The most formal occasion on Las Vegas’s philanthropy calendar, Nevada Ballet Theatre’s annual Black & White Ball is among the city’s must-attend events; and this year’s gala, at Wynn Las Vegas, honoring the incredible Judy Collins as 2022 ‘Woman of the Year,’ was everything you’d have hoped it would’ve been.

The evening commenced with a reception at Delilah Las Vegas for those guests seated at the Diamond tables and at the Woman of the Year table.  Not only did Delilah make the perfect backdrop for such an affair, but—designed as it was to showcase live entertainment—it proved to be the ideal setting for Collins to spend some time entertaining us with a delightfully funny monologue and a tease of “Send in the Clowns.”  Having interviewed her, earlier in the week, I was asked to join Collins, at her table in front of Delilah’s stage, with her husband, Louis Nelson—an industrial designer of international acclaim who’s designed not only the Mural Wall of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, and the United Nation’s Dag Hammarskjöld Medal; but also the Nutrition Facts label found on packaged food!—and her manager, Katherine DePaul.  The trio could not have been nicer, nor could they stop smiling (which is not always the case, in situations such as these).

After Collins slayed at the reception, leaving us all in proverbial stitches, the group at the reception relocated from Delilah (on the Wynn side of the resort) to the Encore Ballroom (on the resort’s Encore side).  While Collins, Nelson, and DePaul were whisked away in a swanky multi-rowed golf cart, along with Elaine Wynn, her granddaughter, Marlowe Early, Marlowe’s boyfriend, Alex, and co-chairs Todd-Avery Lenahan and Dawn Hume; I opted to drive from the Wynn Tower Suites to the Encore Tower Suites, which, at night’s end, proved to be a wise choice.

I was thrilled to spend a few minutes chatting with the brilliant songwriter, Jimmy Webb (the evening’s Honorary Chair, who lovingly narrated the tribute video, below), who was seated diagonally across the table from me, next to his wife, Laura Savini.  The only artist ever to have received GRAMMY Awards for music and lyrics and orchestration; Webb is best known for having written such platinum-selling hits as “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” (for Glen Campbell), and “Worst That Could Happen” and “Up, Up and Away” (for The 5th Dimension), as well as “MacArthur Park” which was a hit in multiple decades and formats for such artists as Richard Harris, Waylon Jennings, and Donna Summer.

Wynn Resorts CEO, Craig Billings got things going by serving some clever onstage banter with Lenahan, who then introduced Judy Collins.  Then came a performance of A Way Out by the students of the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre Competition Team (which was beautiful); after which, dinner was served. 

After dinner (and a fair bit of kibbitzing, schmoozing, and table-hopping) came a performance of Light Rain Pas de Deux, performed by NBT company artists, Brooke Lyness and Steven Goforth, followed by the live auction, which featured among its lots an amazing Las Vegas Raiders package donated by Mark Davis (who held court at one of the Diamond tables); a dozen one-way trips on a private jet, courtesy of Cirrus Aviation; and a bespoke gown designed by Las Vegas couturier, David Tupaz.

As dinner drew to a close, Beth Barbre (Executive Director/CEO, NBT) and Roy Kaiser (Artistic Director, NBT) took to the stage to talk, in light of NBT’s upcoming 50th Anniversary, about what the next half-century has in store for the storied organization, concluding by introducing NBT’s Future Dance scholars, who performed a work set to Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” as sung by Collins, and gorgeously choreographed by former Future Dance-r, Jemoni Powe.

The Tribute to the Woman of the Year commenced with the aforementioned Jimmy Webb-narrated tribute video; after which Collins was brought onstage.  There, the GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, artist, poet, and activist spoke, joked, and then, after serenading us to the first verse of “Amazing Grace” started over and asked the entire room join her in singing the song, from the beginning, thereby allowing each and every person there to rightfully boast that they have “sung with Judy Collins!”

Closing out the memorable evening, the two co-Chairs of NBT’s Board of Trustees—NBT co-founder, Nancy Houssels and Jerry Nadal—presented Collins with The Allongé Female, a sculpture by world-renowned artist, Richard MacDonald; followed by a pair of the cute-as-buttons Future Dance-rs bringing her an enormous bouquet of roses that was nearly as big as they were.

Congratulations to Judy Collins, Louis Nelson, the event co-chairs, and everyone at Nevada Ballet Theatre and Wynn Las Vegas for a splendid evening.  And here’s to NBT’s next 50 years!

Judy Collins honored as 2022 Woman of the Year
38th annual Black & White Ball | Nevada Ballet Theatre
Encore Ballroom | Wynn Las Vegas
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