This week I photographed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s gala event at the Apollo Theater. As usual, the performance was impressive and a lot of fun to photograph. The Alvin Ailey company dancers performed excerpts of Home, Escapades and Revelations, Ailey campers performed Robert Battle’s The Hunt and students from the Ailey School also danced in a wonderful program. Toni Braxton was a special guest, and wow is she beautiful. She was a real sweetheart, too, and posed for photos with all the dancers after the show. Even with the glow of stars like Toni Braxton in attendance, it’s not really an important party until Bill Cunningham shows up. It’s really exciting when he arrives. Everyone starts taking his picture. I was excited for the chance to make an image of my own. The reception was stunning again (last year, the company’s New York City Center opening season gala was gorgeous), and it made perfect sense to me when I found out they worked with designer David Monn on this event, too. Monn’s events are really something special. I mean, he’s great at what he does. Everything looked amazing, but a highlight for me was hanging from the ceiling—the largest disco ball I’ve ever seen in my life (the photo barely does it justice)!