Alec Baldwin, Yogis Find Enlightenment At Freer/Sackler Gala; Rob Garza DJs TranscenDANCE After Party

NORTHWEST -- One of the casualties of the recent government shutdown was the Smithsonian's annual gala benefiting the Freer and Sackler Galleries, which was forced to relocate last night to the nearby Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.

Still, the evening was no less regal and a parade of limousines, including several boasting diplomatic plates, quickly crowded the street outside the building as a stream of foreign dignitaries (Ambassadors, 'Dames', etc.), business and political leaders, philanthropists, and Hollywood celebrities made their way inside.

This year's benefit celebrated the Sackler Gallery's newest exhibit, "Yoga: The Art of Transformation", which opens to the public on October 19th and is the world's first exhibition dedicated to the art of yoga.

As in prior years, Thursday's gala was divided into two parts, with the earlier side consisting of a cocktail reception and dinner banquet carefully prepared by Floyd Cardoz, Executive Chef of North End Grill and the Season 3 winner of Top Chef Masters.

Gala co-chairs Hilaria and Alec Baldwin quickly proved to be the most popular couple of the night -- all the more so given the fact that she's a well-known New York yoga instructor and he's, well, Alec Baldwin.

Around 8:30p.m., members of the Galleries' Silk Road Society (its young professional support group) joined their more recognizable counterparts at the Mellon, for a reception of their own on the auditorium's upstairs balcony.

Both groups then united just before 10:30p.m. for a late night 'Transcendance' dance party, which boasted its own 'bubble bar', tea station, and various other Asian-influenced delicacies.

By the time Thievery Corporation DJ Rob Garza closed his set, if guests hadn't quite yet attained enlightenment that night then they had come darn close.