Steve Cohen Thinks He Can Dance. Lincoln Center Is Ready for Him

(Bloomberg) -- Inspired by his daughter dancing the lead in "The Nutcracker," Steve Cohen may take up ballet himself, he told a crowd at the Rainbow Room, where maybe the 65th floor altitude got to him? "There’s no reason why I couldn’t do it," the 61-year-old said, giving a new meaning to the word "alternative" in "Alternative Investment Industry Gala."

A benefit for Lincoln Center, the event Monday night was a good place to pick up some moves -- if not from guests, who stood around schmoozing, then from the scantily-clad, muscular male in a silver headdress and sparkly underwear who gyrated (elegantly, really) to the music of DJ Mia Moretti.

Russell Granet, acting president of Lincoln Center, was also on hand to serve as a resource for Cohen, having headed a program that uses the arts to impart "learning skills critical to success in life."

Rest assured, Cohen seems content with his current gig, noting it’s very similar to when he ran his own money.

The event raised $1.5 million for the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund, which supports free performances in New York’s five boroughs, low-priced tickets for families with limited incomes, outings for veterans and original content for children on the autism spectrum, Granet said.

Cohen was an event chair with Steven Tananbaum, a symphony buff partial to Brahms who also serves as GoldenTree Asset Management’s chief investment officer. Returning chairs were Ilana Weinstein, a top hedge fund recruiter, and Anna Nikolayevsky of Axel Capital Management, who saw Joshua Bell perform last month.

Other guests: Niaz Haider, one week into his new job as head of quantitative strategies at Thomas H. Lee Capital, and fresh from seeing an Indian-Pakistani artistic collaboration; Boaz Weinstein, founder of Saba Capital Management; Anastasia Wahl, the chief financial officer of Axel Capital, who heard Roy Ayers on the vibraphone at Blue Note last week; David Wassong of Soros Fund Management and Danielle Johnson of Goldman Sachs, who once danced with New York City Ballet and has worked with Cohen, so maybe she can get him on point.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Keith Campbell, Steven Crabill

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