Gala de Danza: Christina Lyon’s Vision for a Dazzling London Premiere

Imagine a life spent at the peak of the ballet world—pirouetting across stages with American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, and Bavarian National Ballet as a ballerina. That was Christina Lyon’s reality. Today, she’s swapped her pointe shoes for a director’s vision, founding Gala de Danza, an international arts festival that blends dance, music, and more into a dazzling spectacle.

This June, London hosts its first edition at the historic Central Hall Westminster on June 25th and 26th, 2025, promising audiences a night unlike any other. I had the privilege of sitting down with Christina to trace her extraordinary journey from stage star to global creative force.

More Than a Show

So, what is Gala de Danza? “It’s like fame, fashion, art, music, and entertainment,” she tells me. “It’s a multidisciplinary gala. You don’t have to be an art aficionado because there’s something for everyone, whether you like contemporary music, dancers, sculpture, and we have a culinary artist, our chef from Mexico is coming to do our VIP gala dinner,” Christina says.

Partly inspired by her Texan father, who knew little of the theatre, she’s made it her mission to make the performing arts accessible. In Mexico, early galas featured Mariinsky Ballet stars and projected performances onto hotel walls, 150 feet high, like a “jumbotron” for all. In London, Central Hall’s grandeur swaps traditional theatres for something unexpected. “This is about beautiful artistry in extraordinary places,” she says.

From Spotlight to Director’s Chair

What sparked a shift from a celebrated ballet career to orchestrating a worldwide performing arts extravaganza? For Christina, it’s about giving back. “I really wanted to see dancers thrive,” she says, “in particular, because I also mentor performing artists as well, I found that performing artists were having a very difficult time in terms of being able to showcase their talent at a higher level. And it was a way to give back to the community to present artists at the highest level … I wanted to give a different platform for performing artists, especially dancers.” After decades in the spotlight, she’s now shining it on others, mentoring dancers and building stages where their brilliance can soar.

Her path to this role wasn’t accidental. A pivotal influence came from an iconic figure: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “I was very fortunate when I was dancing for American Ballet Theatre that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was chairman of our board,” Christina recalls. “And I actually used to work very closely with her on producing galas.

And that’s really how I learned the other side of it, working with the patrons, talking about philanthropy with people who were not necessarily aficionados but people who would come to see the performances and to get a really keen perspective on what the audience would see and how that translated to the importance of the relationship between audience and performer, because sometimes that’s quite separated.” That collaboration opened her eyes to the interplay of art, audience, and support—a lesson she carries forward.

Tearing Down the Curtain

That insight fuels Gala de Danza’s mission: bridging the gap between artists and spectators. Christina sees a divide in the arts, unlike the raw connection fans feel with athletes at a game. “When you see professional athletes when you go to a stadium, there’s so much behind the them, there’s this camaraderie that happens,” she explains. “I think there’s a disconnect in the art world because we’re presented on stage, but so much happens behind it. I think that’s where I’ve tried to really incorporate keeping a dialogue going between the artists, creating platforms, whether it’s through social media or these galas, where people actually get the opportunity to meet with our artists.”

In Mexico, where the festival began, she threw open rehearsals in a global amphitheater. “Which initially I thought I didn’t want anyone to see the performances leading up to it. I thought it would spoil the whole surprise, but it changed the perspective of people who became more involved and more engaged in the production itself,” she says.

Her performer’s perspective fuels another mission: treating dancers better. Christina remembers the toll of touring: “I had been a performing artist. I used to go on guestings myself, where conditions were not good. I was flown six hours somewhere and told to get off an airplane onto the stage, which isn’t conducive to dance after flying,” she recalls. “And I said, there’s got to be a better way. And I think it really—I felt the compassion for artists that we’ve got to change the perspective and the image of how dancers are treated first and foremost. I would see elite athletes being given the best conditions, the best hotels, and I thought why isn’t this happening in the dance world?”

That frustration ignited change. “I consider dancers to be like professional athletes, working the same hours, with the same sacrifices involved,” she insists.

A Festival That Defies Boundaries

Gala de Danza isn’t just ballet—it’s a vibrant tapestry of art forms. “I really wanted to give a different platform for performing artists, especially dancers. That’s why I made it a multidisciplinary gala, because I thought if I could draw spectators and audience members from other areas, whether it be the art world, music world, culinary world, or fashion world, we’re going to bring together a new generation of audience-goers. And it’s really about elevating the experience and giving people this opportunity to educate them in a way that maybe they had not seen traditional dance,” Christina explains.

Picture a hip-hop artist jamming with a classical ballerina or a Cuban singer swaying alongside a ballroom couple. In London, these fusions will seek to dazzle, blending tradition with bold innovation—think choreographer Juliano Nunes reimagining Romeo and Juliet in a contemporary style, starring prodigies Braylon Browner from USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and Kayla Mak from Juilliard and ABT Studio Company. “I mean, I am a purist at heart, so there is a part of it for me that wants to maintain the purity of tradition. But also understand that this art form is evolving and in order for that to evolve, we need to bring a different generation of audience members to the table because this is our future audience,” she reflects.

Lives Transformed

The festival’s origin story is as organic as it is, genuinely, inspiring. It began in Los Cabos, Mexico, eight years ago, sparked by a family vacation, where Christina sought out a local dance school. What she found stunned her: uneven floors, no mirrors, but kids bursting with talent and hunger.

“Well, it’s a very organic story. So, I started going to Los Cabos on holiday with my family … I came across this amazing school, and I was just utterly in awe of how hungry these kids were … I came across a beautiful young girl at the time who was 15 years old. Her name’s Mariana Carillo … She had never seen live performing arts. She’d seen it on YouTube, on her phone. But I decided to really give these kids an opportunity, and I called some friends in various companies at the time, and I said, ‘Listen, would you like to come to Mexico to dance?’” she recounts.

