It also captures backstage dramas, including an unexpectedly long intermission at NYCB's first performance. The delay, dancers eventually learned, was caused by an impromptu orchestra rehearsal called by conductor Valery Gergiev on the roof of the theater.

The May 8 gala, at the Joan Weill Center for Dance, will be hosted by NYCB ballet master in chief Peter Martins; the audience, according to a press release, will include "film industry personalities, star dancers, key media, and social figures." Admission is by invitation only.