Not a tutu in sight.

Thursday evening, Ken and I attended opening night of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s repertory program, 3 by Dove.  At the pre-performance donors’ dinner, in addition to sitting with friends, Dan & Michelle Heidt, Sharon Richardson, and others, we had the opportunity to sit at the same table with Parrish Maynard, who was in town to stage Serious Pleasures, PNB’s fourth Ulysses Dove choreographic acquisition.  As PNB Artistic Director, Peter Boal shared in his Director’s Notebook, “Parrish Maynard was the central figure in the original premiere of the work created for American Ballet Theatre in 1992 turning in career-defining performances.  The work was controversial for addressing the shadowy underworld of sexuality at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic.  Audiences loved it.  The work was nearly lost, with the exception of a few grainy videos and Parrish’s keen memory.  He has brought the work back from extinction for this revival.”

I had not seen the Company in any of their rehearsals, so at dinner Parrish described the set of nine doors that were opened and closed rapidly as dancers entered and exited the stage.  The Lighting Designer, Rico Chiarelli, and his team had their hands full in managing the quick lighting changes in exact sequence.  We were astounded when Parrish shared that there were 53 lighting changes in just the first six minutes of the work!

The entire production and the PNB dancers were incredible!  Principal dancer, Lucien Postlewaite, had the role of the “narrator”.  In this case, the “narrator” doesn’t talk, but tells the story through dance and according to the program is the story of “the merciless battle between spirit and flesh.”  In addition, opening and slamming doors and dancing visually compelling vignettes with names such as “Demons of Light” and “Angels of Darkness” were Lindsi Dec, Karel Cruz, Sara Ricard Orzo, Seth Orzo, Ariana Lallone, Jordan Pacitti, Leslie Rausch and James Moore.

I have to pass along kudos and big thanks to friends and fellow ballet aficionados, Aya Hamilton, Carl & Renee Behnke, and Bob & Joan Cremin for their generous underwriting of this PNB premiere.  What a privilege to have a world-class ballet company of this quality in our community!   

Cathi and Marcelo win the Peoples' Choice Award!

Oh!  What a night!  Last Saturday evening after months of preparation, I had the opportunity to participate in the new Plymouth Housing Group fundraiser, Seattle Dances! competition featuring local “celebrity” dancers paired with professional dancers.  Though I had said “NO” five times before I finally said “YES”, I have to admit that it was so much fun learning this new dance and getting to know new friends in the local dance world.  It turns out that all of the other non-professional dancers had a similar epiphany of realizing how much fun they were having learning a new skill and that we found ourselves devoting more and more time to the pursuit.  The other non-professional dancers included Kathy Casey, Joyce Taylor, Steven Goldfarb, Michelle Foreman Barnet, Colette Courtion and Paul Lambros.

My dance partner, Marcelo Garces, is a master choreographer and created and taught me the Bachata, a salsa-style dance that comes from the Dominican Republic.  He included many complicated steps and the piece de resistance was the “neck drop” where he would support my weight in a flat back-bend while stepping over me several times before letting me slide down his leg to his calf or ankle.  He would then return me upright by using his leg to push me back to a standing position.  It was quite a trick to learn and I landed on my behind many times during rehearsals.  I found the best thing to do was just trust him to return me to a standing position and close my eyes until he did!

What a wonderful experience it was participating in this creative fundraising event!  It was such a high-energy and exciting project.  The staff of Plymouth Housing Group was amazing!  They were unfazed to deal with multiple table seating changes, counting cyber votes and actual votes, and producing a brand-new event without a roadmap.  No matter how many questions, concerns and suggestions we threw their way, everything was handled with aplomb by the staff and board leadership.  And of course Hallie Kuperman, owner of Century Ballroom produced the dance portion of the event, selecting professional partners for each of the celebrity dancers and providing rehearsal space.

It is so rewarding to hear that that the goal of $350,000 was exceeded and approximately $410,000 was raised for Plymouth Housing Group.  Many people supported the project by voting for the dancers at $25 per vote both before the event and during the event.  I am eager to hear the final number results for both the Cyber Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award and get a list of all the donors that voted for me that I will want to thank for their support.

Of course I was thrilled that Marcelo and I won the “Peoples’ Choice” award and the sparkling mirror ball trophy is prominently displayed in my ZINO Society office so that I can brag about it frequently.

I will treasure the memories of the people and the activities associated with this incredible event.

LOL! at STIR Martini & Raw Bar

Last week, ZINO Society members and guests enjoyed martinis and wine courtesy of STIR Martini & Raw Bar at our March LOL (Libations on Location)!  STIR Martini & Raw Bar is a fun, lively bar just off the lobby of the Bellevue Grand Hyatt which is a hot place for an after-work cocktail and snack.  In addition to the libations of our choice, the members and guests were all impressed with the efficient and friendly service and excellent food.

