‘Stars Under the Stars’ fetes American Ballet Theatre

The event: “Stars under the Stars” to benefit the American Ballet Theatre helped launch the 75th anniversary season of the celebrated dance company, which has been home to such dance greats as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova.

The scene: Guests meandered through Jeanne and Tony Pritzker’s home in Beverly Hills with its soaring ceilings, indoor/outdoor rooms and wraparound lawns, before adjourning to the tennis court for dinner. Given the heat of the day on Tuesday, the evening breezes were more than welcome as the dancers performed excerpts from four ballets: “Seven Sonatas,” “Cinderella,” “Swan Lake” and a new composition, “Toccare.”

Jane Kaczmarek of “Malcolm in the Middle” wore diamond earrings by the night’s sponsor Piaget. She was accompanied by her daughter, Frances Whitford, 16. Kaczmarek said that although she has always been interested in ballet, as a youngster she learned baton twirling instead. “To this day, I love parades,” she said.

The finale: Following dinner and the performance, guests feasted on a dessert buffet, decadently overflowing with chocolate tortes, lemon and berry tartlettes, pots de crème, cookies, a nectarine and blackberry galette and caterer Lucques’ “famous ‘smores.” The “stars under the stars” joining guests for the treats were ABT principals Veronika Part, Hee Seo and Cory Stearns; soloists Alexandre Hammoudi, Christine Shevchenko and Devon Teuscher and corps de ballet members Blaine Hoven, Luciana Paris and Arron Scott.

The crowd: Event chairs Richard Merkin, Bob Barth, Nicole Frank and Florence Sloan joined dance supporters, who included Robin and Elliott Broidy, Soraya and Younes Nazarian, Amanda and Nick Stonnington, Cindy and Dick Troop, Christina Lyon, Sutton Stracke, Cameron Silver, Barbara Guggenheim, Susan Wharton, Grazka Taylor; Terry Dwyer, president of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts; and Larry Boland, president of Piaget North America.

Quotes of note: ABT’s chief executive Rachel Moore said the event was one of many to mark the ballet company’s 75th anniversary, “because of course no nonprofit that is worth its salt will let their anniversary quietly go by.”

The numbers: More than 200 people bought tickets for $750 and up, raising $250,000 for the ballet.

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