On April 30, 2009, 400 National
Dance Institute (NDI) friends and supporters
gathered at the NOKIA Theatre in
Times Square for
Celebrating the
Life and Legacy of John Lennon, NDI’s
32nd Annual Gala.. The evening,
emceed by Terrence Mann, honored Yoko Ono as the
2009 Global Health & Hope Award Honoree,
Bernadette Peters as the 2009 Artistic Honoree
and Arnold Penner as Mascot of the Year. NDI’s
Board Chairperson, Margaret Cuomo Maier, M.D.,
welcomed the guests to the Gala. NDI’s Founder
Jacques d’Amboise presented the awards to
Bernadette Peters and Arnold Penner, while Yoko
Ono accepted her award via video message. The
evening raised $1 million to benefit NDI’s
programs.
The Gala starred young dancers in
NDI’s advanced programs, drawn from 30 New York City partner
public schools, where they have been engaged in
a year-long exploration of John Lennon.
Directed by Ellen Weinstein, NDI’s Artistic
Director, and featuring professional musicians
and singers, this year’s Gala celebrated the
magic of Lennon’s iconic music and paid tribute
to his memory and global impact. NDI children
performed “Beatlemania,” “A Day in the Life,”
“Here Comes the Sun,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and
“Imagine” as a preview to their 2009 Event of
the Year to be held June 20-22, 2009. Terrence
Mann sang “In My Life” and read the poem “Make
Your Heart Dance,” dedicated to NDI’s dancers by
Yoko Ono.
The Honorary Gala Chairs were Susan
& Donald Newhouse and Madaleine Berley & Arnold
S. Penner. Gala Chairs were Lauren B. Cramer &
Demetrius Fexy, Margaret Cuomo Maier, M.D. &
Howard Maier, Lynn & Carl Goldstein, Jaynne C.
Keyes & Michael del Giudice, Kathy & Joe Mele,
Rosario Perez, Linda Singer & Louis Klein, Jr.
and Helen Stambler Neuberger & Jim Neuberger.
National Dance
Institute is a not-for-profit organization
founded in the belief that the arts have a
unique power to engage children and motivate
them towards excellence. Using professional
artists and a distinctive combination of dance
classes and performances integrated with music,
literature and the visual arts, children learn
how to work together to reach for their personal
best. Over 2 million children have participated
in NDI programs. NDI was founded in 1976 by
Jacques d’Amboise, and since 1995 has been under
the artistic leadership of Ellen Weinstein.
For more information, please log on to:
www.nationaldance.org
.