AN ELEGANT DINNER on the Wortham stage for dance patrons followed the opening night performance of the Houston Ballet over the weekend, a glittering first foray into what’s shaping up to be a typically busy fall social season.

“This year’s spectacular opening night performance, underwritten by Phoebe and Bobby Tudorwith support provided by The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, featured John Neumeier’s interpretation of the beloved classic tale The Little Mermaid,” explained a rep for the company. The show, colorful and surreal, actually hews closer to Hans Christian Andersen’s original dark fairytale than the Disney cartoon.

After the show and remarks by artistic director Stanton Welch, some 230 well dressed ballet fans waited for the stage to be cleared of its sets and a beautiful dinner party to be set up in their place.

“Inspired by the vibrant blue hues of the ocean, the enchanting décor created by Bergner and Johnson transported attendees to the magical world of The Little Mermaid with low and organic arrangements of varying shades of pink and white filled with hydrangeas, astilbe, roses, tulips and other seasonal florals pristinely placed in white shell and capezi vessels,” cooed the Ballet rep. “Taller arrangements adorned with sea leaves sat atop clear glass palace vases and table accents such as air plants and coral added to the unforgettable evening.”

The dinner, chaired by Mignon & Steve Gill and Fady Armanious & Bill Baldwin and honoring the great groundbreaking ballerina Lauren Anderson, raised more than $325,000, a new record for the annual event. It began with a salad of bibb lettuce and Shrimp Louie. The main course of braised beef short rib with cabernet-thyme reduction and parsnip puree preceded a dessert of panna cotta with melon sorbet. Per the custom at the Ballet’s lavish events, charming young dancers from the company were sprinkled through the party, seated at every table.

Notable attendees included choreographer Neumeier, along with the Ballet’s Jim Nelson and Julie Kent; John Neumeier. Other VIPs included Stephanie and Frank Tsuru, Kristy and Chris Bradshaw, Laura Robertson, Hallie Vanderhider, Bobby Dees, Margaret Alkek Williams, Jo Furr, Jay Jones, Terry Wayne Jones, Martha Finger, and Duyen and Marc Nguyen.

Chris and Kristy Bradshaw

Connor Walsh, Chae Eun Yang

Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees

Phoebe and Bobby Tudor

Margaret Alkek Williams and David Wuthrich

Nick Pierce, Victoria Gutierrez

S. Shawn Stephens, Leigh Smith, Ileana Treviño, Kelley Lubanko, Martha Finger

Stephanie and Frank Tsuru

Tony Bradfield, Marguerite Swartz, Mary Sage, Rahul Ramdas

Yuriko Kajiya, Akemi Saitoh