Party Pictures 3/2/05 - The American Museum of Natural History's Winter Dance; First annual Sanskriti benefit cocktails and dinner; Kick-off party for Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Bunny Hop

The Winter Dance Celebrates Heavenly Bodies of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History

Alexis Bryan and Moby

Olivia Chantecaille and Eric Villency

Amy Astley and Cristina Cuomo

The American Museum of Natural History held its Winter Dance (Celebrating the Heavenly Bodies of the Universe) last Thursday, the 17th of February. This is one of New York’s most popular junior events, drawing more than 600 of the young sophisticates (and according to your tastes, some of the heavenly bodies, if you will). The evening began with cocktails and dinner in the museum’s magical Rose Center for Earth and Space, followed by dancing in the Cullman Hall of the Universe under the magnificent sphere of the Hayden Planetarium. Proceeds from this fund-raising event go to support the museum’s scientific and educational programming.

Honorary chair was Moby. Co-chairs were Claire Bernard, Olivia Chantecaille, Lauren Davis, Tinsley Mortimer, Eugenia Silva, and Ivanka Trump. Dress code was “celestial black tie.”

The Rose Center for Earth & Space

Among the stellar attendees: Darryl Hammond, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Seth Myers, Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, Charles Rockefeller, Ted Roosevelt V, Victoria Traina, Donald Trump, Jr. and Vanessa Hayden, Behnaz Sarafpour, Eleanor Lembo, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Harrison LeFrak, Jackie and Mortimer Sackler, Scott Sartiano, Fabian and Martina Basabe, Alex de Rothschild, Nina Garcia and David Conrod, Kim Hicks, Rebekah Hirsch, Alexia Kondylis, Kimberly Kravis Schulhof, Elizabeth Meigher, Laura Meiland, Lisa Hilhne Meiland, Kelly Bensimon, Kim Garfunkel, Amy Astley, Harry and Kill Kargman, Peter Som and Jessie Della Femina.

The floral centerpieces included hydrangea, tulips, gerbera daisies and sunflowers. They raised $36,000 at the auction, which with ticket sales brought the total to $250,000.

Ivanka Trump, Harry LeFrak, and Palmer Jones

Patrick McMullan and Amy Poehler

Dancing in the Cullman Hall of the Universe

Tara Subkoff

Will Forte and Seth Myers

Ashley Olsen and Scott Sartiano

Kim Garfunkel with her son

Alexandra Wilkis, Lara and Lisa Meiland, and Zani Gugelmann

Donald Trump, Jr. and Vanessa Hayden

Zac Posen and Alexia Kondylis

Lauren Davis, Claire Bernard, Tinsley Mortimer, Ivanka Trump, and Olivia Chantecaille

Fabian and Martina Basabe

Zac Posen and Kate Schelter

Brittany Gastineau

Kelly Bensimon

Laura Poretzky and Alexia Kondylis

Dhani Jones and friend

Ivanka Trump and Vanessa Hayden

Dinner in the Powerhouse

Ashley Olsen

Photographs by D Finnin/AMNH & R. Mickens/AMNH

First annual Sanskriti benefit cocktails and dinner

L. to r.: Monique Rosenblum, Anita Trehan, Swati Bhise, and Zenab Uras; India's Famous dancer, Sonal Man Singh.

Richard Turley, Payal Chaudhri, and Swati Bhise

Last Thursday night over at the Racquet and Tennis Club, the Sanskriti Center held its first annual benefit. Sanskriti Center is the first Indian school in Manhattan dedicated to children.

Children of from ages 4-18 are welcome to attend and learn about the Indian culture whether yoga, dance, food, language or art history. Swati Bhise, Founder and President was emcee for the evening.

Among those attending were Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Debbie Bancroft, Payal and Rajiv Chaudhri, Sophie Dahl, Michael J. Fox, Meera Gandhi, Steve and Joanna Meringoff, Stan O’Neill-CEO and Chairman of Merrill Lynch, Rahul Rana, Phylicia Rashad, Bunty Sawhney, Sundaram Tagore, Anita Trehan and Seran Trehan.

The dinner featured a Bollywood theme, with delectable Indian cuisine and special décor ordered directly from Bombay. There was a special dance performance by Sonal Mansingh, India’s greatest dancer. All proceeds went directly to Sanskriti Center.

Bunty Sawhney, Debbie Bancroft, and Nancy Cooley

Patricia Dhar, Mona Sinha, and Mariana Guernieri

Meera Gandhi and Kimberley Putzer

Photographs by Chance Yeh /PMc

Kick-off party for Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Bunny Hop at Ralph Lauren

Hilary Dick and Libby Fitzgerald

Courtney Moss, Katie Colgate, and Alexandra Mandis

Spring is just around the corner if the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Bunny Hop is a harbinger of the season of flowers. Next Tuesday, March 8th, is the date, at the American Girl Place on Fifth Avenue. The Bunny team got together to for a kick-off party last week at the Ralph Lauren Stores, at 72nd Street and Madison Avenue, where they enjoyed a continental breakfast and private shopping spree.

Leslie Heaney and Nicole Garwood

The event’s three new chairs were there, up bright and early to meet their guests: Katie Colgate, in brown plaid/tweed pants with pink piping and a pink sweater, with Lucite jeweled buttons all by Rebecca Taylor, Alexandra Mandis, in a bubblegum pink twin set and toffee-colored pants from Chanel, and Courtney Moss, in a Cynthia Rose patterned pink and eggplant wrap around blouse and Rock and Republic boot cut jeans.

Melissa Berkelhammer was there in an ultra glam Paul & Joe tailored knee length coat. Somers Farkas, looking glamorous even at that hour in a full length dark blue and white sweater coat over straight leg jeans. Also present were last year’s chairs Leslie Heaney, Mary Darling and Leslie Coleman; Anne Grauso; photographer Mia Matheson, Armene Milliken, Hilary Dick, Alicia Cordon, Celeste Boele, Natalie Leeds, Chesie Breen, Suzie Fairchild, and Courtney Arnot who was dressed perfectly for the occasion in a warm, heavy knit native-American print sweater by Polo.

Melissa Berkelhammer and Armene Milliken

The big hero of the morning was Ralph Lauren, who received The 2003 Society Award for Excellence in Corporate Leadership for his dedication to providing cancer screening and care to the underserved. Ralph couldn’t attend the gathering and was represented by Mary Ellen Coyne, Garine Zerounian, Meghan Myers and Rebekah Hirsch. His company Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, in equal partnership with Scalamandré, has underwritten this year’s Hop, at $40,000 each. This means that all the funds raised at the event will go directly to this year’s goal to support the Associates partnership with the Eunice School in the Department of Pediatrics. The partnership helps to provide for the Center's educational needs, such as computer based learning programs, school supplies, teacher programs and a school re-entry program.

Many went home happily with gift bags which included a Polo Pink Pony t-shirt and a photo album including Kristen Clark, Christina Addison, Maria Villalba, Lisa Errico, Lisa Will-Kaess, Libby Fitzgerald, Wendy Arriz, Brooke Livingston, Laura Burgio, Courtney Arnot, Abigail Moore, Christine Smith, Jodi Edmond, Eliza Nordeman, Janet Allon, Nicole Garwood, happily went home with gift bags which included a Polo Pink Pony T-Shirt in one of a myriad of colors and a photo album.

Reminder: the big night is Tuesday, March 8th, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Tickets start at $125 for adults and $50 for children, by advance sale only, call 212-639-7975.

See you on the Bunny Trail.