The crème de le crème of Toronto high society gathered recently for the National Ballet of Canada’s 60thanniversary Diamond Gala at the Four Seasons Centre, a night of dining and dancing that raised$1.25-million.
Lloyd Robertson and Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson
Outside the centre, mannequin style models wearing specially designed tutus posed in the blistering heat while the 1500 guests were greeted with chilled water bottles. The red carpet was filled with the who’s who ranging from the Old Guard to some very avant garde party-goers. Most of the women were wearing long ball gowns with some in sassy cocktail dresses.
Jorn Weisbrodt, Rufus Wainwright and Emmanuelle Gattuso
The night began with an overture from Polovtsian Dances by Alexander Borodin that was on the programme of the National Ballet’s very first performance on November 12, 1951. This was followed by a welcome from Artistic Director Karen Kain who looked stunning in navy. The ballet portion of the night than began with an hour-long performance of very special short works, particularly sets of pas de deux.
Bernice Royce and Victor Royce, President & CEO of Rolex Canada
First up where Xiao Nan Yu and Jiri Jelinek performing a sexy, sassy, modern pas de deux from Amarant, a ballet that had premiered in Belgium in 2011. Husband and wife Guillaume Cote and Heather Ogden then performed a World Premiere of the very romantic Polar Night choreographed by Robert Binet for this special occasion. This was followed by the World Premiere of Silence Screams Venom, a riveting tour de force choreographed by Principal Dancer Guillaume Cote that featured Greta Hodgkinson and four male dancers and is certain to make him an exciting, upcoming choreographer in the dance world. It was the talk of the after party and created great twitter buzz. Sonia Rodriguez and Aleksandar Antonijevi (who is celebrating his 20th year with the ballet this year) partnered for a vignette from the evocative and humorous ’90s contemporary ballet Herman Scherman. The night then returned befittingly to the more classical and aptly selection excerpt from Diamonds From Jewels by George Balanchine. This featured the entire corps de ballet dancing to the 1967 traditional ballet.
Dance installation
Afterward, guests mingled at a cocktail reception featuring the night’s signature drink a lemon martini titled Skyy with Diamonds, and hors d’oeuvres such as mini cupcakes and smoked salmon pinwheels from North 44°.
The dinner onstage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Some notables spotted included Lloyd Robertson, Cleophée Eaton, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Ross Petty (husband of Karen Kain), Rex Harrington, Roz Ivey, Veronica Tennant, Victoria Jackman, Lydia Prince, Galen & Alexandra Weston, Elvio & Marlene DelZotto , John Macfarlane, Victoria Webster, Thor & Nicole Eaton, Lynda Prince, Jian Ghomeshi, Jorn Weisbrodt and Rufus Wainwright and Albert Schultz.
Principal Dancers Jillian Vanstone, Greta Hodgkinson, Heather Ogden & Xiao Nan Yu
Moi
About 550 of the guests were then escorted to the Four Seasons Centre stage for a special dinner prepared by celebrity chef Mark McEwan. Table for 10 tickets for this special privilege ranged from $15,000 – $25,000.
Photos by Gary Beechey
This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!
Arts & Culture, Style, events, fundraisers, money and happiness, networking, philanthropy, special occasions, spending money, spending money wisely
M∙A∙C has come out with two new fabulous collections - Beth Ditto and Casual Colour - that are definitely worth talking about.
Beth Ditto is a singer-songwriter formerly of the group Gossip.
Beth Ditto
Her 24-piece collection for M∙A∙C is fierce, provocative and colourful, reflecting her soft candy gloss side as well as her passion for punk.
Beth Ditto Collection
Powder to the People is the piece de resistance of this collection. This playful pressed powder has polka dot bits that you can experiment with to create highlighting effects by blending on your eyes, or you can simply use this as a multi-tone powder for your face to give a smooth finish.
Powder to the People
Other highlights include Life and Beth nail laquer and Blue Charge zoom mascara.
Life and Beth
Blue Charge Zoom Mascara
The nail polish is a special high gloss formula made with conditioners and UV protection. It glides on very smoothly and the shade really flatters nails. The mascara truly packs a punch and reflect Beth’s playful personality. The blue shade is very flattering and coats in one stroke.
Next is the M∙A∙C 17 piece Casual Color Collection where the highlight is the Lip & Cheek Colour.
Casual Colour Collection
Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour
Keep it Casual was my favourite because it had a deep, sexy pink shade (officially called warm wine) that really brought great colour to my lips and cheeks.
