News: Abby Porterfield, whose great-grandmother, the late Florence Ruston, founded Denver Ballet Guild in 1979, and Ava Mohler, whose grandmother, Arlene Mohler Johnson, established Le Bal de Ballet’s Young Men of Distinction program, were among the 38 debutantes and 31 Young Men of Distinction presented at the 56th Le Bal de Ballet.

Ava Mohler’s father, Seth Mohler, was a Young Man of Distinction (YMOD) in 1988.

The June 8 event began in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, with Arthur Espinoza Jr. introducing each honoree and Catherine McGregor and Liam Hogan from Colorado Ballet performing two works commissioned for the occasion by Denver Ballet Guild, the organization that hosts Le Bal de Ballet.

Following the presentation, the young honorees traveled by limousine to the elaborately decorated Plaza Ballroom at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel for an Italian-themed dinner and dancing to the Jerry Barnett Orchestra.

In addition to Porterfield and Mohler, five other honorees had parents who are Le Bal de Ballet alums: YMOD Brannum Cyphers’ mom, Jenn Cyphers, was a debutante in 1994; debutante Emily Jamison-Macchia’s mother, Kerry Jamison, made her debut in 1991; YMOD Owen Kleager’s mom, Aimee Kleager, debuted in 1994; YMOD Jacob Trigg was preceded by his dad, David Trigg, a YMOD in 1990; and, YMOD Hunter Truitt is the son of 2024 ball chair Katy Hunter Truitt, a 1993 debutante.

This year’s honorees represented 17 high schools and included two sets of twins: YMODs Andrew and Zachary Morgan and debutantes Rowan and Finley Joseph.

While other honorees are headed to schools that include Duke University (Michael Bell); Notre Dame (Madeline Bante and Victoria Loftus); Colorado College (Brooks Power); Tulane University (Ava Owens); and, Wake Forest University (Davis Bissette) — Alexander Rismani will enter the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs; Ava Ziegler will continue her figure skating training in hopes of being able to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics; and, Jake Burnett will head to Palm Springs for California Post Graduate Baseball, an 8-month, gap year program designed to propel high school athletes into the collegiate baseball spotlight.

YMOD Bryce Dilworth, a graduate of George Washington High School and Denver Public Schools’ Student Athlete of the Year, received the Frances Jefferson Scholarship and a Kappa League Scholarship, which he’ll put toward his education at the University of Pennsylvania.

The 2024 debutantes also included Dylan Agron, Margaret Bane, Charley Bramson, Grace Brouillette, Audrey Connelly, Sydney Cornell, Claire Crowley, Caroline Gambrill, Haley Hogan, Jane Johnson, Peyton Larsen, Avia Lauchli, Sophia Lercara, Harper Linn, Mackenzie Marx, Charlotte Morton, Katherine Nelligan, Millie Savage, Isabel Shaw, Logan Siegrist, Ella Simmons, Taylor Slutzky, Rylie Stemberger, Quincy Warburton, Alexandra Waryn, Caroline Watson, Athena Whittington, Scarlett Wiedenmayer and Hadley Wolf.

Other YMODs were John Abbott, Matteo Agostine, Braden Balch, Blake Benton, Collin Butler, Connor Frank, Evan Graves, Hudson Harris, Andrew Kessenich, William Moreno, Johan Niedergerke, Walker Phillips, Samuel Reisch, Ryan Ritacco, Chattin Simpson, Terrence Smith, Reid Stevens, Henry Warta and Erik Young.

About the organization: Denver Ballet Guild was founded in 1979 and is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that supports the dance arts in Colorado. Le Bal de Ballet is its signature fundraiser, proceeds from which are distributed in the form of grants to area dance companies. The proceeds also fund school and other community programs that stimulate interest in the art of dance.

Website: denverballetguild.org