Included in the photos above enjoying their libations, fellowship and solving the problems of the world are Lucas Schenck, Gary Myles, and Bruce Sanchez (top photo), Buster Brown, Ken Hatch and Gary Ritner (2^nd photo), Jonathan Jaffe, Bill Prater and Chuck Lytle (3^rd photo) and Michelle Bomberger and Blaine Millet (bottom photo).  A big THANK YOU to ZINO Society member, Michelle Bomberger and her husband, Matt, who are the owners of STIR Martini & Raw Bar!

 

We are winners at Seattle Dances Competition!

Last night was an amazing fundraising event at the Fremont Studios to benefit Plymouth Housing Group!  The event was “Seattle Dances” and was a sell-out with 450 people in attendance.  The venue looked spectacular with giant screens, bright pink and black table clothes and napkins and mirror balls everywhere!  The guests came early to participate in the silent auction and to sip the Kathy Casey Signature Cocktail – “The Lizzy Highfly”.  The guests in my cheering squad trailed blue feather boas throughout the party.

Once the guests sat down for dinner, a brief 19 item live auction was held prior to the big dance competition.  Meanwhile all the dancers put on their costumes and got ready with hair and makeup and mentally rehearsed their dances in their minds just one more time.  See photo above of Steve Goldfarb, Kathy Casey, Giuseppe Graziola, our costume designer, and me, photo of Colette Courtion practicing her “attitude” and photo of Joyce Taylor having her makeup applied.  The top photo is my dance partner, Marcelo Garces and me, hoping for success in capturing a mirror ball so we were practicing holding one in anticipation.  The bottom photo is of competitors, Paul Lambros and Steve Goldfarb with their partners, Deron Hayes and Alison Cockrill.   

When it was time to perform, Guest Emcee, Patti Payne, along with Century Ballroom’s Hallie Kuperman introduced us and our dances.  Michelle Foreman Barnet, riveting in a beautiful Tracy Gail red satin dress, was first onstage to dance the tango with her partner Greg Rolnick.  Next in skin-tight black spandex slacks and a see through black mesh shirt was Steve Goldfarb with his partner Alison Cockrill in a tiny black fringe two piece outfit, to dance the salsa and following him Kathy Casey, her hair in finger waves in a hot pink and black lace flapper dress dancing the Charleston with her partner, Joshua Welter.  Next Marcelo and I danced our Bachata, Marcelo wearing a turquoise shirt adorned with crystals and me in a dark blue and turquoise cocktail dress also sparkling with Swarvoski crystals designed and produced by costume designer, Giuseppe Graziola.  After working on the routine for a couple of months, it felt like our two minute dance was over in the blink of an eye.  Following us was Joyce Taylor doing the very high-energy Lindy Hop with her partner, Mark Kihara, and then Paul Lambros doing the West Coast Swing with his partner Deron Hayes.  One of the fun highlights of Paul’s dance was not only his dancing and his acting talents, but his quick de-frocking of his partner, Deron Hayes’ dress, leaving her in a sexy two –piece dance outfit.  The finale of the competition was Colette Courtion dressed in a very sexy black one-shoulder leotard with dance partners Ricki Mason and Tanya Harris sensuously performing the Beyonce Single Ladies’  Dance with attitude!

Following each performance came the part of the evening I was most worried about (after the dance piece!).  It was time for a “raise the paddle” to vote for each dancer individually and of course the votes were in the form of money being donated to Plymouth Housing Group.  I was worried that some of the dancers (me?) might be standing on the stage uncomfortably while no one voted and standing there would be excruciatingly embarrassing.  Fortunately, my concerns turned out not to be a factor at all.  The audience responded enthusiastically to all the dancers with plenty of votes for each!  When Marcelo and I were standing on the stage during this segment, I was astonished and gratified to see so many bid paddles raised voting for us!  I was overwhelmed with the amazing support we received from so many friends and acquaintances in the audience.  I kept blowing kisses to all the generous bidders for what seemed like an endless amount of time while people just kept bidding and bidding, many in chunks of $500 at a time.

Following this, the celebrity judges, Peter Boal, Nicole Vogel and Marco retired to deliberate on the winners while the amazingly talented young nine-year-old dancers from Everett, Erik and Rickie performed.  There was even another opportunity to raise a paddle to donate more to Plymouth Housing Group following their performance.

