Dear Friends,

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On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Performance Garage, we are delighted to announce our Annual Gala will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 6pm. Your support guarantees to make this event a tremendous success and we hope you will consider joining us for a memorable evening!

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This year, we honor Anne Ewers, whose successful 15-year tenure as CEO of the Kimmel Center was bookended by two global challenges: the 2008 Economic Crisis and COVID-19. After retiring the Center’s $30 million construction debt, she led the Kimmel’s restructuring, shifting it to an earned revenue model to support the Center’s eight Resident Companies, and simultaneously refocusing its programming to Broadway, Jazz, and Popular Mix. With the onslaught of the pandemic, Anne acknowledged the need for transforma- tional change, instigating and championing the merger of the Kimmel Center and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

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We recognized a kindred spirit in Anne Ewers, who worked tirelessly to make the Kimmel Center a home for performing arts just as we have made the Performance Garage the home for dance in Philadelphia.

Our 23rd Annual Gala goal is to raise $50,000 to support the Performance Garage. We hope that you will consider joining and help us meet our goal. The evening includes a reception at the adjacent Bethany Mission, which will include a live auction. A program of dazzling performances highlights the breadth of our work at the Performance Garage Theater, featuring:

• Philadelphia Ballet

• Philadanco

• DanceVisions Resident Artist Weiwei Ma, with an excerpt of a new work, 24 Solar Terms, and

• YouthMoves student-dancers from Franklin Learning Center, in a work by choreographer Deborah Manning. A former Philadanco and Alvin Ailey Principal dancer, Deborah serves as PG’sYouthMoves liaison, teaching dance technique classes in the Dance Program at FLC.

Your continued support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us to keep the arts alive for 23 years, particularly during this challenging period. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Sincerely,

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Jeanne Ruddy, Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Co-Founder

Kenyatta Donley, Gala Committee Chair