Ode to the Vegas showgirl:
‘Jubilee’
celebrates 30 years in Las Vegas!

Nothing epitomizes Vegas more than the showgirl. Adorned in skin-hugging sequins, flamboyant feathers and sultry stage make-up, these statuesque icons embody all of the glamour and sexy appeal that characterize Vegas.

Audiences on the Las Vegas Strip got their first look at showgirls as we know them today with the opening of “Minsky’s Follies” in 1957. Along with being the first revue to feature showgirls as the main form of entertainment, “Minsky’s Follies” was also the Strip’s first topless show. The show’s success prompted other revues to open that showcased beautiful women in extravagant costumes, and the Vegas showgirl was born. Some of the other showgirl revues on the Strip at the time were: “Copa Girls” at the Sands, “Lido de Paris” at the MGM Grand and “Splash” at the Riviera.

Jubilee!
Today, there’s only one show left on the Strip that features the classic showgirl in all her rhinestone-studded and fishnet stocking-wearing glory. That show is “Jubilee!” at Bally’s. The show is celebrating its 30th anniversary on July 30, making it the longest-running show on the Strip.

“Jubilee!” opened in 1981. The show took Vegas audiences by storm with its 85 dancers of amazing stature (the true showgirl must be at least 5’8” and the men 6’0” and over), talented singers and three specialty performances. “Jubilee!” soon became known as a Broadway meets Vegas glitz production with its large 190-foot-long and 73-foot-deep stage and incredible production elements including 100 different sets and backdrops. To top it off the performers were decked out in exquisite costumes designed by Peter Menefee and Bob Mackie, the same fashion designer for Cher.

After 18,720 shows and 18 million guests, “Jubilee!” continues to dazzle audiences today as the only classic Vegas showgirl revue on the Strip.

Jubilee fun facts

There are more than 1,000 different costumes in the show
There are 8,000 miles of sequins used on the costumes. That’s enough to reach from Vegas to Paris and back.
Shoes cost approximately $100 per pair and last about three months. Each showgirl has approximately seven pairs of shoes for the show.
The cast of “Jubilee!” features 85 high-kicking performers. All dancers must excel in ballet, jazz and top dance.
With all the twirls and kicks they must execute, the dancers go through 1,500 pairs of tights a year.
There are 17 set changes in the show.
The heaviest headdress weighs 22 pounds.
About 4,200 pounds of dry ice are used for the fog effects in each performance.
“Jubilee!” performers must re-audition for their job every six months.
The show has a wardrobe team of 18 people to build, repair and wash costumes.

Jubilee!
Bally's Theatre
Las Vegas - USA
www.ballyslasvegas.com

Can-Can if you can
Moulin Rouge audition’s

Paris’s Moulin Rouge (translation: Red Mill) is a cabaret, one of the world’s most famous with its trademark lighted windmill, built in 1889 on the Boulevard de Clichy, close to the artsy Montmartre area.

The spicy entertainment and especially the lively can-can dance that evolved on its stage has delighted crowds ever since. Every year, tourists flock there to have dinner among the romantic turn-of-the-century furnishings and enjoy the main feature, a two-hour show from a team of approximately 50 high-spirited dancers in glittery costumes.

Every so often the maitresse de ballet, the captain of the dancers, goes on tour around the world recruiting new candidates for the show. This summer, the current maitresse, Janet Pharaoh, is on tour auditioning dancers in Toronto, Montreal, Las Vegas — and Sechelt.

Yes, the Coast Academy of Dance (CAD) facility in Sechelt has made the cut as an audition centre, thanks to Julie Izad, the dance school’s artistic director.

Izad once danced with the Moulin Rouge herself from 1978 to 1982 at the start of her professional career, and she considers it a great opportunity for dancers to get a foot in the door of Europe’s active dance world.

Izad kept in touch with performers at the Moulin Rouge and invited Pharaoh to use Sechelt for her West Coast auditions. As Izad points out, the school is closer than Las Vegas for prospective dancers from Calgary and Seattle. If dancers are interested enough to audition, they are usually forced to travel a distance anyway, since Canada’s dance scene opportunities are few and far between.

“It’s very hard for dancers in Canada,” said Izad.

Some are dancing at a very high level, she points out, but the career options are not always there.

“There’s lots of work in Europe,” she said, and if offered a job with the Moulin Rouge, dancers will receive working papers for a year in France.

Auditions take place on Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. at CAD. There are certain qualifications. Applicants must be at least five feet nine inches tall, slim and at least 18 years old. Though can-can dancers are usually women, men also perform during the revues.

“You must be an all rounder in your dance,” said Izad. “It’s very physical. The employers will be looking at how flexible you are, at your technique — being a jazz or ballet dancer helps.”

