Fundraiser Brings Worlds of Dance and Fine Jewels Together

Devon Fine Jewelry and the Wyckoff School of Dance partnered Saturday night to bring the worlds classical ballet and fine jewels together for their fundraiser “Gems of the Dance: Uniting the Arts for a Better World.”

Held at The Brick House Restaurant, all proceeds from the event went to benefit the Devon Foundation which provides gemology and lapidary scholarships to the poverty-stricken people of Madagascar so that they might take full advantage of the gemstone-rich land in which they live.

The evening began with a cocktail hour featuring champagne and a variety of hors d’oeuvres. After the cocktail hour, students from the Wyckoff School of Dance performed a series of short ballet numbers which included also included few solo performances. Inspired by the George Balanchine ballet “Jewels,” each set of dances featured a particular gemstone in their title, and was highlighted by the dancer’s outfits.  “Just as gemstones must be polished to become beautiful jewelry, a ballet dancer’s talent must be polished until…they [can] become one with the music,” said Wyckoff School of Dance founder Diana Dana.

From the youngest students to the most advanced ballet students, each group of dancers performed their piece with grace, poise, and a fluidity of movement that truly captivated the audience.An equally impressive highlight of the evening was special guest Helene Alexopolous Warrick, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Warrick spoke engaged the crowd for over ten minutes as she discussed her journey from being a little girl in Chicago who took dance lessons three days a week to becoming a principal dancer with the famous New York City Ballet, with which she stayed with for over two decades. At the end of the evening both Warrick and her daughter, Alexandra, were given pink sapphire necklaces as gifts from Devon Fine Jewelry founder Nancy Schuring. “We [were] truly blessed to be honored with the presence of [Warrick]a person who reached for the world, grabbed it, and held it,” said Schuring.

Guests were also invited to bid on a wide variety of items for a silent auction. Items included several specimens of jasper from Madagascar and an original 14k white gold necklace with sapphire, amethyst and diamond accents donated by Devon Fine Jewelry; a rare, framed lithograph of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, an accented shadow boxes containing ballet shoes worn and autographed by Georgina Pazcoguin, Sara Mearns, and Lydia Wellington of the New York City Ballet; a 4 day/3 night Caribbean cruise for two  courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines; a gift certificate for wine and cocktails for two at The Brick House; three handmade notepaper baskets from Madagascar; manicure gift certificates from Angel Tips Nail Spa and RealBody Boot Camp and a FabFelt handbag.