ABT Fall Gala 2026: Angels, Demons and an Evening for Cynthia Erivo

American Ballet Theatre opens its season at Lincoln Center with a curated program of Ashton, Bournonville, de Mille and Fokine, hosted by two principal dancers and honoring one of the stage's most transformative performers.

By The Circuit Report · Published October 12, 2026

Each autumn, American Ballet Theatre turns the David H. Koch Theater into the most glamorous rehearsal room in New York, and this year it has given the evening a theme worthy of the stage. On Thursday, October 29, ABT presents its 2026 Fall Gala, titled "Angels and Demons," honoring the stage and screen artist Cynthia Erivo. The program, curated by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, moves between the ethereal and the mischievous, from sylphs and blessed spirits to a devil outwitted by three virgins, and it promises the kind of concentrated, all-star showcase that only a gala night allows.

The format is classic ABT. Guests gather for cocktails before the curtain, watch a performance drawn from across the company's roster, and then, as the company puts it, "enjoy dinner and dancing on the promenade" of the Koch Theater, the grand gold-leafed foyer that makes Lincoln Center feel, for one night, like a private house.

The work behind the evening

ABT’s gala supports a working ballet company and its educational mission. The performances audiences see depend on artists, rehearsal, production and training; supporting the institution helps sustain those elements as well as opportunities for new audiences to encounter ballet.

Philanthropy contributes to the company’s artistic and education programs. A benefit ticket supports ABT, while the published reservation terms govern what admission includes. We do not treat the cost of an evening as a promise that a fixed amount will go to one dancer or one educational activity. Explore the official work.

Dancers, choreographers, musicians, production teams and educators are the people behind this cause. The 2026 Fall Gala’s announced program and recognition of Cynthia Erivo bring that artistic community into view; the company’s own pages explain its work beyond the celebration. Meet the organization.

Watch official films and programs. These resources introduce the organization’s work and may include earlier events.

What ABT does, and where the money goes

ABT was launched in the autumn of 1939 with a mission, in its own words, "to create, to present, to preserve and to extend the great repertoire of classical dancing" to the widest possible audience. In 2006 an act of Congress designated it America's National Ballet Company. The company tours the United States each year, performing for some 300,000 people annually, and has made more than 30 international tours to 45 countries. Its training arm includes the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School's Pre-Professional and Children's Divisions, the ABT William J. Gillespie School and the ABT Studio Company.

According to the company, proceeds from the Fall Gala support American Ballet Theatre, including its education and engagement work. ABT has not published a fundraising goal for the evening or a restricted allocation.

At a glance

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception; 6:30 p.m. performance; dinner and dancing to follow
Venue: David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
Dress code: Not announced
Tickets: Tables and tickets through ABT's official gala page; current packages and availability on the official purchase page

The chairs

ABT has announced Sloan Lindemann Barnett, Emily Blavatnik and Laila Blavatnik, and Julia Koch and Mary Julia Koch as the evening's Gala Grand Chairs. It is a roster that reads like a short history of serious arts patronage in New York, and the Koch name, of course, is already written over the theater's door. The company has not published a wider benefit committee on its gala page.

The honoree and the program

Cynthia Erivo's connection to ABT predates this honor. In May 2020, when the company staged its first digital gala, she performed "America the Beautiful" alongside a video of ABT's dancers, a moment of real grace at a time when theaters were dark. Announcing the honor, Susan Jaffe said, "Few artists possess Cynthia Erivo's extraordinary ability to transform themselves through performance," and the company describes the tribute as recognizing contributions to the performing arts and an ability to connect with audiences across disciplines.

The evening's hosts are Principal Dancers Thomas Forster and James Whiteside, and the program, which ABT notes is subject to change, is a generous one. Daniel Camargo dances the company premiere of Frederick Ashton's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits," and Ashton returns twice more: Catherine Hurlin and Isaac Hernández in "The Dream" pas de deux, and Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III in the Act III pas de deux from "Sylvia." Hee Seo and Joo Won Ahn take the Act II excerpt from "La Sylphide," after Bournonville in Erik Bruhn's staging; Skylar Brandt and Roman Zhurbin dance from Act II of "Coppélia"; and Herman Cornejo partners Léa Fleytoux in Fokine's "Le Spectre de la Rose." The corps de ballet appears in an excerpt from Alexei Ratmansky's "Whipped Cream," while Agnes de Mille's comic "Three Virgins and a Devil" brings out Jake Roxander, Devon Teuscher, SunMi Park, Sierra Armstrong and Tyler Maloney. The night closes on the Act III pas de deux from "Swan Lake," in Kevin McKenzie's production after Petipa, danced by Chloe Misseldine and Aran Bell, whose black-swan duet is about as perfect a demon to end an "Angels and Demons" evening as the repertoire offers.

Why it's on our calendar

The Fall Gala is one of the few benefits in New York where the entertainment is the real thing rather than a garnish. A gala program lets a company show its full depth in a single sitting, and this one is unusually well judged: a run of Ashton for connoisseurs, de Mille and Ratmansky for wit, a Fokine rarity, and a "Swan Lake" finale for everyone. Pair that with an honoree whose career has been built on transformation, two principals who are natural hosts, and dinner on one of Lincoln Center's most beautiful promenades, and the result is a quintessential autumn evening in the city. It is also a pleasing way to support a company that carries the title of national ballet seriously, on tour and in the studio as well as on stage.

How to attend

Tables and tickets are sold directly by ABT through the "Purchase Tables & Tickets" link on its official Fall Gala page. The official purchase page currently says the evening is nearly at capacity and lists individual packages from $3,000 to $15,000. For a table, contact ABT Special Events at specialevents@abt.org or 914-570-1000, as listed on that page. Confirm current availability directly with ABT. The Circuit Report plans to follow up with coverage of the evening.

Official links and further reading

Official event information · Official tickets and tables · Our event guide

Details may change; confirm the current program, availability and giving arrangements with the organizer.