{"id":3971,"date":"2025-04-16T23:20:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T23:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/inside-the-dance-theatre-of-harlem-2025-vision-gala\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T23:20:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T23:20:52","slug":"inside-the-dance-theatre-of-harlem-2025-vision-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/inside-the-dance-theatre-of-harlem-2025-vision-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Dance Theatre of Harlem 2025 Vision Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mickalene Thomas, Bevy Smith and Kenny Burns. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On April 11, Midtown Manhattan\u2019s Ziegfeld Ballroom played host to the Dance Theatre of Harlem\u2019s always-glamorous Vision Gala. The evening\u2019s honoree was Darren Walker<\/a><\/b>, the soon-to-be former Ford Foundation president whose philanthropic influence has become nearly mythological in arts circles. Ava DuVernay<\/a><\/b> presented him with the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award, and the filmmaker\u2014never one for understatement\u2014delivered a tribute that brought the room to a hush: \u201cDarren has always seen the beauty in the bold, the precision in the daring, the grace in the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Anna Glass<\/a><\/b>, the company\u2019s executive director, revealed that the event not only hit its $1.3 million fundraising goal\u2014it surpassed it by another $132,000 raised in the room for the 56-year-old cultural institution. Clearly this crowd, packed as it was with cultural heavyweights and scene-steady regulars, knew why they were there: to back an organization that has always been less about fitting into the ballet world and more about reimagining it.<\/p>\n

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SEE ALSO: Auction Paddles, Ping Pong Paddles and Play \u2013 Inside Public Art Fund\u2019s 2025 Party <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The roster of honorary chairs read like a syllabus in cultural history, verve and style: actor and dancer Ben Vereen<\/a><\/b>, The View<\/i> co-host Sunny Hostin<\/a><\/b>, curator Isolde Brielmaier<\/a><\/b>, actress Bianca Lawson<\/a><\/b>, artist Mickalene Thomas<\/a><\/b> and model and activist Bethann Hardison<\/a><\/b>, among them. Also spotted were the seemingly omnipresent Law Roach<\/a><\/b>, prima ballerina Misty Copeland<\/a><\/b>, Brandon Blackwood<\/a><\/b>, Bevy Smith<\/a><\/b>, Alicia Graf Mack<\/a><\/b> and Thelma Golden<\/a><\/b> (who we all know by now never misses a moment that matters).<\/p>\n

And matter it did. Before dinner, the Dance Theatre of Harlem company took the stage for a stirring performance that included We Are All Brown \u2013 Commemorating Brown v. Board of Education<\/i>, anchored by a galvanizing oration from Janai Nelson<\/a><\/b>, president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund. The night ended, fittingly, with more dance\u2014not just for show, but in celebration\u2014with music provided by DJ D-Nice<\/b> and Kenny Burns<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n

Anna Glass and Darren Walker<\/h3>\n
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Anna Glass and Darren Walker. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Law Roach<\/h3>\n
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Law Roach. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alicia Graf Mack, Robert Garland and Misty Copeland<\/h3>\n
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Alicia Graf Mack, Robert Garland and Misty Copeland. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stephanie Sung and Peter Sung<\/h3>\n
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Stephanie Sung and Peter Sung. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bianca Lawson<\/h3>\n
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Bianca Lawson. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Juan Carlos Penuela<\/h3>\n
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Juan Carlos Penuela. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michelle Miller and Thelma Golden<\/h3>\n
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Michelle Miller and Thelma Golden. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adrienne Lopez and Ava DuVernay<\/h3>\n
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Adrienne Lopez and Ava DuVernay. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Isolde Brielmaier and Stephanie Casimir<\/h3>\n
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Isolde Brielmaier and Stephanie Casimir. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Selwyn Vickers, Janice Vickers, Adrienne Vickers, Lydia Vickers, Asatta Mesa and Benjamin Vickers<\/h3>\n
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Selwyn Vickers, Janice Vickers, Adrienne Vickers, Lydia Vickers, Asatta Mesa and Benjamin Vickers. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deshawn Morton and Klair Ethridge<\/h3>\n
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Deshawn Morton and Klair Ethridge. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ingrid Silva<\/h3>\n
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Ingrid Silva. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

David Gray and Kyra Nichols<\/h3>\n
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David Gray and Kyra Nichols. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rich Reitknecht<\/h3>\n
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Rich Reitknecht. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Erika Liles<\/h3>\n
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Erika Liles. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lindsey Donnell, Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson<\/h3>\n
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Lindsey Donnell, Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson. Jason Crowley\/BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Misty,<\/p><\/div>\n