YoungArts Backyard Ball
Miami, FL – January 9, 2016 – The National YoungArts Foundation kicked-off its 35th anniversary with the organization’s annual Backyard Ball gala. The elegant event, presented by Max Mara, raised more than $1.6M to directly support the organization’s contributions to the artistic development of young artists from around the nation, and marked the culmination of National YoungArts Week. More than 700 guests joined co-chairs Tracey and Bruce Berkowitz and Armando and Margarita Codina, and 35th Anniversary Committee Chairperson Sarah Arison to honor director and actress Rosie Perez, director Robert Wilson and YoungArts Master Teacher and 1997 YoungArts Winner in Theater Tony Yazbeck with Arison Awards. The evening was emceed by Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor, singer and director, YoungArts Alumnus Billy Porter and brought together prominent artists, community leaders, philanthropists and celebrities: Max Mara US Director of Retail Maria Giulia Maramotti; L.A. Music Center’s newly appointed president Rachel Moore (1982 Winner in Dance); Pritzker Prize winning architect Zaha Hadid; Alex Blavatnik; Monica Kalpakian; Marvin Ross Friedman & Adrienne bon Haes; Michael Margulies; Daniel Novela; Tony Cho; Sylvia Cubina; Adriana Cisneros & Nick Griffin; Susanne Birbragher; George Lindemann; Franklin Sirmans; Kristy Edmunds; Robert Lynch; Alex Gartenfeld; Michael Kaiser and more. Maria Guilia Maramotti was dressed in Max Mara as were co-chair Tracey Berkowitz, Lydia Pinnell, Stacey Galbut, Erin Newberg, Angela Birdman and Diane Lieberman.
Throughout the dinner by STARR Catering Group, a series of performance vignettes directed by Yazbeck featured YoungArts alumni, including Desmond Richardson (1986 Winner in Dance and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Dave Eggar (1987 Winner in Music and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), India Carney (2011 Winner in Theater, Voice and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Andrew Nemr (1997 Winner in Dance), Jake Goldbas (2007 Winner in Jazz), Pascal Le Boeuf (2004 Winner in Jazz and Music), Riley O’Flynn (2014 Winner in Dance), Anne Malin Ringwalt (2013 Winner in Writing), and Anais Perez (2015 Winner in Visual Arts). The celebratory evening concluded with a night of dancing under the stars, open bar and desserts with music by DJ Cassidy. Additional support for the Backyard Ball was provided by EventStar Structures, Bacardi, Braman Motors. Miami Herald, MIAMI Magazine, and Seabourn.
Tony Yazbeck, Sarah Arison, Robert Wilson, & Rosie Perez
Sarah Arison
Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez & Desmond Richardson
Rosie Perez & Sarah Arison
Sarah Arison, Maria Giulia Maramotti, Rosie Perez, Tony Yazbeck, & Billy Porter
Tony Yazbeck, Rosie Perez, & Billy Porter
Tony Yazbeck, Rosie Perez, & Robert Wilson
Andrew Nemr, Dave Eggar, & Jake Goldbas
Pascal Le Boeuf, Jake Goldbas, Andrew Nemr, Desmond Richardson, Riley O’Flynn, & Dave Eggar
Camilo & Nina Miguel, Cody Courbier, & Marisa Fort
Bernardo Fort Brescia, Marvin Ross Friedman, Adrienne bon Haes, & Laurinda Spear
George Lindemann, Jane Wooldridge, & DJ Cassidy
George Lindemann & Tom Neely
Bob Lynch & Nora Halpern
Jaie Laplante & Kareem Tabsch
Tony Yazbeck
Franklin Sirmans
Lisa Leone & Rosie Perez
Sarah Arison
Tony Yazbeck & Billy Porter
Rosie Perez & Billy Porter
Rosie Perez
Franklin Sirmans, Lisa Heiden-Koffler, & Adam Koffler
Alfredo & Silvia Cubina, Alex Gartenfeld, & Kira Flanzraich
Robert Wilson
Kelly Framel & Zachary Lynd
Lauren Gnazzo & Luis Rigual
Anastasia Koutsioukis, John Lin, & Ahmet Erkaya
Rachel & Joe Furst
Oti Roberts & Adriana Cisneros
DJ Cassidy
Billy Porter
India Carney & Billy Porter
India Carney
Andrew Nemr & Desmond Richardson
Gino Campodonico, Joseph Quinones, Stacey Russell, & Matthew Dugow
Daniel Novela & Andreea Baclea
Ximena & Tony Cho
Anais Perez
India Carney
Anne Malin Ringwalt
Anne Malin Ringwalt & Desmond Richardson
Riley O’Flynn
Desmond Richardson
Desmond Richardson & Riley O’Flynn
Riley O’Flynn & Desmond Richardson
Desmond Richardson
Jose Mendez, Paco Gonzalez, Keith Menin, Joseph Natale, & Jared Galbut
Robert & Ana Barlick
Ana Barlick & Michele Oka Doner
Ana Barlick, Michele Oka Donner, Bob Lynch, & Nora Halper
Bernardo Fort Brescia, Steve Owens, & Jane Wooldridge
Andreea Baclea & Angela Birdman
Anna Williams & Eric Bradshaw
Ricardo Perez, Kristen Doddo, & DJ Cassidy
Rachel Furst, Ricky Elias, & Connor Castellano
Lauren Fitzpatick, Lydia Pinnell, & Felicia Marquez
Monica Kalpakian
Tina Martin & Charlie Venturi
Manny & Josie Vadillo
Alan & Nathan Lieberman, Angela & Louis Birdman
Elysze Held & John Lin
DJ Cassidy & Keith Menin
Oren Alexander & Keith Menin
Zachary Lynd & Kelly Framel
Julie & Oltion Mollaymeri
Joan Morgan, Lisa Leone, & Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez
Backyard Bash
Rosie Perez & DJ Cassidy
DJ Cassidy
Mikey & Sunny Centrella
Danielle Garno, Stacey Galbut, & Jackie Tommasino
Clare Laverty, Oren Alexander, & Ana Valentine
Tony Cho, Clare Laverty, Oren Alexander, & Ana Valentine
Maureen O’Brien, Xavier Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Dana Hagendorf, & David Feldman
Axi Mines, Oltion & Julie Mollaymeri
Bud & Melanie Fairey
Marvin Ross Friedman & Adrienne bon Haes
Eliza & Benjamin Elias
Nicholas Griffin & Adriana Cisneros
James Ferraro Jr & Lauren Fitzpatrick
Emily Gimblett & Christian Isaias
Tony Yazbeck, Jerome Begin, & Kaite Huff
