This past weekend, the Theater at Ace Hotel played host to the annual L.A. Dance Project gala, celebrating Benjamin Millepied and his latest dance pieces, which were created in collaboration with some of the city’s finest creatives. Each of the four dances offered something individual—whether it was a bright, multicolored set by Mark Bradford; music by Philip Glass; or a live performance by Rufus Wainwright—and each culminated in a standing ovation.
Attendees entered through the lobby of the restored theater and immediately were greeted by trays of Dom Pérignon, while amid the overheard toasts and accolades, Millepied and his wife, Natalie Portman, took their seats for dinner among friends Robert Pattinson and FKA twigs as well as art-world Angelenos such as Shaun Caley Regen, Doug Aitken, Alex Israel, Barbara Kruger, and Frank Gehry.
Guests dined on a menu that included sea scallop ceviche and roast chicken with root vegetable tagine, created by Michelin-star chef Arman Arnal of La Chassagnette. And as if it were a well-choreographed ballet itself, everyone was ushered to the rooftop for drinks and dessert, while dinner tables were whisked out of the lobby for the show to begin. The performance featured pieces by Roy Assaf and Christopher Wheeldon, as well as the world premiere of Millepied’s latest work, Homecoming, a beautiful pas de deux that Millepied danced with LADP dancer Janie Taylor. After the show, guests exited the theater and went back into the lobby, which was transformed yet again—this time for the after-party—and where DJ Allie Teilz kept the dancing going well into the night.