Keep it Casual
If you prefer a more paler or subtle look, Lazy Sunday (a baby pink) and Have a Lovely Day! (neutral nude) are ideal.
These two-in-ones apply very smoothly with a sheen finish. Absolutely love.
Style, product review, shopping, special occasions, spending money, spending money wisely
Every year, dynamic idealists gather at Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto for a powerful meeting of minds. There was no triskaidekaphobia at Moses Znaimer’s 13th ideacity presented byBlackberry, which even began June 13 with the theme “Lucky 13.”
Moses Znaimer addressing the audience
It turned out to be a lucky event with plenty of opportunities for chance meetings with some of the world’s greatest thinkers and extraordinary trailblazers.
This year’s roster of 50 speakers included guitar legend Liona Boyd, illusionist Simon Coronel, politician Preston Manning, Wealthy Barber author David Chilton, singer Jann Arden, pianist Michael Kaeshammer, possibilian David Eagleman, and so forth.
Jann Arden
Most of the speakers stayed throughout the conference and enjoyed hearing one another and mingling with each other and the guests, many of whom were extraordinarily successful or interesting in their own right.
Liona Boyd was particularly delighted because when she met the The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The Honourable David C. Onley, O.Ont. at ideacity, he promptly invited her to receive one of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Awards being awarded this week.
Liona Boyd
The networking lounge
This year’s ideacity theme was “The End is Nigh” or TEOTWAWKI, which stands for “The End of the World As We Know It.” Recognizing that “every new beginning comes from other new beginning’s end,” ideacity found that its audience was 81% optimists and their cheerful outlook and hopeful nature did not change over the course of the conference.
Composing the Toronto Symphony
Some of the most memorable moments included sexologists Ogi Ogas & Sai Gaddam calling poutine “the shemale porn of international cuisine”; illusionist Simon Coronel seamlessly making a card appear and disappear from a variety of places; composer Tod Machover creating – in collaboration with key Canadian musicians – live on stage the genesis of A Toronto Symphony, a work he is composing with the entire city of Toronto; one week job worker Sean Aiken reminding us that at any age we can work toward finding our true life passion; David Jay sharing his story of Asexuality and discovering that 3% of ideacity attendees were asexual; Dignified Death advocate Wanda Morris speaking of respecting an individual’s right to determine the nature and timing of their death; the entire audience performing Kabalah Yoga with Audi Gozlan, Shimmy belly-dancing with Shivaun Corry and bhangra-ing with BollyFit’s Reshmi Chetram.
Sean Aiken
Shimmy
Pinball Clemons
It’s not surprising that the crowd was so happy because in addition to being constantly mentally stimulated by the jam-packed speaker roster, each guest received their own Blackberry playbook with the ideacity app preloaded, was given a trendy Roots leather bag filled with goodies, was pampered with Aveda aromatherapy neck massages, enjoyed decadent networking delectables including oysters and shrimp hors d’oeuvres, and socialized at the famous afterparties at some of Toronto’s poshest hot spots including Spice Route, C-Lounge and Rosewater Supper Club.
A worthwhile and unforgettable conference that the guests look forward to all year.
This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!
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Massoud Abbasi
Massoud Abbasi is convinced that Toronto has what it takes to be the next “it” international city. And, he’s happy to trailblaze the way, particularly on the party scene. His Omega Group New York-London-Paris style events are really standing out in a city that prides itself on being a “kinder, gentler” New York. Omega Group soirees get happening at 11:30 pm (although they officially start at 8 pm) and go on easily til 2 am, with much of the crowd poring in after midnight.
Partygoers at Summer Soiree
“We’re providing a social platform for sophisticated Torontonians to professionally network and meet like-minded individuals,” stated Abbasi, “We want to bring the sophistication of big cities like London and New York to Toronto and create a community and encourage camaraderie among members in refined settings.”
Berkeley Church
The recent summer soiree, held at Berkeley Church, was another great success, attracting over 600 of Toronto’s hip and happening crowd, particularly professionals and those with global connections, heritage or businesses. Many of these jetsetters recently moved to Toronto from New York or Europe and are quite restless and Omega Group events are like a mecca for them.
Paul Pedersen T U Dawood Pallavi Valabji & Lasana Burrows
The poets, philosophers and party-goers enjoyed the unique set-up, the cocktails and the free-flowing Perrier and Purdy’s Chocolate. The venue lacked the opulence of The Carlu, but as the evening wore on, was ideal for a clubbing vibe and definitely had its own charm. Although DJ Lissa Monet played a new remix of Beyonce’s classic commitment cheer Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), this party was a sign of the times with the mostly single and ready to mingle crowd full of free spirits and Call Me, Maybe girls in summer dresses.
