Share presents 64th ANNUAL BOOMTOWN 2017 GALA

SHARE, INC., the 64 year-old philanthropic organization dedicated to raising funds for developmentally disabled, abused and neglected children as well as medical research, hosted its annual Boomtown gala, "Let's Dance" tonight, Saturday, May 20, 2017 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills. The evening honored inspirational dance philanthropist Glorya Kaufman with the "Shining Spirit Award."

 

The always star-filled event sporting guests in "dressy Western attire" featured dinner and an evening of entertainment starring legendary recording artists, The 5th Dimension, featuring original member and lead vocalist, Florence LaRue. Actor/ventriloquist, Jay Johnson hosted and dynamite vocalist Lorena Peril performed with the SHARE Ladies. A highlight each year is a series of dance numbers featuring the ladies of SHARE and directed and choreographed by the award-winning Anita Mann Kohl. Gary Smith Exec-produced. Joan Kardashian is SHARE Board Chairman. Both a silent and live auction, overseen by auctioneer Jeffrey Lehman, incorporated unique trips and one-of-a-kind collectables.

Boomtown Show First Vice-President, Christine Wallace welcomed the more than 500 guests and introduced a video history of SHARE, noting "Founded 64 years ago in Los Angeles by women in the entertainment industry, SHARE has rasied over $65 million to benefit mentally and physically disabled children."

SHARE President, Ellen Feder presented the "Shining Spirit Award" to noted philanthropist Glorya Kaufman who was preceded on stage by dancers Jackie Schiffner and Joseph Hetzer, both students at the University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, performing Le Corsaire Pas de Deux.

Glorya Kaufman's passion for the arts, especially dance, have led to the generous support of a variety of institutions including UCLA which dedicated the Glorya Kaufman Hall in her honor. As a founding member and major contributor to the Los Angeles Music Center, the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance Series was established. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Julliard School in New York City have also benefited from Kaufman's generosity as have Fordham University and The Geffen Playhouse. Locally, Kaufman's foundation provides dance classes to underprivileged children throughout Los Angeles, with the goal of transforming the city's dance landscape. In 2012, her donation to USC established the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Many of the choreographers responsible for programming at The Music Center often teach master classes at the USC Glorya Kaufman International Center. She has also made a difference in the lives of children with vision issues, establishing an eye clinic at LA Children's Hospital, enabling children to receive free eyeglasses and further treatment. Kaufman recently donated her Paris apartment to USC with the specific purpose of housing children from infancy to age 18 having surgery at the Eye Clinic for Strabismus. She previously collaborated with Dr. Leonard Apt in creating a mobile eye cinic at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. Additionally, she generously contributed to the construction of the Donald Bruce Kaufman branch of the Los Angeles Public Library in Brentwood, named in honor of her late husband. Currently, Kaufman is working with Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles to convert a 1920's building into a 300 seat theater. The Gloryous Dance Affair, which she wrote and chronicles her memoirs, was published in October, 2016.

 

A special surprise "Member of the Year Award" was presented to Anita Mann Kohl.

 

Highlights of the musical production featuring the ladies of SHARE included:

 

· Singer Lorena Peril performing "Gonna Make You Sweat" and the finale, "Can't Stop the Feeling."

· "Dancin' Thru the Decades," featuring a medley of tunes from the past six decades, including : "Rock Around the Clock," "Jail House Rock," (50's); "Land of 1000 Dances," "I Got You Babe," (60's); "Bad Girls," "Conga" (70's); "Footloose," "Beat It," (80's); "Whoomp, There It Is," "Macarena," (90's), "Happy," (2017), and finale, featuring Lorena Peril, "Can't Stop The Feeling" (2017).

The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue performed their greatest hits including, "Up Up and Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep At All", among others and ended with the legendary "Age of Aquarius".

Ladies of SHARE performers:

Barbara Aaron, Terry Baldwin, Gia Bay, Beverly Bergmann, Lois Bloom, Samantha Faulkner, Ellen Feder (President), Wendy Hammers, Joy Jolise, Anita Mann Kohl (Choreographer), Adele Langdon, Bonnie Lythgoe, Renée Marino, Dolores Nemiro, Hannah Noval, Esther Rosenfield, September Sarno, Linda Schlesinger, Sandra Siegel and Christine Wallace.

An astounding roster of entertainers have participated in SHARE's "must-see" BOOMTOWN gala over the years and include: Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., John Wayne, Bob Hope and Judy Garland, with Johnny Carson hosting for ten years. Recent headliners include: Sharon Stone, Jennifer Holliday, k.d. lang, Jamie Lee Curtis and Bruce Willis.

Founded 64 years ago by seven women friends, today SHARE (Share Happily and Reap Endlessly) boasts 80 active members and is recognized as one of the most successful children's charitable organizations in Los Angeles. Among the groups they regularly support are: Exceptional Children's Foundation, CASA of Los Angeles, Stuart House, Center for the Partially Sighted and Team Prime Time, Inc. Members pride themselves on tackling all the work of the organization themselves without any staff support.

 

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