Sponsored by the famed diamond jeweler Harry Winston and Lloyd E. Rigler of the Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, the American ballet dazzled our senses December 7 at the Beverly Hilton making us feel like Christmas was in the LA air.

Putting us in the holiday spirit, the American Ballet Theatre celebrated its 75th anniversary with a one-night only special performance. Dancers Stella Abrera and Misty Copeland danced scenes from the company’s unrivaled repertoire while guests enjoyed dinner and drinks throughout the evening.

Since I was catching a plane to Thailand that very evening, I only saw the first modern ballet act, but it left me with a feeling of great joy, that something so spirited could create a warm, festive mood for all that were lucky enough to be part of this holiday performance.

ABT has been home to many of ballet’s legendary stars – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, Carla Fracci, Cynthia Gregory, Alicia Alonso, and Fernando Bujones – and is renowned for its lavish productions of full-length ballets including Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadère,and Romeo and Juliet. With a Company of 90 of the world’s most celebrated dancers, including Gillian Murphy, Polina Semionova, Diana Vishneva, Herman Cornejo, Marcelo Gomes, and David Hallberg, ABT performs for audiences of more than 400,000 each year in New York City, Los Angeles, across the country, and around the world.