Cyndi Lauper, Ballets With a Twist Sells Out at the Beacon Theatre

Following a sold-out performance benefiting the True Colors Fund featuring special guest Cyndi Lauper at New York City's XL Nightclub and Cabaret, Ballets with a Twist, the hot next generation ballet company, will reunite with Lauper for a charity event at New York City's historic Beacon Theatre.

On December 8th 8:00pm, the True Colors Fund will partner with stars of song, stage, and screen to present Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays, a concert to raise awareness about homelessness within the LGBT youth community and to support equality for all. The event, hosted by style-savvy Emmy winner Carson Kressley, will feature performances and appearances by Sarah McLaughlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Roberta Flack, and many more. One of these illustrious celebrities will make a surprise appearance with Ballets with a Twist as the company takes the stage to offer a taste of "Holy Water," an excerpt from the intoxicating, evening-length dance experience, Cocktail Hour. For the first time, the dance will feature live music, including vocal performances by some of New York's most soulful singers. On January 13th, Cocktail culturists can drink in the full Cocktail Hour suite when Ballets with a Twist returns to XL Nightclub and Cabaret with even more live music blended into the show.

Conceived and choreographed by celebrated dance-maker Marilyn Klaus - whose eclectic background ranges from vaudeville and show dancing to Isadora Duncan and classical ballet - Cocktail Hour is a sassy suite of dances, each inspired by a well-known beverage. The show both reinvents ballet and pays respect to the rich creativity of cocktail culture, launching the Martini, Mai Tai, Gimlet, Mint Julep, Shirley Temple and more off the menu and onto the stage.

Cocktail Hour features original music by Stephen Gaboury, who has collaborated with Klaus for over 20 years. Gaboury's music has been featured in film and on television. In 2004, he received a Grammy nomination for his work with pop/rock legend Lauper, with whom he recently contributed as co-writer for selections in her new musical Kinky Boots. He has also performed with many A-listers including Patti LaBelle, Suzanne Vega and Ute Lemper. Catherine Zehr is the artistic force behind the glamorous costume design. Her exquisite creations evoke the origins and spirit of each libation with vivid colors and embellishments.

Critics and audience members agree: Cocktail Hour is an artistically seductive must-see. The Huffington Post raves that Klaus is "blasting the boundaries between high art and entertainment," and that her style is a distinctive mix of "Hollywood glitz and New York polish," while The New York Times praises her as "witty and fantastic." Recent performances also caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal and New York City's PIX11 Morning News.

For more information on Ballets with a Twist, please visit www.balletswithatwist.com or www.facebook.com/gotoBalletswithaTwist. For more information on the True Colors Fund, please visit http://truecolorsfund.org. Tickets for Cyndi Lauper and Friends: Home for the Holidays can be purchased in advance at

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D004954E66276E0. Tickets for Ballets with a Twist's January performance at XL Cabaret can be purchased in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/286711.