The Fire Island Dance Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in July with a bang, raising a record-breaking $533,860 for Dancers Responding to AIDS. Nearly 50 professional dancers performed on an outdoor stage in New York’s Fire Island Pines, including American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes; New York City Ballet principal Sara Mearns; and dancers from Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ailey II and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. Over the last 20 years, the festival has raised upwards of $3.8 million to go toward medication, health care, counseling and emergency financial assistance for those afflicted with HIV and AIDS.
Photo by Whitney Browne, courtesy of DRA