(FORTUNE Magazine) – New York City might be in a fiscal crisis, but as the government has cut arts funding, Wall Street heavy hitters have pirouetted toward dance-related causes. Here's how the donors line up.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE Lewis Ranieri, one of the former Salomon Brothers bond kings from Liar's Poker, became the patron saint of ABT after Sept. 11. As chairman of the board, he's pledged $2 million and is paying out of pocket for day-to-day costs and a marketing campaign. "He just asks what we want to do and what we need to do it," says ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie.

ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill (above) and wife Joan have been Alvin Ailey's most generous supporters since 1994; Joan became chairman in 2000. The Weills recently gave a $15 million leadership grant toward a new building and will match donations up to an additional $3 million.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET The ballet's budget is nearly twice that of rivals; donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars include Blackstone CEO Steve Schwartzman, ex-Xerox CEO Paul Allaire, and Merrill Lynch investment-banking head Barry Friedberg, as well as moguls from law and media. "The NYCB board is like a symphony orchestra," says director of external affairs Chris Ramsey. "You don't want all violins."

--Melanie Shanley