by Natasha Wolff | July 17, 2012 12:00 am
Newport and sailing go together like chocolate and peanut butter: It’s hard to imagine them ever apart. And yet the Rhode Island town and the America’s Cup [1]World Series were separated for nearly three decades. In late June, the pair reunited with all the fanfare you’d expect, with Moët & Chandon[2] served in gold mini-flutes and sailing greats from decades past in attendance. Over the course of four days, fans filled Fort Adams State Park, overlooking the blue-gray waters of Narragansett Bay, to watch fast-paced AC45 catamarans compete in the final stop of the Series. The Match Racing title went to Sweden’s Artemis Racing, while Oracle[3] Team USA—led by skipper James Spithill—grabbed the Fleet Racing Championship. Moët, the official sponsor, capped the week with an exclusive VIP cocktail party at the Breakers[4] hosted by CEO Stephane Baschiera. On tap were six magnums of Grand Vintage 1983 from the Moet cellars in Epernay, France, commemorating the last time the America’s Cup had landed in Newport. Santé! —Sarah O’Neill Fernandez
The Newport Art Museum[5] celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Centennial Gala on July 7. More than 240 supporters, including Representative David Cicilline, wandered the galleries during cocktails and then descended on the lawn of the museum for dinner. Afterwards, guests danced late into the night to the sounds of The Mac Chrupcala Orchestra. —S.O.N.
Celebrating the 5th Annual Nantucket Dance Festival[6], the Nantucket Atheneum hosted a cocktail reception for dance aficionados and donors at the Great Harbor Yacht Club. The festival, under the direction of Black Swan choreographer, Benjamin Millepied (Natalie Portman’s husband), featured dancers from the New York City Ballet[7], American Ballet Theatr[8]e and London’s Royal Ballet[9]. The week-long festival included films, lectures, children’s classes, master classes and performances. —Michael Hite
Human-rights activist Rose Styron hosted a mid-summer gathering for The Yard[10]‘s 40th Anniversary Celebration Benefit at her Martha’s Vineyard home. Supporters of the arts organization, including Mary Sharp Cronson, Sir Norman Foster and Peter Norton, enjoyed the opening performance of Fraulein Maria which reinvents beloved classics from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music into an edgy and fun cabaret romp by choreographer Doug Elkins. —Ariel Greene
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