The Gala Where You Can Watch Live Dance From Your Bubble Bath

February 20, 2018

At the annual Gala de Danza in Los Cabos, Mexico, the lineup of performers is usually pretty typical gala fare: You can expect celebrity performers like Lil Buck, reality stars like Ballet West’s Beckanne Sisk and “So You Think You Can Dance” finalist Tate McRae, plus principals from top companies like New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck and Daniel Ulbricht.

What’s absolutely not typical? The venue.


Audience seating = your hotel balcony

The dancers perform on a stage set up in the middle of multiple outdoor reflecting pools at the luxurious Viceroy Los Cabos hotel. It almost appears as though they’re dancing on water, with the Sea of Cortez serving as their backdrop. Meanwhile, video projections along the sides of the buildings surrounding the stage make the performers’ every movement larger than life.

But what’s even more unusual is that, while there are some seats by the pool, audience members who book VIP viewing rooms can see the show right from their balconies, like sports fans watching a game from their premium suites. Some of those balconies even include a bathtub, so you could conceivably enjoy live performance from the comfort of your bubble bath, if you were so inclined.

Can you say #luxurylife?

The whole event is the brainchild of former American Ballet Theatre dancer Christina Lyon, who has grand visions of using the gala to lift up the quality of dance in Mexico as well as turning it into a forum for fashion and music in addition to dance.

It all may sound a bit over the top. But the event benefits a good cause: Proceeds are donated to the Danza Que Da Esperanza Foundation, which offers full scholarships (plus academics and meals) to impoverished local kids who might not otherwise get a chance to dance.

Can’t argue with that.


Tate McRae is on the lineup for this year’s gala. Photo by Dan Krauss