In The Land of Snow and Dreams – The Nutcracker Suite

Written by Rob LaGrone


In The Land of Snow and Dreams – The Nutcracker Suite

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It's a population boom! The Nevada Ballet Theater is growing in size and prestige - and like any growing population, it contains a lot of children. Like a glass of BVisit The Nevada Ballet Theatereaujolais Nouveau, this dance company isn't old and complex, but instead young and fresh. It is aging nicely, however, as this year's performance atrepparttar Rio Hotel and Casino's Samba Theater showed.

"The Nutcracker" ballet premiered in Moscow in 1892 and was based on a delightful Christmas tale by E.T.A. Hoffman. Peter Tchaikovsky was commissioned to createrepparttar 105310 musical score, and boy, did he score! The composer reportedly considered his ballet suite rather pedestrian, throw-away pop fluff, butrepparttar 105311 audiences loved it. (For more information on this strange, troubled genius visit: www.tchaikovsky.host.sk/index.htm.) Do you suppose future generations will consider music byrepparttar 105312 Backstreet Boys to be priceless classics?

Okay, on to happier thoughts. The story takes place in a nineteenth-century European country mansion. The well-heeled guests and their many children arrive for a lavish party of dancing and gifts. The hosts' daughter Clara receives a wooden nutcracker doll inrepparttar 105313 form of a toy soldier from her godfather Drosselmeyer. Clara's jealous brother Fritz takesrepparttar 105314 doll from her and carelessly breaks it,repparttar 105315 little rat. Drosselmeyer fixes it and also presents two life-sized dancing dolls to entertainrepparttar 105316 crowd.

Afterrepparttar 105317 party, Clara has a fantastic dream in whichrepparttar 105318 doll comes to life as a prince and defeats an army of little rats led byrepparttar 105319 Mouse King (who fortunately bears no resemblance to Fritz. Evidently Clara isrepparttar 105320 forgiving type.) The prince then takes Clara and Fritz on a magical journey throughrepparttar 105321 Land of Snow andrepparttar 105322 Land of Sweets to meetrepparttar 105323 Sugarplum Fairy. Why can't I have such dreams? (A fuller description ofrepparttar 105324 story, with music samples, is available at www.nutcrackerballet.net.)

Remember being a kid? Everything seemed so much bigger, especially in dreams (such asrepparttar 105325 monster underrepparttar 105326 bed, who doesn't seem so big now). Clara's dream really begins whenrepparttar 105327 Christmas tree suddenly grows to a tremendous height. This isrepparttar 105328 true magic of this enduring holiday classic: it draws us intorepparttar 105329 child's mind and reminds us how to make believe.

The Nevada Ballet Theater has many dancers, from middle-aged adults to children no older than five. Two eleven-year-olds, Monica Moazez and Rebecca Swain, alternate inrepparttar 105330 role of Clara and are more realistic thanrepparttar 105331 anorexic Russian woman I saw inrepparttar 105332 classic televised Baryshnikov performance. Clara's brother Fritz is played alternately by Aaron Sampson, 8, and Cameron Findley, 11. All are students atrepparttar 105333 Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater. These principals are a treat to watch, but really allrepparttar 105334 children are. Their dancing isn't acrobatic or polished, but their spunky movements and lively facial expressions makerepparttar 105335 experience as fun as watching your own kids' Christmas play. (If you just thought, "That's not fun!" - shame on you, Ebenezer.)

Danny Gans, Entertainer of the Year in Las Vegas

Written by Linda Lane


Danny Gans, Entertainer ofrepparttar Year in Las Vegas

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Atrepparttar 105307 Danny Gans Theater atrepparttar 105308 Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada audiences have an opportunity to be dazzled and amazed by Danny Gans,repparttar 105309 "Entertainer ofrepparttar 105310 Year", as he becomes approximately 60 ofrepparttar 105311 300 celebrated individuals in his internationally acclaimed repertoire. The impersonator is so adept at speaking, singing and moving like his subjects that with your eyes closed, you will think you are listening to Johnny Mathis, Anita Baker, Neil Diamond, or Dean Martin. "The Man of Many Faces", as he is called, has takenrepparttar 105312 art of impersonation to a stellar level.

The intriguing question is how did Danny Gans go fromrepparttar 105313 Stratosphere torepparttar 105314 Rio to a ten-year contract with his own fifteen million dollar theater atrepparttar 105315 Mirage? Pretty heady stuff for a man whose dream was to play third base forrepparttar 105316 Los Angeles Dodgers. As a boy growing up in California he and his father lived and breathed baseball. In fact, Danny was so athletically gifted, he received a draft order fromrepparttar 105317 Kansas City Royals while he was still in high school. An injury prevented him from signing on, so he entered college. This time he turned down an offer fromrepparttar 105318 Chicago White Sox.

Gans kept his focus and his dream came true; he was drafted byrepparttar 105319 Dodgers. It looked like his future was set until a freak accident derailed a lifetime of hard work. During his first season, Danny collided with another player whose shoe dug into his Achilles tendon, sending him torepparttar 105320 hospital and ending his professional baseball career.

The story goes thatrepparttar 105321 exceedingly depressed young baseball player was sharing a hospital room with a man who told him to trust God. God must have something better in store or he wouldn't have thrown this life-altering monkey wrench into his life. Cliché as it sounds, this became a turning point in Danny's life. Gans attributes his success as an entertainer to his faith.

During his lengthy two-year recovery, to cheer him up, Danny's father took him to see Sammy Davis, Jr. perform in Las Vegas. The dye was cast. Sammy Davis, Jr. motivated Danny to developrepparttar 105322 talent he had always taken for granted. He loved to entertain people and he had a natural aptitude for making them laugh. In his show he pays a touching tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr.

To reach his goal as an entertainer Danny spent 15 years onrepparttar 105323 road honing his craft, performing in clubs and becoming one ofrepparttar 105324 most highly paid and sought after performers in corporate entertainment. In 1995 he took his one-man show to Broadway, and it was so well received,repparttar 105325 Neiderlanders offered him a one-year extension. Once again, he weighed his options. His family took precedence over life onrepparttar 105326 road. Las Vegas became home for Gans, wife Julie and their three young children, Amy, Andrew and Emily.

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