The guests may have been uber busy professionals and entrepreneurs by day, but at the event, were able to let loose and socialize and network in a relaxed yet sophisticated way.
Photos courtesy of Omega Group
Event PR by Evolution PR
This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!
Arts & Culture, events, networking, special occasions, spending money
Divas in the City returns for its 3rd year and is simply getting better and better. The mission of this event is to “to educate, inspire and connect the new demographic of young, independent, ambitious women in our city.”
Laura Furtado & Nikki Bergen
Laura Furtado, founder of DivaGirlFitness describes Divas in the City as “a socially driven, goal-directed event that will feature experts in various areas that are essential to the urban girl lifestyle – beauty, relationships, finance, career, fashion, nutrition and fitness.” Her co-founder of this event is Nikki Bergen, founder of The Belle Method, an exercise program for women.
Melyssa Moniz
This year’s speakers included Katia Millar (Positive Fabulous Women), Wendy Crystal (Inspired Cosmetics), Kimberly Moffit (Kimberly Moffit & Associates), Florence (Flo) Grunfelder (Money With Flo), Hannah Yakobi (FAJO Magazine), Angela McNally (Eating Pretty) and Sandra O’Brien (Goddess Creation formerly Bootcamp Goddess). Most of the speakers were animated and did a fabulous job of keeping the audience engaged and conveying very usual ideas and tips from their various fields. Particular highlights include Networking Ninja Katia Millar, Relationship Guru Kimberly Moffit and Fashionista Journalist Hannah Yakobi.
A bit of shopping at the hula hoop booth
Katia mesmerized the crowd with her authenticity and effortless ability to make connections and network. She explained the importance of a personal brand and how the first step was identifying, knowing and embracing your core values, what she eloquently described as your “secret sauce” that is special and different from everyone else in the world. She spoke about the importance of getting into the flow of conversations and shared that the net was a powerful networking tool for introverts.
Kimberly Moffit, a true dynamo, was also very effective. She shared her Top 5 tips for having it all, which include 1) setting goals, 2) Be honest with yourself and your partner about your ambitions 3) Finding a partner who supports you in all your ideas and goals (a good relationship should make u soar) 4) Never apologize for your success; instead own it, let yourself feel it; it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world; and 5) Thinking effortlessly. If want to live an effortless life, you must think effortlessly. Ms. Moffit also informed the audience of a Harvard study that discovered that only 2% of people set goals and write them down, but those 2% of people control the majority of wealth.
Tamika Auwai
Hannah Yakobi really gave a useful talk where she went through current trends including classic shapes, structured jackets and bright colours (neon orange royal blue yellow pumpkin especially for dresses). She informed that runways showcased conservative necklaces but uber daring slits, flowing fabrics showing serious leg, floral patterns, thin to medium sized belts, lots of head wear and 80s inspired suits.
This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!
Style, business trends, career development, entrepreneurship, events, women, women leaders
Scentsy is making a real name for itself in the fragrance world. Its success began with its flagship product wickless candles heated in decorative ceramic warmers, but now they’ve grown to a brand synonymous with scented products including their brand new and Layers by Scentsy, a personalized fragrance experience that lets customers build a signature scent using nine body and laundry care products.
We checked out their Sugar Cookie Body Butter, Quiver Body Spray, Luna hand cream, Quiver dryer disk and Coconut Lemongrass Washer Whiffs. The Layering principle is that you can either layer one scent or mix and match for your own unique preferred fragrance.
The scents are very distinct. Sugar Cookie is a very sweet scent with butter, sugar, and creamy vanilla while Java is much more subtle with delicate white florals (jasmine, sweet pea, and freesia), juicy berries, and sandalwood undertones. I particularly like Coconut Lemongrass which as a Washer Whiff made my laundry smell like I was in a spa! When I layered it adventurously with a Quiver (subtle vanilla, sandalwood and tuberose) dryer disk, I was too impressed with the combo and with Quiver on its own, there wasn’t enough of a scent to the laundry.
I preferred to find a flavor I love such as Coconut Lemongrass and layer it through a variety of products rather than to mix and match, but I’m sure other people may prefer their personal blends.
It’s June 17th and the question on everyone’s minds is “what’s hot for Dads?”
