TWB Latino Scholarship Fund Gets A 'Noche de Pasion' At McCormick House

EMBASSY ROW -- There was no shortage of either passion or philanthropy on Saturday evening, as H.E. The Brazilian Ambassador Mauro Vieira hosted a grand celebration for The Washington Ballet (TWB) in support of the dance company's creation of a dedicated Latino Scholarship Fund.

Held inside historic McCormick House on Embassy Row, the Carnaval-themed affair saw VIPs arrive at 7:30p.m. for a private reception with Ambassador Vieira and TWB Artistic Director Septime Webre, as well as an exclusive dance performance.

Thereafter, more than a hundred additional guests began streaming into the Queen Anne-styled residence around 9:00p.m. for a festive night replete with a buffet of fine Brazilian cuisine, cocktails, and dancing.

Beyond the beats being spun-up by TWB mainstay DJ Pitch One, students and faculty from the Zezeh Brazil International Samba School stood at the ready to help get guests in the dancing spirit with a passionate performance on the outside, tented dance floor.

All proceeds from the occasion have been earmarked to TWB's Latino Scholarship Fund, which formalizes the organization's financial support of Latino artistic and education initiatives by providing scholarship opportunities throughout Latin America, dance training for underprivileged Latino children living in the District, and developing Latino-themed ballet works.

While the formal creation of the Fund itself is new, TWB has strived to serve the Latino community for several years now. Indeed, as a Cuban-American himself who grew up on the U.S./Mexico border, Webre has long championed the Latino spirit and artistic excellence in his internationally renowned ballets.

And his passion has clearly paid off, both philanthropically as well as performance-wise.