American Ballet Theatre hosted their starry annual Spring Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20.
The evening honored Katie Holmes, a longtime supporter of ABT and dedicated advocate of arts. Showing up with loved ones she captivated the red carpet with twinkles in her eyes as she was warmly welcomed by board members.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: (L-R) Melissa Smith, Barry Hughson, and Susan Jaffe attend the 2026 American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre)
Gala guests who enjoyed the beautiful performance, black-tie dinner, and dancing included Alessia Fendi, Alexander Hurt, Amy Astley, Anh Duong, Anais Mitchell, Audrey Zahn, Brie Welch, Constance Wu, Fernando Garcia, Iris Apatow, Isabella Boylston, Ivy Getty, Jeremiah Brent & Nate Berkus, Julie Halston, Katie Couric & John Molner, Mark Seliger, Michael & Victoria Imperioli, Nicole Flender, Sai De Silva, Samatha Barry, Sarah Hoover, Sharon Jacob, Tina Leung, Zac Posen, ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, and Executive Director Barry Hughson among others.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: (L-R) Katie Couric, Malcolm Carfrae, John Wattiker, and John Molner attend the 2026 American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre)
“I love supporting the arts generally, and I love ABT,” Wu told The Knockturnal on the carpet as she chimed in, “I follow a lot of the ballerinas on Instagram.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: (L-R) Yuchang Xiao, Fangqi Li, and Constance Wu attend the 2026 American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre)
The one-night-only program featured an exclusive preview of the sweeping romance and comedic charm of Don Quixote, newly staged by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe and Regisseur Susan Jones for American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House.
ABT’s dancers brought Miguel de Cervantes’s beloved tale to life through iconic characters and show stopping excerpts led by Principal Dancers including Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, and Christine Shevchenko.