Finally the dance competitors filed back onstage to find out who would win the three mirror ball trophies.  Patti Payne provided color commentary (something for which I have just coined the name “Patti-Patter”) and  the winners were announced:

Cyber-Choice Award – Michelle Foreman Barnet

Peoples’ Choice Award – Cathi Hatch

Artistic Award – Colette Courtion

Of course, when Patti announced my name, Marcelo and I were thrilled and we held our mirror ball trophy high for all to see!  It was so fun to hear the four Hatch tables and the JP Morgan Chase table erupt in cheers and see blue feather boas waving furiously!

Though I know I have many additional people to thank in addition to those listed in this blog posting, I do want to thank the following people for attending the big event last evening and cheering me on:  First of all my husband, Ken Hatch, who not only attended, but also uncomplainingly stayed so I could dance in celebration into the wee hours of the morning; followed by Joan & Bob Cremin, Bonny & John Midby, Stacy & Dean Jones, Mike Kunath & Kate Harrison, Robin Brummet, Michelle Rubesch, Trudi & Dave Syferd, Toni & Rod Hoffman, Penny & Mick Thackeray, Arlene Wright and Beni Turan, Debe & Jeff Doran, Lynn & Frank Lindsay, Sue & Tom Raschella, JJ McKay, Pat Wallace, Rachel Garces, Spencer Kunath, Trisha Nerney, Delphine & Charles Stevens, Joanne & Ted Baseler, Micki & Bob Flowers, Supida Sanders, Ed Brennan, Katie & Kevin Laramore, and Alicia & Michael Hatch.  I know there were others in the room who cheered me on and voted for me as well but I don’t have all the names yet, but please do know that I so appreciate you too!

And of course another BIG thank you is offered to all the people who voted for me online prior to the event.  I know some of you voted both prior to and at the event and I appreciate every single one of you!  Thank you for your support of me personally and of Plymouth Housing Group.

But, now it is time to put ice on my Bachata inflamed knee and take a nap!    

 

It is almost here - Seattle Dances!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see the rest of the competitors who will be dancing in the Seattle Dances dance competition on Saturday evening. I was impressed with what each of the non-professional dancers has accomplished in getting ready for this big first-year fundraiser to benefit Plymouth Housing Group.

Beautiful blonde Michelle Foreman Barnet, who is opening her new hotel, the The Maxwell Hotel within a week after the completion is dancing the tango with partner Greg Rolnick. Steve Goldfarb, who has been working out twice a day since he agreed to participate and is looking extremely buff in his see-through black shirt, is dancing the salsa with partner Alison Cockrill. Food and cocktail diva, Kathy Casey is dancing a fun and high-energy Charleston in a bright pink and black dress with her partner, Josh Welter. KING-5 TV news anchor, Joyce Taylor has been practicing for a year working on the Lindy Hop and will dance with partner, Mark Kihara. Their dance includes some fun choreography that ends with them in a heap on the floor. Plymouth Housing Group Executive Director, Paul Lambros looks completely at ease dancing the West Coast Swing with his partner Deron Hayes. Paul is such a good dancer that I wonder if this whole dance competition with him competing was his idea!? (Actually, I know the truth is that it was Board President, Lynn Beck’s idea.) Showing a little skin and going after the “sexiest costume vote” is Colette Courtion who is dancing a sizzling Beyonce’s Single Ladies Video dance with dance partners, Ricki Mason and Tanya Harris. See photo of Colette, dance partners and celebrity judge Marco above. My dance partner, Marcelo Garces, and I are dancing the Bachata, a Dominican salsa-style dance with lots of hip movement. I am currently wearing a knee brace as a result of all our rehearsals and the leg and knee action needed to make the hip movements. Our big trick is the “neck drop” that includes my head sliding down his leg to his ankle and then him throwing me back upright by kicking his leg. I have to close my eyes each time because it is so scary!

It has taken a cadre of staff, volunteers and professionals to produce this event. Hallie Kuperman, pictured above with her video camera, owner of Century Ballroom, is one of the primary sponsors of the event supplying dance rehearsal space for the dancers and providing the dance partners and 10 lessons for each selected dancer. Tamara Wilson (pictured with me above) of Wilson Public Relations has provided all the promotion support for the big event and has already said that she will dance next year in the competition. Marco, who owns the successful and popular hair salon Marco's Hair Salon, is not only serving as a celebrity judge along with Peter Boal, Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Nicole Vogel, publisher of Seattle Metropolitan magazine, he is also providing the hair and make-up support for the dancers. All of the costume design has been provided by Giuseppe Graziola shown in the bottom photo with my royal blue and turquoise costume on which he has worked long and hard. In his final version of my costume, he actually draped the fabric directly on my body so he could fit it perfectly. The Guest Emcee is Patti Payne and the 20 item live auction will be handled by Sharon Friel.

