In The Land of Snow and Dreams – The Nutcracker Suite Written by Rob LaGrone
In The Land of Snow and Dreams – The Nutcracker Suite Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/classic/vegas/ballet/nut/nut.htmll 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 at 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 create musical score, and boy, did he score! The composer reportedly considered his ballet suite rather pedestrian, throw-away pop fluff, but 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 by 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 in form of a toy soldier from her godfather Drosselmeyer. Clara's jealous brother Fritz takes doll from her and carelessly breaks it, little rat. Drosselmeyer fixes it and also presents two life-sized dancing dolls to entertain crowd. After party, Clara has a fantastic dream in which doll comes to life as a prince and defeats an army of little rats led by Mouse King (who fortunately bears no resemblance to Fritz. Evidently Clara is forgiving type.) The prince then takes Clara and Fritz on a magical journey through Land of Snow and Land of Sweets to meet Sugarplum Fairy. Why can't I have such dreams? (A fuller description of story, with music samples, is available at www.nutcrackerballet.net.) Remember being a kid? Everything seemed so much bigger, especially in dreams (such as monster under bed, who doesn't seem so big now). Clara's dream really begins when Christmas tree suddenly grows to a tremendous height. This is true magic of this enduring holiday classic: it draws us into 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 in role of Clara and are more realistic than anorexic Russian woman I saw in classic televised Baryshnikov performance. Clara's brother Fritz is played alternately by Aaron Sampson, 8, and Cameron Findley, 11. All are students at Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater. These principals are a treat to watch, but really all children are. Their dancing isn't acrobatic or polished, but their spunky movements and lively facial expressions make 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 VegasWritten by Linda Lane
Danny Gans, Entertainer of Year in Las VegasRead Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/shows/danny/gans.html At Danny Gans Theater at Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada audiences have an opportunity to be dazzled and amazed by Danny Gans, "Entertainer of Year", as he becomes approximately 60 of 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 taken art of impersonation to a stellar level. The intriguing question is how did Danny Gans go from Stratosphere to Rio to a ten-year contract with his own fifteen million dollar theater at Mirage? Pretty heady stuff for a man whose dream was to play third base for 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 from 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 from Chicago White Sox. Gans kept his focus and his dream came true; he was drafted by 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 to hospital and ending his professional baseball career. The story goes that 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 develop 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 on road honing his craft, performing in clubs and becoming one of 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, Neiderlanders offered him a one-year extension. Once again, he weighed his options. His family took precedence over life on road. Las Vegas became home for Gans, wife Julie and their three young children, Amy, Andrew and Emily.
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