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Our New York City Ballet Donors Group Trip to London

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." — Edgar Allan Poe

 

London worked its magic again and provided the backdrop to more extraordinary moments in my life! I returned yesterday from accompanying a group of 26 happy New York City Ballet board members and donors on a specially designed itinerary celebrating the historic return of the ballet company to London. NYCB very rarely perform outside of New York City, and they finished their sold-out engagement at Sadler's Wells on Sunday night. Our group was in attendance, then everyone joined our closing night party at the Serpentine North Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid - where we were also treated to a private viewing of Refik Anadol's mesmerizing exhibit, Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive.

 

That night I didn't expect to bond with their board Chair, Diana Taylor, but when I described creating Nine Muses Travel, I found we had something in common. Even with all her success, she told me she still remembers how scary it was to form a startup. Woman to woman, her acknowledgement, recognition, and respect moved me profoundly. Later, during her welcome speech, she thanked me and said everyone had told her how the trip had been "seamless." My heart burst aflame with pride!

 

It was a truly exceptional journey through London with our group of New York City Ballet donors, who are all such interesting and accomplished people. We began with a welcome drink with the manager of their hotel, Raffles London at The OWO, in Sir Winston Churchill's old office; it's now a suite where you can actually sleep in one of London's most historic rooms. OWO stands for the Old War Office, and Raffles' restoration and refurbishment is remarkable.

 

From there, we were invited to the beautiful, art-filled Winfield House inside Regent's Park, pictured above. The townhouse is the official residence of The Honorable Jane D. Hartley, Ambassador of the United States of America to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was the eve of International Women's Day, and I was feeling it! Then, while the group enjoyed a delicious private dinner in Covent Garden, I dipped out to see Sarah Snook (aka Shiv from Succession) star in The Portrait of Dorian Gray, currently running until May 11th. SHE IS ASTONISHING. I floated back to the hotel in a certain exhilarated daze only an extraordinary theatrical experience can put me in.

 

The next day our NYC Ballet group was treated to an exclusive tour of the National Theatre and greeted by Rufus Norris, followed by a Traditional Afternoon Tea at Raffles with their in-house historian sharing stories and fielding questions. Then we walked a short distance to the National Gallery for a special private tour led by a celebrated art historian and curator, shared dinner at the gallery's restaurant, and finished the day at the Royal Opera House for the sold-out closing night of Manon.

 

We had free time on Saturday with the sun shining on London before we met again at The Savoy for a private dinner in the Pinafore Room, where Churchill would host figures from politics and the media. It was a perfect spot also because then we saw Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick star in Plaza Suite at the adjoining Savoy Theatre. Sarah Jessica Parker is also a New York City Ballet Board Member, and we had a lovely meet and greet with her backstage after the show.

 

Finally on Sunday, it was time for the closing performance of New York City Ballet at Sadler's Wells and the closing party. So much care and consideration went into crafting this itinerary with the New York City Ballet, and Nine Muses Travel was founded with this particular style of VIP group travel in mind.

 

I love custom designing itineraries for individuals, couples, families, and all kinds of groups of all sizes!

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Nine Muses Travel designs journeys to inspire artists, arts lovers and the culturally curious.

Danielle Dybiec

Founder & President

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