NEW YORK, NEW YORK and CULVER CITY, CALIF. (August 25, 2020) – Stars of the cult classic film CENTER STAGE, including Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana, Sascha Radetsky and Ethan Stiefel, will come together on Tuesday, September 1 for a virtual fundraiser in support of American Ballet Theatre’s Crisis Relief Fund, which provides aid for dancers, production crew, musicians, ballet staff and faculty impacted by canceled tour engagements due to COVID-19. During the pre-recorded reunion, moderated by “CNN Newsroom” anchor Poppy Harlow, the actors will look back at the making of the film that spawned two sequels and helped bring the ballet world into the pop culture spotlight.
The reunion will premiere simultaneously on the American Ballet Theatre and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment YouTube channels at 7:30pm EDT. Viewers on both channels will be able to use YouTube’s integrated fundraising capabilities to donate to the ABT Crisis Relief Fund.
American Ballet Theatre will also be hosting a ticketed pre-event reception via Zoom, beginning at 6:15pm EDT. Moderated by ABT dancer Erica Lall and ABT Accelerator Co-Chair and Gagosian Gallery Director Sarah Hoover, the reception will feature an exclusive conversation with Sascha Radetsky, former ABT Soloist and Artistic Director of ABT Studio Company and Ethan Stiefel, former ABT Principal Dander and current faculty member. Tickets, benefitting the ABT Crisis Relief Fund, will start at $150; for more information please email specialevents@abt.org.
Center Stage, which celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year, follows a group of ballet students in the competitive world of professional dance where they must devote themselves to their art with the rigor of Olympic athletes. While experiencing the joys, sorrows and conflicts of youth they vie for a place in a prestigious ballet company and strive to take center stage. The film has inspired two sequels, Center Stage: Turn It Up and Center Stage: On Pointe, and an upcoming series in development with Sony Pictures Television. Center Stage is available now on disc and digital.
ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
American Ballet Theatre is one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 300,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so. For 80 years, the Company has appeared in a total of 132 cities in 45 countries and has performed in all 50 states of the United States. ABT has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Paris, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Oman. On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America’s National Ballet Company ®.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.
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