Opening Ceremony, Chloë Sevigny host political dance-a-thon

Reporting from New York â€”  “I have to whisper,â€� offered Chloë Sevigny, breathily. The actress was protecting her strained voice for the Sunday night opening of her off-Broadway play, “Downtown Race Riot.â€� “Maybe I should get a little whiskey or something.â€�

Despite a strenuous performance schedule, the 43-year-old was out late Saturday as part of the host committee for Dance Left, a dance-a-thon fund-raiser in support of Swing Left, a grassroots organization that aims to increase the number of Democratic-held congressional seats in the 2018 midterm elections.

“She’s very far from me,� remarked the actress of her latest role as a drug-addicted, free-spirited single mother of two. “It’s exciting to discover something new in the same material every night. This character is one of the best characters I’ve ever played.�

But it’s using her real-life influence to draw attention to the causes she is most passionate about that gives Sevigny the greatest thrill, elaborating, “any way I can help to raise awareness and money.� Sevigny wore a “Fifties dance� inspired look by Miu Miu and Opening Ceremony. “If I can help lend my name to get people to dance, to maybe see me, maybe get a photo. I think everybody is really fired up right now.�

After a rallying speech by “House of Cards� creator Beau Willimon, the crowd, which included Amber Tamblyn, Natasha Lyonne, Aziz Ansari and singer Sophie Auster, danced into the wee hours to a lively soundtrack provided by DJ Mark Ronson, who was joined onstage by his mother, jewelry designer Ann Dexter-Jones.

Cohosted by Opening Ceremony founders Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, the fund-raiser gathered a mix of left-leaning voters who filled the capacious Spring Studios in Manhattan to party with a purpose. “Carol and I are both born and raised American citizens,� explained Leon. “In many ways this is about us taking back what we feel like is ours.�

Waving a flashing strobe light ring in the air, Lim spoke passionately about raising political awareness, especially among younger voters, in a way that doesn’t come across as negative. “We want to be optimistic,� she said. “We can’t be all doom and gloom.�

Leon, echoing Lim’s can-do attitude, urged others in the industry to more frequently use their influence for activism. “People in fashion have to use their platform to talk about politics,� said the 42-year-old Leon. “Every designer is attached to an audience and the trend of not talking about politics needs to go away.�

Adam Selman, who has long collaborated with Lim and Leon, is equally enthusiastic about using his influence as a member of the industry. “We’re a small community and we have to support each other,� he said. “This is what New York is really good at — just bringing friends together for something important.