In fact, even literary icon Margaret Thatcher just tweeted, “Happy Fathers’ Day! (Tie: too 50s? Knife set? Golf item? Vinyl LP? BBQ accessory? Case of Moosehead? Trip to Mars? What’s hot for dads?).
Whether it’s for the man who has always spoiled you or the father of your children, here’s our annual guide to how to great last minute gifts for his special day.
For the Tech Guy:
Get your Dad the Canon EOS 60Da. The shots taken with this tech gizmo are simply mesmerizing. This high tech camera is designed for astro-snaps specifically and is an 18-megapixel, APS-C CMOS has an ISO range that runs to 12,800, letting in enough light for you to capture the stars. A gift your father can enjoy in moments of solitude with shots that he can endlessly show off to his friends. Also, a great bonder for granddads and grandkids.
For the Hair Guy:
If your man has Justin Bieber hair or sexy locks, check out a limited-edition Father’s Day Gift Set by Schwarzkopf Professional’s brand new men’s line 3D Men Hair effect. With neon green and black packaging, it’s uber masculine to look at and is fabulous product that will effectively and easily shape his do in a high impact, manly way. The brand has a great slogan: Men like to keep their options open. No wonder, men expect their hair care to be just like them.
For the Book-Reading Guy:
Robin Sharma’s books make great gifts for Dads. For the noble man who has always been your inspiration, The Leader Who Had No Title is a fabulous guide to showing leadership, having power and playing at your peak, regardless of position. Similarly, Robin Sharma Daily Inspiration is an uplifting book of quotes that truly energize and transform the lives of readers.
Conrad Black’s A Matter of Principle is another hot read, as are The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin and The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney.
For the Sporty Guy:
LUSH Cosmetics The Guv’ner is an unforgettable gift for your Dad. It is an “odour-busting blend of sage, lavender and patchouli in a super absorbent charcoal and lycopodium base” and was tested every day for 3 months wearing white shirts. Pure magic, this loose powder deodorant is a pain to use (grey powder goes everywhere) but somehow it works and works better than traditional drugstore roll-ons and aerosols. The moisture-absorbing charcoal also contains antiseptic and astringent sage and patchouli for its cooling, astringent properties on the skin.
For the Pampered Guy:
L’OCCITANE is always known for luxury products but their hot Verdon Energy Moisturizer is like putting a bit of heaven on your face. Created especially for active guys, it intensely moisturizes and soothes the skin after a shave. It contains purifying peppermint essential oil, sea-buckthorn moisturizing water, nourishing and energizing oil, and protecting genepi extract, which have been selected in response to specific needs of men’s skin.
For the Sexy Guy:
The scent of musk is considered a principal attraction between the sexes. If you gift The Body Shop’s White Musk Eau De Toilette Pour Homme to the father of your children, this is definitely a gift the two of you can enjoy. It’s a modern, masculine and seductive infusion of musk and woods with crisp, fresh, and aromatic notes; think of the male gift alternative to sexy lingerie!
For the sportier male, this musk comes in a Sport version as well which has a zesty touch with notes of grapefruit and lemon fused with sensual amber.
********THE BODY SHOP & LADIESFUND® POST FATHER’S DAY CONTEST*******
For those readers who forgot Father’s Day, are apart from their Dads or believe their Dads should be pampered year round and really wish they could show this special man how wonderful he is, The Body Shop Canada & LADIESFUND® have teamed up to come to the rescue with a special giveaway to the father of a fan who has the most heart-warming story of why her father deserves to be pampered. This gift package (a $70 value) will be sent to the very deserving father and will include the following items:
· For Men Maca Root Shave Cream ($10.00)
· For Men Maca Root Deodorant Stick ($6.00)
· For Men Maca Root Face Wash ($12.00)
· White Musk For Men Eau de Toilette ($28.00)
· White Musk For Men Hair & Body Wash ($14.00)
To win, just post your name, city your Dad lives in, and comment on why you think your Dad deserves this post Father’s Day gift. All entries must be received by Wednesday, June 20, 2012. You get a bonus entry if you follow @ladiesfund on twitter and tweet about this and then comment here in a separate comment that you’ve tweeted about it. Good luck!
Style, business trends, giveaways, money and power, money and relationships, product review, shopping, spending money wisely
Artistic Director Karen Kain is truly taking the National Ballet of Canada to new heights. Tonight’s triple bill of three very distinct pieces was an ingenious way to end the company’s 60th anniversary season.
