Photo Flash: Vanessa L. Williams and More at Dance Theatre of Harlem Vision 2013 Gala

The Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) held its Vision 2013 Gala honoring actress/singer Vanessa L. Williams on February 26th at the Mandarin Hotel in New York City. The Vision Gala raised $585,000 and the proceeds will benefit the Next Generation Fund and the Community Engagement Fund. BroadwayWorld has photos of the starry gathering below!

The evening's honorary chair was Chelsea Clinton, with Valentino D. Carlotti - Goldman, Sachs & Co as Grand Gala Sponsor, HBO CEO Richard Plepler, and his wife Lisa, and Hollywood power couple Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil as co-chairs. WABC-TV's Sade Baderinwa served as the special guest host.

"It was a magical evening. We showcased the talented, hard-working young dancers that we've been nurturing at the Dance Theatre Harlem and paid tribute to the beautiful and talented Vanessa L. Williams for her contributions to the performing arts," says Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director. "It was also the perfect opportunity to celebrate the return of the world-renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem Company by offering a preview of the ballet, Glinka, which will be part of the repertoire for our first New York City season as a new company in April at Jazz At Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center."

More than 300 corporate sponsors, supporters, friends, alumni and members of the board attended the event, including renowned opera singer and board member Jessye Norman, supermodel Alek Wek, actor Sean Ringgold from the soap opera One Life To Live, Vanity Fair's George Wayne, American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland, and New York City Principal Dancer Sara Mearns. Also in attendance were Williams' castmates from the forthcoming Broadway show, The Trip To Bountiful, Oscar Award-Winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Tony Award-Nominated Actress Condola Rashad, along with the production's producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones. Members of Dance Theatre of Harlem's Board of Directors were also on hand for the star-studded celebration, including Chairman of the Board Kendrick Ashton, Jr., Gala Committee Chair Leslie Wims Morris, along with board members Alpha Mom's Isabel Kallman, Olivia Scott Perkins, DTH Vice Chairman of the Board Michael Armstrong, Trey Muldrow, Asha Richards, Don M. Tellock, Chloe Drew, Zandra Perry Ogbomo, Aliya LeeKong and Spencer Means.

There were also performances by the DTH Cabriole Program and students of the DTH school. There was a special video tribute to Ms. Williams, showing memorable clips from her vast body of film, television and theatre works and a special performance choreographed to her music by choreographer Robert Garland, before she took the stage to receive her award. Williams spoke intimately and candidly about her long-held passion for the arts and how the arts helped to shape her career and life overall. She also shared a personal story about her connection to Dance Theatre of Harlem in that she attended a Dance Theatre of Harlem satellite program during her youth in Syracuse.

"We are thrilled and very grateful for the wonderful support shown by so many corporations and individuals," remarked Laveen Naidu, Executive Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem. "This gala marks an important turning point and will have a lasting impact on our programs and the institution as a whole."

Now under the leadership of Artistic Director Virginia Johnson and Executive Director Laveen Naidu, Dance Theatre was founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook. Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim encompassing performance, training in ballet and the allied arts and arts education and outreach. Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment to enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts.

Dance Theatre of Harlem has achieved unprecedented success, bringing innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to audiences in New York City, across the country and around the world. Serving as cultural ambassadors and representatives of the people of the United States they have participated in high profile tours abroad, notably to the former USSR in 1988, South Africa after the fall of Apartheid in 1992; and to China in 2000 following the signing of the 2000 US-China trade treaty. The DTH School and its arts education and outreach programs serve over 25,000 students and educators each year. Over 65% of students study on scholarship or tuition assistance at the school with an overwhelming number singling out their DTH experience as among the most important in their lives. In 2008, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, a 14-member touring group, was commissioned to carry the DTH legacy to wider American audiences and have impacted over 70,000 audience members since.

Dance Theatre of Harlem is located at 466 West 152nd Street in a landmark district in Harlem. The organization's award winning building houses four dance studios, administrative offices, library and archives, gift shop and a physical therapy facility.

Photo Credit: Joseph Rodman

AJ, Misty Copeland and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Kendrick Ashton, Vanessa L. Williams, Spencer Means, and Valentino Carlotti

Valentino Carlotti, Jessye Norman and Laveen Naidu

Zandra Perry Ogbomo, Kendrick Ashton, Marc Mezvinsky, Chelsea Clinton and Michael Armstong