World-Class Dancers in Benefit Saturday at Ross School
Bebe Neuwirth, a Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer, will be the host on Saturday at the Ross School Center for Well-Being in East Hampton of a multidiscipline dance performance that will benefit the Paul Taylor Dance Foundation and the Ross School Scholarship Fund. World-class dancers will perform.
Called Dancers for Good, choreography will range from modern and contemporary to musical theater and ballet. The show will begin at 6 p.m., following a 5 p.m. cocktail hour, and conclude with an after party with the host and dancers. Tickets cost $150, or $250 for a V.I.P. package, which includes preferred seating, both parties, and a gift bag. Donor-level tickets with a range of amenities depending on contributions are also available.
Eric Gunhus, an East Hampton resident who was a Broadway performer for many years, appearing in shows such as “Billy Elliot” and “The Producers,” and three others are producing the event.
Mr. Gunhus is a veteran of a program run by the Dancers Resource, an organization that supports dancers transitioning to new careers or facing hard times because of injuries, which helped him launch an event planning business.
“This gives them something outside of the dance world,” Mr. Gunhus said in an interview.
Dancers from the Paul Taylor and the Alvin Ailey Dance Companies will perform. Among them is Desmond Richardson, an alumnus of the Alvin Ailey, whose dance on Saturday honors the late Maya Angelou.
“This program will be extraordinary because it’s diverse,” Michael Apuzzo, a co-producer of the show who is also a performer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, said. “This is an intimate celebration of dance. Most is done in small groups, and that’s always nice to pay close attention to each of these very special dancers.”
“We’re not just another cocktail-in-a-tent party with a silent auction,” Mr. Gunhus said, adding that he intends to make Dancers for Good an annual benefit here. “We are a fantastic party with food and drinks, but we’re also bringing world-renowned dancers. We thought there was a niche that needed to be filled by bringing the performing arts.”