Artists of the Ballet in Elite Syncopations Photograph by Cylla von Tiedemann
After the morose dancing of Hamlet, these vibrant vignettes showcased the National Ballet’s breadth, depth and exceptional talent. It was also a history tour of the last thirty years of ballet and as Artist in Residence Rex Harrington stated at the pre-ballet talk, it shows the National Ballet’s distant past, middle past and future.
Tanya Howard and Zdenek Konvalina in Chroma Photographer Cylla von Tiedemann
The evening began with the playful ragtime Elite Syncopations, choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan and with the accompaniment of a fully costumed band of company orchestra players onstage led by retired music director Ormsby Wilkins. First performed by the National Ballet of Canada in 1978 with Karen Kain playing the lead female role, Elite Syncopations featured Xiao Nan Yu in the spotlight this time around. However, this ballet is truly an ensemble piece with a hurricane of dance and comedy, effortlessly swinging between pas de deux and corps de ballet.
Elena Lobsanova and Jiří Jelinek in Chroma Photographer Bruce Zinger
The dancers dressed in hand-painted body tights by designer Ian Spurling charm the audience with a fast-paced romp. There are many memorable mini dance competitions and the much loved Tall-short pairing pas de deux danced by Christopher Stalzer and Adji Cissoko.
Chroma
The second performance Song of a Wayfarer was polar opposite from the first. A very traditional, somber, technique driven piece originally choreographed by Belgian Maurice Bejart for Rudolf Nureyev and Paolo Bortoluzzi in 1971, this duet is truly timeless. Mahler’s lyrics to the classic song Song of a Wayfarer were sung hauntingly by baritone Peter Barrett. Emotion-filled and intense, a young man (played by Zdenek Konvalina) struggles with his double (played by Guillaume Cote). We are unsure what this shadow is, whether his conscience or his destiny, but it is clear this demon has to be reconciled with. The performance gathered a well-deserved standing ovation.
Zdenek Konvalina and Guillaume Côté in Song of a Wayfarer Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
The last performance of the night was the highly anticipated Wayne McGregor futuristic dazzler Chroma,originally choreographed for Britain’s Royal Ballet in 2006 and first performed by the National Ballet in 2010. With neon lighting and androgynous costumes, this frenzied, cutting edge, highly technical ballet held the audience at the edge of its seats. It’s white décor world is as enigmatic yet whole as the dark, black filled world of the Matrix films. Composer Joby Talbot includes orchestrations of three songs by The White Stripes. The jagged edge of the score is a perfect foil for the rapid fire choreography and stark white backdrop which only serves to highlight the architecture of the human body and the nature of physical movement.
Until Jun. 17, 2012; Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen Street W; 416 (toll free 1 866) 345-9595 or www.national.ballet.ca.
This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!
Arts & Culture, money and happiness, shopping, spending money, spending money wisely
Gotta hand it to Kim and the Kardashian crew, or should I write “krew.” These gals sure have sass, but I must admit they know their colour.
They have designed for Nicole by OPI some sizzling hawt nail laquers that they’ve named “Celeb-Bitties” and “Sophisti-Cuties.” The first pack of 4 minis is feminine shades of popular pinks while the latter is more silvers and blacks.
Celeb-Bitties
Sophisti-Cuties
These packs are designed so you can change your nail colour often of experiment with nail light. The colour selections are nice and full of full opportunities but right off the bat, I really fell in love with certain shades.
Wear Something Spar-Kylie
Wear Something Spar-Kylie = LOVE.
Just see it on:
Wear Something Spar-Kylie when applied
Perfect for summer. Perfect for a cocktail reception, summer soiree, patio party. Would have been ideal for Scrubs in the City or the Butterfly Ball fundraisers. This year, Suzanne Rogers and many other VIPs made it a point to wear fuchsia to key events and this nail shade would work perfectly with their outfits.
All three other shades in this 4-pack - All Kendall-ed Up (fuchsia), Kim-pletely in Love (wedding pink) and Sealed With a Kris (blood red) are wearable, striking shades. A fabulous collection.
The Sophisti-Cuties collection also has some winners, but seems a bit more wintery or goth with its chocolate and dark shades.
I did fall in love with Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam, though.
Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam
It’s a very sexy, high impact shade of blue that would stand out in a crowd of candy pinks.
My Empire … My Rules was a bit like Hallowe’en goo in shade, but Hard-Kourt Fashionista is a can’t lose chocolate while Follow Me Glitter is a packs a punch silver sparkler.
These 6 ladies know their “Kolor” and have formed a perfect partnership with Nicole by OPI.
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