We joined the glitterati celebrating Yuan Yuan Tan’s amazing 25-year milestone as SF Ballet’s principal dancer.

HAUTE EVENT HAUTE EVENTS

Atmosphere at SF Ballet Hosts Yuan Yuan Tan’s 25th anniversary dinner on February 13, 2022 at the Palace Hotel

The City Celebrates YUAN YUAN TAN

BY ROBERT RICHARDS | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

ON FEBRUARY 13, SAN FRANCISCO gathered at the Palace Hotel to celebrate principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan, our city’s most admired ballerina, as she marks her 27th year with the San Francisco Ballet. The soiree, billed as her “25th anniversary” after the original event was postponed due to the pandemic, honored Tan’s prolific career which is now longer than any other dancer’s in the company’s history. The event followed a matinee performance of Tan dancing in Tomasson’s Caprice and Robbins’ In the Night.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Helgi Tomasson

HAUTE EVENTS

Alan Villareal, Anita Paciotti, and Juliette LeBlanc

Robert Shaw, Deidre Shaw, Lillian Phan, and Justin Pace

Attendees enjoyed a reception in the ornate Garden Court, a 3-course dinner in the grand ballroom, and a special presentation honoring Tan. City Hall was set aglow in lilac in her honor, and Mayor London Breed declared February 13, 2022, as Yuan Yuan Tan Day in San Francisco.

SF Ballet patron Sharon Seto chaired the event, and all event proceeds will support an array of SF Ballet artistic projects, including new works, scholarships for San Francisco Ballet School students, and community education programs for thousands of youths, families, and seniors.

Antoinette Chattin and Luke Ingham Carl Pascarella and Yurie Pascarella

HAUTE SCENE

Sharon Seto, Yuan Yuan Tan, and Karen Wong Liu

Elizabeth Fullerton, Lily Samii, Lisa Zabelle, Roman Gronkowski, and Charles Baker III Christopher Dennis, Brittany Whitmer, and Doug Waggener

HAUTE LIVING, SAN FRANCISCO LAUNCH PARTY

BY CAROLYNE ZINKO | PHOTOS BY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

OVERLOOKING THE PALM-LINED EMBARCADERO AND THE Bay Bridge’s twinkling lights, San Francisco’s Harborview Restaurant & Bar is definitely a room with a view. That made a sparkling setting in which to celebrate Yuan Yuan Tan’s 25th anniversary as principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and her status as cover girl of the January-February 2022 issue of Haute Living, San Francisco.

“It’s nice to see everyone here,” she said, surrounded by colleagues, friends, and guests. They included Danielle St. Germain-Gordon, the ballet’s interim executive director; Christopher Dennis, production manager for the ballet; philanthropist Denise Hale; former KGO TV reporter Carolyn Tyler; jazz singer Paula West; and many others.

Toni Brayer and Craig Patterson Kymberly Henry, Justin Pace, and Tuan Cao Yuan Yuan Tan and Mark Calvano with the toe shoes he won

Restaurant co-owner Karen Wong Liu served up menu favorites, including steak cubes with Maggi sauce, steamed har gow shrimp dumplings, and a newish invention—crispy salt and pepper tofu fries. “We came up with this before the pandemic as something creative to eat for happy hour,” she said, “and it’s been a hit ever since!”

Guests wore masks or mingled on the terrace outside (or both) to deal with the latest viral variant. “You have to make an effort,” Hale said. David Seto was happy to be around others instead of at home, for a change. “It’s wonderful to be here,” he said. “You’ve got to live!”

The evening’s highlight was the raffle of a pair of Tan’s ballet slippers, which went to real estate developer Mark Calvano, a takecharge man of many deals. “I’m not sure where I’ll put them, because they don’t fit, but I have to remain on my toes,” he said with a smile. “So, you never know.”

Carolyn Tyler, Paula West, Gwyneth Borden, Karen Clopton, and LaTonya Lawson