The White Nights Foundation of America Annual Benefit, Monday, July 11, 2011, featured the U.S. premiere of Anna Karenina, performed by the Mariinsky Ballet, at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House. Diana Vishneva danced the title role with the orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev, the Artistic Director and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre. The evening raised $500,000. The Mariinsky Ballet is part of Lincoln Center Festival 2011.

Mikhail Baryshnikov was among the guests at the performance. He began his remarkable career as a Mariinsky (then called Kirov) dancer. A dinner, held immediately after the ballet at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, included guests Darren Aronofsky, Maria Bartiromo and Jonathan Steinberg, Elizabeth de Cuevas, Patrick Demarchelier, Ann Dexter-Jones, Patricia Field, Randall Jones, Scott Pelley (CBS Evening News), Susan and Samuel Lehrman, Chloe Malle, Richard Move, Yoko Ono, Cynthia and Leon Polsky, Lucky Roosevelt, Paula & Leon Root, Matthew Settle (TV’s Gossip Girl), The Hon. & Mrs. James Symington, Erika Tarantal (NBC), Elie and Marion Weisel, Lally Weymouth, Elaine and James Wolfensohn, Mortimer Zuckerman and many more.

Elit by Stolichnaya hosted an exclusive afterparty where guests raised their glasses to the Mariinsky Dancers and Elit's partnership with the Mariinsky Theatre. The full Mariinsky company then took to the floor, dancing till long past midnight. Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei Prokofiev, flew in from London to dj, courtesy of Elit by Stolichnaya.

The Gala Chairman is Fredrick Iseman, and Vice Chairs include: Sid and Mercedes Bass, Fiorenza Scholey Cohen, Kristina Kovalenko, and Mrs. George Votis. Among the other guests attending the evening were choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, artistic director Konstantin Zverev.

From Press Release - Jonathan Marder + Company

Kristina Kovalenko, Yuri Smekalov
and Diana Vishneva