They did, including stars from the Mariinsky Ballet—and the first gala sold out in under an hour, forcing a 20-minute curtain delay to add seats.

The impact rippled fast. “It just grew exponentially. It was a very wholesome, organic process … Take Andrés Zuñiga, a 13-year-old boy in the audience who had just started dancing … he came backstage … and said, ‘Christina, one day I want to dance at your gala.’ I was thinking, ‘Oh, well, you know, that’s quite presumptuous to think like you were going to perform with all these professional artists, but I liked his enthusiasm. So, I said, ‘Let’s get you into class.’ The next day, he came to class. I saw his natural talent … he didn’t just do one pirouette. I said, okay, do two, three, four, five – he did it!” she remembers.

She made calls. Andrés landed a scholarship at the Rock School in Pennsylvania, later dazzling at Youth America Grand Prix and the School of American Ballet. Today, he’s the first Mexican-trained dancer at New York City Ballet, a living testament to Gala de Danza’s power. “We have some beautiful, rewarding stories from the gala like that,” Christina says.

Another moment came when she invited stars Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky from American Ballet Theatre to stage Swan Lake with local kids.. “I was told that I would have 14 costumes, so I held an audition for the local kids in the community … 100 kids turned up … I looked at my team, they looked at me, and my eyes just were gleaming, and they started shaking their heads, and I’m like, I have to take all of them. They were so excited. The opportunity was there, you know, this would give them the platform. I know it changed their lives, and it has, and I’ve seen it firsthand,” she says.

Community at the Core

That focus on community defined the gala’s success in Mexico. “So really, when I go back to why the gala started, it was to help the local community. It was really to give kids an opportunity who’d never seen performing arts the chance to see things they’d never seen,” Christina explains. She resisted pressure to chase socialites, building a local foundation instead. “I was actually scolded a little bit … They said, Christina, why aren’t you bringing in VIPs and celebrities? And I said, well, this is for the local community. I really felt I was going to be ostracized, but instead, I built a foundation.”

London’s Cultural Stage

Now, that foundation goes global, starting with London. Why here? Why not New York? “I really, again, wanted to make the gala global … London for us is prestige. People ask me, and I say, because London, for us, is a cultural melting point … It’s everyone’s dream to make it here. If you make it here, you can make it anywhere, right? So why not bring our talent here and give them that platform and showcase them to the world?” Christina says.

Central Hall Westminster, with its iconic dome and history as the first U.N. conference site, will host an immersive experience featuring international stars like countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński. “It’s going to be very experiential. I think the audience will feel part of the production … the minute you walk through the door,” she teases, hinting at surprises.

Don’t be deceived by the star power, however, local ties remain vital to Christina’s vision. In London, we have a collaboration with Trinity Laban, who will perform alongside international stars, whilst local companies will help with production alongside existing US-based partners.

Future stops? “From here, we’re actually in talks to go to Cairo, Egypt, and the Middle East. So, I’m very excited about what the future holds for the Gala,” Christina reveals. Wherever it lands, youth talent drives her. “We have close to 80 youth artists performing in the gala this year, including as part of a new work, which, again, is an opportunity. And I know firsthand how rewarding such an opportunity is because I’ve seen people’s lives change—these young kids’ lives change,” she says. She adds, “So it’s not just about our established talent. Of course, we have a beautiful, stellar cast of renowned stars, but it’s the youth talent for me that drives me … I see their enthusiasm, their excitement.”

A Faith-Fuelled Passion

What fuels this relentless pursuit? “Faith. You know, I was very fortunate in my career as an artist. I know how artists need it. I think that’s what guides me. It’s working with incredibly passionate, dedicated, creative, inspirational people every day. I’m very blessed to be around those creatives and more. I wish for more people to have that. That’s why I do the galas, you know, the experience I have of working with such inspirational people,” Christina says.

It’s not about profit but purpose. “If I don’t do it, who’s going to do it? … It is a dying art form. And if we don’t have people supporting this, and we don’t have people pushing this…I am trying to push through so many barriers.”

Fortunately her faith shines through in moments of crisis, like one time in Mexico with the Mariinsky Ballet: “I remember one of the years in Mexico, the Mariinsky Ballet was rehearsing, and our stage crew went on strike (it was a nationwide strike). I thought, ‘Well, okay.’ I remember being backstage on a headset, talking to the team in the booth during the show. They said, Christina, you’re going to have to close the curtain. And well, you know, I rolled up my sleeves, took hold of the ropes, and I closed the curtain. And one of the Mariinsky dancers present, Yury Smekalov, came off stage and looked at me and simply said, ‘Christina, respect.’”

That grit, plus barrels of faith, powers her mission. From Andrés to Enrique Bejarano Vidal—discovered at 15 in Mexico, now a rising star at Birmingham Royal Ballet—her work turns dreams into reality. “Seeing someone’s dream realized is the best, most fulfilling feeling. So that’s why I do it,” she says.

A New Dance

And what about Christina’s own dreams? Do they involve a return to the stage?

“I don’t think there’s an ice tub big enough for how I’d feel after a performance! I know I had a very fulfilling career. I’m very happy to just showcase my artists. That’s rewarding. I’m very fulfilled. Because seeing the next generation is exciting to me.”

Well, this June, some shining lights of that next generation will be taking the London stage thanks to Christina Lyon and the Gala de Danza. Brava!

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Gala de Danza runs June 25th and 26th, 2025 at Central Hall Westminster. For more info or to book, click here.

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