ABT Opening Night Gala Features Tribute to Jose Manuel Carreño 5/16

A tribute to Principal Dancer Jose Manuel Carreño will highlight American Ballet Theatre's Opening Night Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House on Monday, May 16 at 6:30 P.M. In honor of his farewell season with the Company, Carreño will be joined onstage by ABT's Paloma Herrera and Xiomara Reyes, San Francisco Ballet's Lorena Feijoo, Joan Boada and Taras Domitro and Boston Ballet's Lorna Feijoo and Nelson Madrigal in the ABT Premiere of Jorge Garcia's Majisimo. Majisimo is set to music from Jules Massenet's El Cid. The evening will also feature ABT Principal Dancers in highlights from the Spring Season.

Mrs. Michelle Obama will serve as Honorary Chairman, along with Carolina Herrera, Caroline Kennedy and Blaine Trump. Sloan Lindemann Barnett and Diane B. Wilsey will serve as Gala Chairmen and Henri Barguirdjian and Robin Chemers Neustein are Co-Chairmen. Corporate Chairmen are Christine and Renaud Dutreil and Karin and Stephen Sadove. Elizabeth and Donald Kramer, Paula and John Mahoney and Nancy McCormack Vella will serve as

Vice Chairmen. Aileen Mehle is Chairman Emerita. Daniel Cappello, Blair Husain, Alexandra Kerry, Lily Johnson White and Josette Winograd will serve as Junior Co-Chairmen.

American Ballet Theatre's 2011 Spring Gala is sponsored by Graff. A portion of the proceeds from the Spring Gala will support ABT's education and community outreach programs.

A Gala dinner under the Tent at Lincoln Center will immediately follow the performance. Gala benefit tickets prices at $1,500, $2,000 and $2,500 include the performance and post-performance dinner. For Gala benefit ticket information only, call American Ballet Theatre's Special Events office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3239.

Performance-only tickets, beginning at $25, are available online, at the Metropolitan Opera House box office or by calling 212-362-6000. For more information, please visit ABT's website at www.abt.org.