Izad saw the show as recently as three years ago and says, “It’s definitely a glittery showgirl show with lots of feathers and sparkles, but there’s real dancing too.”

Some local dancers might apply if they meet the criteria — Izad would like them to try out just for the experience — though many will come from Vancouver for the opportunity to audition. For contact information, see the Moulin Rouge’s website: www.moulinrouge.fr.

Semperopernball 2012 eröffnet mit Cancan!

Ensemble des Pariser Moulin Rouge zu Gast in Dresden
Dresden (dapd-lsc). Mit einem Cancan wird das Ensemble des weltberühmten Pariser Varietés Moulin Rouge den Dresdner Semperopernball 2012 eröffnen. Rund 20 Tänzerinnen und Tänzer werden während der Ballnacht am 20. Januar insgesamt viermal zur Musik der Sächsischen Staatskapelle auftreten, wie der künstlerische Gesamtleiter des Balls, Hans-Joachim Frey, am Freitag in Dresden sagte. Weitere Gäste und Künstler sollen im Herbst bekannt gegeben werden.

Der Auftritt sei im Jahr 2012 der einzige des Moulin Rouge außerhalb von Paris, sagte die Sprecherin des Varieté-Theaters, Fanny Rabasse. Das Ensemble Rouge gastiere zum ersten Mal in einem Opernhaus. Auch trete es zum ersten Mal zu Live-Orchestermusik auf. Mit den Dresdnern vor der Semperoper werde das Ensemble beim "Openairball" gemeinsam Cancan tanzen, hieß es.

Seit Beginn des Kartenvorverkaufs am Montag sind nach Angabe der Veranstalter bereits 2.000 Tickets verkauft worden. Die günstigsten, sogenannten Flanierkarten für 190 Euro seien bereits am frühen Montagmorgen vergriffen gewesen. 200 Karten der mittleren Preisklasse seien noch erhältlich, hieß es weiter.

Der Semperopernball 2012 steht unter dem Motto "Dresden darf das!". Laut Frey wird sich der Ball jung, witzig und frech präsentieren, ohne mit der Tradition zu brechen. Das solle sich nicht nur im Gastspiel des Moulin Rouge zeigen, sondern auch bei den anderen Gästen und Künstlern sowie "vielleicht auch" beim Tanz der Debütanten. Die Debütanten eröffnen den Ball in der Semperoper traditionell mit einem Wiener Walzer. Interessierte zwischen 16 und 29 Jahren mit tänzerischen Vorkenntnissen können sich jetzt bewerben.

Hot Ice is so cool!
Hot Ice 2011 - The Arena, Blackpool Pleasure Beach GB

Time was when Hot Ice ran for six months rather than six weeks but, as they say, good things come in small packages and rather some show than no show.

Having returned to the Blackpool summer scene last year from its temporary shelving due to essential maintenance work being carried out on The Arena, it’s good to see that whilst the run has been shorn of quite a few weeks, the cast (this year numbering 30) and quality remain as high as ever.

There was always going to be a certain irony that having been at the cutting edge of contemporary skating for so many years, the show had to shut up shop just as television’s Dancing On Ice had made skating into the must see new rock and roll.

Whilst other skating shows made their cast dress up as Mickey Mouse and Snow White, Hot Ice introduced silks and aerial skills into its production – this year continuing that fusion of circus, burlesque, new cabaret and skating with the likes of the return of Alexey Kofanov and his cult show Soap inspired bathtub athletics.

This year’s mini United Nations of skaters boasts a company of 30 and the fact that South Shore’s own Katie Stainsby has Dancing On Ice credits to her name and Trent Nelson-Bond is a six times Australian Ice Champion matters not a jot.

For all its smattering of excellent solos and duets this is still essentially an ensemble production – receiving gasps for the speed of its chorus line carousels and spontaneous applause for the show stealing black clad flamenco routine.

From camp cabaret to red hot Latin American rhythms, from jungle beats to pumped up disco style Mozart there are more mood and costume changes than anyone would care to count.

Producer and director Amanda Thompson has clocked up 20 years at the helm this year –and looks set for at least another 20 more, and it’s good to see former Hot Ice favourite skater Oula Jaaskelainen back for a second year sharing the choreography with Anthony Johns.

The show runs until September 4 and is dedicated to the memory of ice skating legend and top British coach Betty Calloway who recently passed away at the age of 83.

HOT ICE
Production 2011
Blackpool - United Kingdom
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

LIDO de PARIS
Production "Bonheur"
Paris - France
www.lido.fr

ROYAL PALACE MUSIC HALL
Production "Passion"
Kirrwiller - France
www.royal-palace.com