On Monday, November 8, 2010, Career Transition For Dancers celebrated its 25th Silver Anniversary with a
star-studded retrospective at City Center in New York City. The 90 minute non-stop performance spotlighted magical moments from past Jubilees. Presented once again by longtime sponsor ROLEX, the event was a smashing, sold out success.

Hosted by five-time Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury, the evening was an extraordinary spectacular of amazing dance and much deserved awards and recognitions. The show also featured such luminaries as Bebe Neuwirth,
Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, Karen Ziemba, Marge Champion, Desmond Richardson,
Charlotte D’Amboise and Marvin Hamlisch.

Most of the awards were presented early in the program allowing the audience to revel in the dynamic artistry of dancers from some of America’s greatest dance companies: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, MOMIX and Parsons Dance.

The Career Transition For Dancers’ Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance was presented to the organization’s four union founders:  Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Guild of Musical Artists, Screen Actors Guild – Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund; as well as an award each to The Barth Family (Andy & Avery Barth and Carmen Barth) and to CTFD President Cynthia G. Fischer.

Following this, Anthony Giacoio of The Capezio Ballet Makers Dance Foundation presented Trisha Brown with the 59th annual Capezio Dance Award. Famed dancer and choreographer Edward Villella presented The 2010 Rolex Dance Award to Twyla Tharp.

Breathless from the visual display, the elegantly clad guests strolled over to the Hilton New York for the Anniversary Supper, dancing with the dancers and a luxury auction of once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the Grand Ballroom which was a sea of white calla lilies and silver paillettes created by Joseph Campbell, Flowers by Brian under the watchful eye of dinner chair Janice Becker who also had tableaux of live ballerinas atop tables at the entranceway.

Longtime supporter and past CTFD honoree Patricia Kennedy who has been a passionate sponsor of dance and assisting dancers, recently took a page from CTFD’s playbook and has created Step Up 4 Vets to help retuning Vets to transition to civilian life. As she has in previous, she filled her table with Vets and their spouses.

This year she took the opportunity to present the Peace One Earth Medallion to Tiffany Smiley wife of Capt. Scott Smiley who was blinded in a road side attack in Iraq and is the only blind actively serving officer in the Army. He recently wrote the inspiring book Hope Unseen.

Then the party jumped into high gear and guests filled the large dance floor to overflowing.  Best selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford and husband Robert Bradford, Nurit Kahane, Donald and Barbara Tober, Stewart Lane and Bonnie Comley, Paola and Arnie Rosenschein, Edward and Caroline Deutsch, Bruce Michael and Caroline Lieberman were among the first to join the revelers and move to the beat.

The 25th Anniversary Chairs were Michele Herbert, Anka K. Palitz, Nicole Sexton and the late Allen Brill CEO & President of ROLEX Gala Chairs were Victor Elmaleh, Michele Riggi, James D. Rigler and Susan Fawcett Sosin. The Dinner Chair was Janice Becker; Auction Chairs were Ann Van Ness and Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick; West Coast Chair was Roberta Silbert; and the Journal Chair was Craig Dix. Vice Chairs were Gayle Conran, Alexander J. Dubé, Mercedes Ellington, Niko Elmaleh, Christina Rose and Irene Shen.

The show was produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo. Executive Producer was Alexander Dube Honorary Chairs were Cynthia Gregory, Bebe Neuwirth, Sono Osato, Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Lisa Niemi Swayze and Tommy Tune.  Through the efforts of the committees and artistic team, the 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee raised over $1.2 million dollars