The theme of the gala was Storytelling Around the World, and the event featured a special performance of "The Lion and the Mouse" starring Allegra Kent, Isaiah Sheffer, and Frank Wood with The Cloris Line and NDI's young dancers, which is part of the forthcoming NDI show, The Storyteller. The evening also honored director and producer James D. Stern. Among the guests was Broadway veteran Charlotte d'Amboise.

National Dance Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1976 in the belief that the arts have the power to engage children and motivate them towards excellence. Proceeds from the gala will benefit the organization.