENB?

There was a story a while back about the excitement generated in London by the Beckhams' presence at the ballet.

Wendy Wasserstein was a ballet devotee.  She composed the libretto for . . .  I forget which ballet.

[vipa]

I've seen Renee Fleming at ABT.  Wasn't Andy Warhol a big Heather Watts fan?

[papeetepatrick]

From the newsrooms, Lesley Stahl and Robin MacNeil, formerly of the NewsHour.  I think he was on the Board as well, and may still be, in any case, I think it was early or mid 90s when he hosted a series of PBS specials and I believe interviewed Peter Martins in one of them.

[zerbinetta]

I've seen Bette Midler, Isabella Rosselini, Patrick Stewart, the late Claudette Colbert & Kurt Vonnegut,

[ViolinConcerto]

carbro, on Feb 19 2008, 05:27 PM, said:

Susan Sontag, Tommy Tune (two alliteratives! ) were two I used to see regularly at NYCB.  Not together!

Most recent First Ladies have, at one point or another, been Honorary Co-Chairs of NYCB's or ABT's Annual Gala.

Wasn't Princess Diana (a former ballet student) a patron of ENB?

There was a story a while back about the excitement generated in London by the Beckhams' presence at the ballet.

Wendy Wasserstein was a ballet devotee.  She composed the libretto for . . .  I forget which ballet.

She was a NYCB fan, BIG time.  Poor gal.
I'll think of more, slowly.

[zerbinetta]

Just thought of another: Malcolm McDowell.

[Paul Parish]

Gong back a ways, Charlie Chaplin was both a fan AND an accomplished dancer.

Many of the British Royal family love the ballet; the late queen mother was a personal friend of Ashton's, as was Princess Margaret. QE2 is said to love to dance, and Prince Charles is a good Scottish country-dancer (saw him once on some video, was impressed), and of course, they're patrons of hte Royal Ballet.

Can't think of anybody living tht hasn't been mentioned.

[Helene]

If we add in living royalty, Princess Caroline of Monaco has filled her late mother's shoes as a sponsor of the ballet and for ballet scholarships.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is a devoted balletomane.

[Old Fashioned]

I read somewhere that Joanne Woodward is a fan.  I think the Newman's Own Foundation may have even made some charitable donations...

[Mel Johnson]

Don't forget that the aforementioned Ms. Clinton is a former student of our own Victoria Leigh.

[ggobob]

I remember Jimmy Carter at the opening night of Baryshnikov's Don Q at the Kennedy Center.  

Paul Newman and Joannne Woodward were often seen at dance in LA.  Eliot Feld's Company, ABT, Nederlands, etc.

Sat in front of Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters  at an ABT performance.

Nancy Reagan was at the Royal Ballet's Sleeping Beauty in 1978

I'm sure someone who lives in LA can detail the celebs who now attend.  I go back to the days of Herb Ross who cross pollinated the dance and movie crowds.  I used to run into Herb and Nora Kaye at almost every performance of major companies in LA and they always were with dancers and actors.

I remember Christoper Isherwood coming backstage after a performance of Roland Petit's company.

David Soul used to hand out with some of the corps ladies of ABT...I presume he saw some performances.

[4mrdncr]

Being in L.A. I used to see NUMEROUS movie stars attend ABT at all the venue's during the '80's: Music Center, Shrine, and then OCPAC.  My favorite memories are of...

Jessica Lange watching Baryshnikov from the aisle stairs in the cavernous balcony at Shrine (why no one found her a seat I don't know? Baryshnikov couldn't have sold out all 5600 could he?)

Bumping into Martin Sheen and family in the entrance door (was it revolving?) at Shrine.

Seeing Jackie Bissette trying to protect Alexandre Gudonov (sp?) from the crowds at the stage door at the Music Center.

And much more recently at an ABT gala, Caroline Kennedy (of course), Isabella Rosselini, Lance Armstrong, and Robert De Niro whom I was pushed against by the crush of people, and after noting my shocked recognition, did murmer an apology.

However...
IMHO: Tendu32, if you need to show that celebrities come to ballets to gain support for it, I feel very sorry.  I have never considered "stars" the arbiters of taste, (though their monetary support will mitigate that opinion somewhat), but rather, believe it is the general audiences who come night after night, or sell out large AND small houses across the nation (or world) who truly matter, because for them, the expense to attend is a much larger share of their limited resources.

[32tendu]

thank you all