People

By Guy D. Garcia

"Do I have to dance more?" thought Cynthia Gregory with a sinking feeling as the orchestra began to play again following her final bow. But no. The music was I Could Have Danced All Night, and the entire company was singing along in a warmly sentimental finish to a gala honoring Gregory's 20 years with American Ballet Theater. The exhausted ballerina had already danced her way through highlights reprising her glittering career. "With everything I did there were wonderful memories," said Gregory, 38, after a 15-minute standing ovation. "At one point I got tired, but then I got a second wind and flew through the rest of the performance." Days later, she still had not landed. "I haven't been able to sleep," she said. "Maybe by the weekend."

With reporting by Barry Rehfeld/New York, with other bureaus