The Worlds of Fashion and Dance Collide at New York City Ballet’s Annual Fall Gala

“Ballet is woman,” said George Balanchine, the late, great Russian choreographer. Well, no offense to Mr. Balanchine, but last night at New York City Ballet’s annual Fall Gala, it was the men who all but stole the show, as principal dancer and young choreographer Lauren Lovette included an intimate male pas de deux in the world premiere of Not Our Fate. Just as unorthodox, Lovette chose to gift her congratulatory roses to the two male dancers, Preston Chamblee and Taylor Stanley, onstage at the end of the performance. Both moves felt refreshingly modern, and all the more fitting considering the event hinges on collaboration. Each year, the four choreographers featured partner with a different fashion designer to create the individual performance costumes—a brilliant intersection between the worlds of fashion and dance, an idea that was originally the brainchild of NYCB chairwoman Sarah Jessica Parker, who was also on hand to show her support. This season featured designer-and-choreographer duos Jonathan Saunders and Troy Schumacher, Tsumori Chisato and Justin Peck, and Virgil Abloh and Gianna Reisen, respectively. As for Lovette, she teamed up with Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim of Monse and Oscar de la Renta. “Lauren was very clear about the fact that she wanted to celebrate the male dancers as much as the female dancers,” Garcia said following the performances, held at the David H. Koch Theater. “I thought that was very brave for someone of her age and experience.”