Photos: Cynthia Erivo Honored at American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Fall Gala

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) honored Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo at its 2026 Fall Gala on Thursday, October 29, at the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City. Check out photos of the event.

Actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen presented Erivo with the award in recognition of her contributions to the performing arts and her work across multiple artistic disciplines.

The evening’s Halloween-inspired theme, Angels and Demons, brought a theatrical atmosphere to the annual celebration. Curated by ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, the one-night-only performance featured excerpts from Coppélia, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Sylvia, The Dream and Whipped Cream.

The program also included Frederick Ashton’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits, Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose and Agnes De Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil.

Featured ABT dancers included Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Thomas Forster, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, SunMi Park, Jake Roxander, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside, Roman Zhurbin, Sierra Armstrong, Léa Fleytoux and Tyler Maloney.

Following the performance, guests gathered for a black-tie dinner and dancing.

Among those in attendance were Katie Holmes, Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, Misty Copeland, Michael Kors and Lance LePere, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, Lake Bell, Famke Janssen, Matt Rogers, Tiler Peck, Isabella Boylston, Phillip Lim, Rashid Johnson, Sarah Hoover, Tina Leung, Coco Kopelman, Colin Cowie, Elizabeth Segerstrom, Elizabeth Sulcer, Greta Titelman, Jill and Sadie Kargman, Julia Loomis, Lizzie Asher, Marc Platt, Sai De Silva, Sanford Biggers and Stephanie Goto.

ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe and Executive Director Barry Hughson were also in attendance.

The Fall Gala serves as American Ballet Theatre’s flagship annual fundraising event, bringing together figures from the performing arts, fashion, entertainment, philanthropy and business. Proceeds support the company’s productions, new commissions, dancer training, educational programming and community engagement initiatives.

The 2026 gala was led by Grand Chairs Sloan Lindemann Barnett; Emily Blavatnik and Laila Blavatnik; and Julia Koch and Mary Julia Koch.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images