Leading up to the actual event, people have been able to go online and “vote” for their favorite dancer with all funds going to Plymouth Housing Group. Plymouth Housing Group Board President Lynn Beck and Barb Nystrom, serving as event co-chairs have been happily surprised with the response to this pre-event fundraising opportunity with the total raised to date in online voting at $23,000.

Tomorrow is the big day! I will be busy with hair, make-up and rehearsals until the big event begins at 5:30 pm.

Treehouse Luncheon with Michael Oher

Yesterday, as a member of the “Advisors to the Treehouse Board,” I had the pleasure of attending the annual Treehouse Champions for Foster Kids luncheon at the Sheraton Seattle. It was a huge success and here are the results in the words of Dawn Rains, the Treehouse Director of Development and Marketing, “With about 1,200 people in attendance, we raised $707,326 – a 47% increase over last year! This will go a long way in helping foster kids like Naomi, Tyler and Michael heal from abuse and neglect and follow their dreams.”

Michael Oher, (top photo above) the pro football player featured in the book and movie, The Blindside, was the guest speaker and in his humble and humorous way, shared a bit about his journey and how he wants to help other foster children succeed in life. Other speakers included Janis Avery, Treehouse Executive Director, who has personally raised two children that she and her partner adopted from foster care, and has dedicated the last 15 years of her life to Treehouse and the children they serve. Also sharing stories of their positive association with Treehouse and the difference it made in their lives were foster children, Naomi Nelson, a Treehouse alumni who is currently attending Western Washington University and Tyler Cormier, a 15 year old Treehouse youth who is a high school honor student and tae kwon do black belt. See photo of Tyler (3^rd from left in back row of bottom photo) along with his siblings in the Cormier Family that performed two inspirational songs for the audience.

Friends Carmen Gayton and Alexandra Brookshire co-chaired the luncheon and were lauded for their vision and leadership, tireless commitment and countless hours of service. I especially appreciated that the luncheon was held in a downtown hotel which made it much easier to access than some of the previous years’ luncheons held at the sports stadiums. Also attending the luncheon were fellow Junior League of Seattle sustaining members pictured from left to right in center photo, Toni Hoffman, Mary Herche, Janet True and me.

ZINO Green Seattle, A GREEN success!

What an exhilarating day!  Yesterday we produced ZINO Green Seattle at the offices of our ZINO Society major sponsor, McKinstry. The McKinstry team jumped through hoops to make everything for the entire event absolutely perfect for the 150 people attending.  We are so appreciative of all the time, effort and resources that McKinstry used to make this event so successful.  Super stars Genevieve Guinn and Tony Stewart led the effort for McKinstry.  We are also very appreciative of the support of all of our other major sponsors including  Puget Sound Business Journal, Davis Wright Tremaine, Puget Sound Energy, and supporting sponsors Enterprise Seattle, Graham & Dunn, Perkins Coie and Stoel Rives.

Included on the business session agenda were brief 5 minute presentations by 14 entrepreneurs who shared overviews of their businesses, traction to date, market pipelines, financial projections and any important information for potential investors to consider, a “Courtside Chat” with McKinstry CEO, Dean Allen, an expert panel comprised of “green” experts who shared some of their insights with us and then questioned the best investment opportunity finalists in the Due Diligence LIVE! segment.  Facilitating the panel was George Erb, Editor of Puget Sound Business Journal and included on the panel were Ash Awad, VP-Energy, McKinstry; Bert Gregory, CEO, Mithun; Rick LeFaivre, Managing Director, OVP; Steve Reynolds, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; and Haeryung Shin, Clean Tech Chair, Davis Wright Tremaine.  At the conclusion of the business session, awards were presented, wine was uncorked and guests were invited to tour the new McKinstry Innovation Center under construction across the street.

The best investment opportunity finalists who will be going forward into due diligence as potential fund winners are Nano Ice, Eco Carpet Inc., Hydrovolts, Virticus and Canvas Solutions.

The ZINO Green Seattle ZINO Zenith Award Winners (aka people’s choice awards) were Burt Hamner of Hydrovolts for Best Presenter and Nano Ice for Best Investment Opportunity!

The full list of presenting companies who presented at both ZINO Green Portland on February 24, 2010 and at  ZINO Green Seattle on March 4, 2010 includes:

AmeriStar Solar Tracker

Building Runner

Canvas Solutions, Inc.

Eco Carpet Inc.

EMME

Environmental Energy & Engineering Co.

G.R. Green Building Products Inc.

Hydrovolts, Inc.

KersTech Vehicle Systems

Lagotek Corporation

Nano Ice

sengWare

Virticus

Zebigo.com