In Toronto and Montreal, supporting the arts and children’s advocacy tops over $1-million in donations

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Annual Gala.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Annual Gala, May 7, 2022, Montreal

When Quebec’s first professional ballet company, founded in 1957, hosted its last gala back in 2019, the locale was Montreal’s IGA Stadium. The 11,000-seat home of the Canadian Open tennis tournament saw hundreds of guests humming about during cocktail hour, a sea of round tables filling the courts for dinner and later a massive raised stage was the platform for the after-dinner showcase. On the evening of May 7, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, the organization’s key supporters gathered for a more intimate affair at Les Grands Ballets’ headquarters. And while this iteration may have been pared down, with just 200 in attendance, it was no less meaningful, in a romantic way (we are talking about ballet here). This homecoming was a reminder of the power of intimate gatherings and a celebration of people coming together, at last. The atrium inside Édifice Wilder, the organization’s home in Place des Arts, was the backdrop for a swish champagne reception and dinner served onstage in the Studio-Théâtre. The after-dinner showcase, which included excerpts from Sleeping Beauty, played out at arm’s length from gala attendees. Funds from the annual gala, which this year topped the $340,000 mark, will support the companies creation fund, to support the development of new contemporary works (more than 140 new works have been presented by Les Grand Ballets since its founding).

Rachele Buriassi and Esnel Ramos.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Cutting a rug after dinner: gala co-chairs Nadine Renaud-Tinker, RBC’s Quebec regional president and RBC’s regional vice-president of investment and retirement planning Maurice Côté, who also serves as chairman of the board of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens; Isabelle Hudon CEO of the Business Development Bank of Canada and former Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco; fashion model and president of Le Petits Rois Foundation Vânia Aguiar; Simon Brault director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts; and Les Grands Ballets artistic director Ivan Cavallari.

Elise Charbonneau, Gilles Coulombe and Isabelle Hudon.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Vânia Aguiar and André Carrier.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Simon Brault and Louise Sicuro.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Ivan Cavallari and principal dancer Rachele Buriassi.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

Grand Bellets general director Marc Lalonde and co chairs Nadine Renaud Tinker and Maurice Côté.Karine Kalfon/The Globe and Mail

The Butterfly Ball in support of Boost, May 26, 2022, Toronto

A couple of weeks later in Toronto, the 23rd annual Butterfly Ball, a black-tie dinner, which serves as the key fundraiser for the Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, was held at the Four Seasons Hotel. The evening, chaired by Claire MacNamara, raised north of $900,000, an impressive sum, which will directly support children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse and exploitation. Boost CEO Nora Constas, seated across from me at dinner, shared in her remarks some staggering statistics, including the number 6,000, which is how many investigations have been conducted by Toronto Police Service at Boost CYAC since 2013. ”Abuse is underreported, what we see and hear daily is just the tip of the iceberg” she said, adding that 60 per cent of children who experience abuse will develop long-term mental or physical issues if they don’t receive appropriate treatment. ”Boost provides programs that will allow these young people to develop coping skills and tools.”

Among those out at the ball: Sean McCann of Great Big Sea fame, who performed and shared his personal story of survival; committee members including Candice Sinclair, Christine Rezvanian and Isabella Baboury; TD’s national manager of LGBTQ2+ business development Al Ramsay; and ET Canada’s Sangita Patel, who served as emcee.