STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — All Aboard!
If you’re ready to chase away winter blues, your elegant escape into the highly anticipated season of spring arrives Saturday, March 9, when the Staten Island Ballet’s annual gala unfolds at the Richmond County Country Club.
The posh event, “aboard” a 1930′s luxury liner, specifically created and staged in the elegant Dongan Hills landmark, offers the best of what world-travelers enjoyed at the time — plus the fun and polish of today’s world — without any sea sickness.
Passengers “board” at 7 p.m. for an evening of gourmet dining, a glitzy floor show, casino gaming, dancing to the sophisticated sounds of a live orchestra, and prizes and gifts ranging from diamond and gold jewelry, fine $240 champagne, designer handbags, Broadway tickets, 50/50 raffles, and so much more.
But one prize is unique — flying a luxury airliner.
Members of the Staten Island Ballet perform dances through the ages. (Courtesy/Steve White)(Courtesy/Steve White)
It’s two hours using actual controls of a passenger jet in a huge full flight simulator, under the eyes of a flight instructor. It’s got loads of gadgets and cockpit windows and screens to show how you’re flying and landing.
“Our gala theme is about the all-but-forgotten glamour of the 1930s, when designs of clothing and automobiles peaked,’’ said Ellen Tharp, the ballet’s artistic director. “It left an enduring imprint on today’s styles.”
“Progress since then is incomparable, it’s just nice to have a bit of nostalgia,’’ Tharp said. “Our guests include Staten Island leaders and supporters. It’s a salute to them and the better memories of our past.”
Among the night’s “passengers” are two families, each having three generations of women involved in the ballet’s non-profit activities over three decades.
“Our gala helps to further our non-profit mission of supporting arts education, training for colleges and careers, scholarships, free shows,…
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