Ball gowns with opera gloves, sequinned bodycon dresses and jumpsuits were flaunted Wednesday evening as dozens of actors and guests posed for cameras and curious onlookers before heading to Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater for the New York City Ballet’s annual fall gala.
“I laid out six dresses on the bed, and this was the last one before I sweated through menopause,” said Bridget Everett, the comedian, “Somebody Somewhere” actress and gala co-chair, who wore a strapless dress with orange and white vertical stripes.
The crowd included actress Sarah Jessica Parker, vice chair of the ballet company’s board of directors, and her husband, actor Matthew Broderick; Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, accompanied by his fiancée, writer and former ballerina Melanie Hamrick; actress Amy Sedaris; comedian and drag king actor Murray Hill; and reality TV star Olivia Palermo.
But there was one notable group missing from the red carpet: the company dancers.
In a letter sent to management, signed by the entire company, the dancers said they would boycott the event’s red carpet and dinners — even if they performed — due to a “lack of progress” in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous three-year agreement, negotiated with the American Guild of Musical Artists, expired on August 31.
The dancers have continued to work under the terms of the previous agreement while negotiations continue. According to the AGMA/NYCB negotiating committee, the dancers fulfilled their contractual obligations to perform at the gala.
“We made the collective decision not to attend the dinner or walk the red carpet because we wanted our absence to be felt,” the group said in a statement. “We hoped to demonstrate, respectfully but unequivocally, how essential artists are to this company – and how undervalued we feel right now.”
The company argued that its dancers needed pay increases that kept pace with rising inflation in New York.
According to the letter, “the proposed percentage increase is far less than what AGMA artists from almost every other dance company in the country have received over the past 12 months.” And the current proposal “does not reflect the value, dedication, or professional expertise that NYCB dancers and stage managers bring to this institution.”
Diana L. Taylor, chair of the New York City Ballet board of directors, said in an interview at the event that the dancers “are going to do what they want.”
“It is what it is,” said Ms. Taylor, who in 2021 became the first woman to lead the organization in its 73-year history. “We’re sad they’re not here, but they did an incredible job tonight.”
The gala show began with “Composer’s Holiday,” with choreography by Gianna Reisen, music by Lukas Foss and costumes by Virgil Abloh, the Off-White designer who died in 2021.
It was followed by “Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux,” performed by Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia. The piece was choreographed by William Forsythe, with music by Thom Willems and costumes by Gianni Versace and Mr. Forsythe.
The program concluded with the world premiere of “Foreseeable Future,” choreographed by Jamar Roberts and set to electronic music by Venezuelan musician Arca, with costumes by Iris van Herpen.
After the performances, about 800 attendees, not including company dancers, spread out around candlelit tables on the boardwalk for a dinner of black cod, forbidden rice and blackcurrant cheesecake.
Several gala chairs were scattered around the room, including actress Nicole Ari Parker, actress and model Julia Fox and actor Hugh Dancy, as well as philanthropists including Georgina Bloomberg. The event raised approximately $3 million for the New York City Ballet.
Sarah Jessica Parker wore a pair of giant black wings throughout the evening, including during the show and dinner.
“They don’t come off!” Ms. Parker, wearing a black and beige dress by Ms. van Herpen, said during dinner. “But I sat next to my husband, so he was forgiving. And they came down, so I didn’t block anyone’s view.”
