Some of the most poised guests at the School of American Ballet’s fund-raiser Monday night studied ballet as children.

Chelsea Clinton, a junior chairwoman of the event and also a member of the school’s board, exhibited perfect posture. Perhaps in honor of her years in pointe slippers, she wore dainty shoes, but there was no ballerina pink for her! The daughter of President and Senator Clinton opted for a simple sweater and pants in basic New York black. Her ensemble matched that of co-chairwoman Jill Kargman as well as the event ushers, who wore black horse heads to represent the event’s sponsor, Hermes.

Dressing every bit the part of a little ballerina was Lila Dupree, a member of the junior committee, whose hot-pink Betsey Johnson dress had a tutu-esque skirt. As a dance student, she loved to jump, but hated tombes. “It’s a basic stretch that’s very important and very boring,” Ms. Dupree said.

Another chairwoman of the event, Cindy Sites, giggled as she reminisced about her dancing-girl days. Ms. Site’s favorite move was the grand jete, a leap in the air, which she ably demonstrated with her arms (Hermes ball gowns can be so confining). Her least favorite move: a pirouette, rotating left. “I couldn’t do it to save my life,” Ms. Sites said.

“Only Peter Boal can turn both ways,” a friend of Ms. Sites, Judith Hoffman, added.

Two other co-chairwomen, Joanne de Guardiola and New York Sun columnist Liz Peek, looked positively statuesque in their Hermes dresses. Alas, they’re both too tall to partner with male ballet dancers onstage (though that didn’t stop New York City Ballet dancer Charles Askegard from taking Mrs. de Guardiola for a spin on the dance floor, with music by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks).

Some of the guests wished they remembered more of their childhood ballroom dance classes. Melissa Berkelhammer, a member of the junior committee, studied with Pierre Dulaine and Yvonne Marceau, who choreographed a performance featuring students at the school.

Even the most flat-footed guests looked graceful in the surroundings of Jazz at Lincoln Center, with its breathtaking view of the city. Simon Costin’s decor incorporated curtains of stars, curvy banks of seating, and mirrors, mirrors everywhere.

The event was the first winter fund-raiser for the School of American Ballet, founded in 1934 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. The school is the primary training ground for New York City Ballet dancers, enrolling students ages 8 to 18. Notable alumni include Suzanne Farrell and Darci Kistler. Today 94% of the company studied at the school.

To ensure students are prepared for the rigors of the company, Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins serves as the chairman of the school’s faculty. Otherwise, the administrations of the two entities are separate.

The school’s top-notch training doesn’t come cheap. Annual tuition is $3,000 to $4,000 depending on level and intensity. Room and board runs about $11,000 a year. The $550,000 raised at the event will go toward the more than $1 million in scholarship funds distributed by the school annually.