The Duquesne University Tamburitzans and the Nevada Ballet Theatre

Scene: The Nevada Ballet Theatre and their closing performances for this season (May 16th weekend).

I guess it is just me in my old age, I am becoming more irritable and impatient in my declining years. There was so much dead time in this I thought I was going to have to go to therapy, it took less time to get to Viet Nam than it did to get thru the stoppages on this night.

They started two minutes late, danced for 17 minutes and had an intermission! A new record for quickest intermission! The program said 10 minutes (it was 17), at 8:36 we had two 12 minutes pieces and at 9:00 sharp another, that’s right another (a second and unannounced) intermission, also 17 minutes. Now its 9:17, seventy seven minutes after kickoff and we have had two intermissions and 36 minutes of dead time. Is it just me? What happens during this period? Are they in need of selling booze, souvenirs, smoke breaks or is the time needed for real technical staging? Bitch, bitch, bitch, sure but unfortunately the Nevada Ballet Theatre has implanted this image in my mind. Help!

The ballet, oh yes, it was great! I am a lover of the dance and there is progression of development, creativity and continuity under artistic director Bruce Steivel. I am so pleased we have this fine company in Las Vegas and that I am able to enjoy it. A Midsummer Nights Dream will kick off the new season this fall and it sounds exciting, so let's get started.

The review, ah at last here it is. The first piece mixed Balanchine and Tchaikovsky, what more do you need to know? Two hall of fame artists here, the world's greatest choreographer and at least one of the world's top three composers (Mozart and Lennon-McCartney) and you get magic. Allegro Brilliante, classical, 5 pairs, well danced in the traditional spectacular costumes which are the trademark of the NBT. Just lovely and whoosh it was over.

After reading most of the Review Journal, two more classical pieces were presented. M.K.H a tribute to Nancy and Kell Houssels, which are long time patrons of the NBT. A new work by Steivel, three pairs and the cream of the company. They did it in spotlight classical forms, again well-danced and classically innovative. Like all ballet it was a visual feast that needs to be seen.

Fairy Doll, my favorite for the night, with a doll and two clowns: Baris Erhan and Dereck Townsend. Once again beautifully danced in clownlike costumes that were perfect for the piece. This was just pure dance, all three were just perfect. I have become a Dereck Tonwsend fan, he works so hard and gives me a consistent visual look which I feel comfortable with. Thanks Dereck, your professionalism is well-noted here.

Another damn intermission (I can’t help myself). After reading most of today's paper we got the finale, Inner Moves, a piece of more modern than classical dance from Korean choreographer James Jeon. Always good to see new themes and this one featured principal Kyu Dong Kwak, a handsome artist who is able to perform all challenges. I am not sure I understood this but I am greatful for the opportunity to try; you can't see enough new ideas. Also though, there are no limits to how many times you can enjoy the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty (woops I noticed a Tchaikovsky theme here). Inner Moves completed an A++ night for the NBT and especially the dancers, well done. 97 A++.

Duquesne University’s Tamburitzans performed at Horn Hall on the Community College Campus in North Las Vegas on the following night. It was 160 degrees in this theatre, isn’t it interesting how peripheral items can detract from my patronage? They Do! More dance but a whole different genre.

This was the 3rd annual stop for an all-student troop of talented dancers. Like all dance this needs to be seen and, hopefully, appreciated. Full-time Duquesne University students on tour with ethnic costumes, language songs and music; they painted a pretty canvas. Lots of the music (and theirs was background for each dance) got sort of twangy and after two Croatian arias I'm ready for the Beatles! Nonetheless the color, choreography, and dance talent was first class. It's hard to believe it could be so good from college students touring on weekends! First-class staging and choreography, a big job for 16 girls and 11 guys often all on stage at the same time. Some interesting instruments in this menagerie of twang: odd drums, accordions, horns, strings of all sorts big and small, a bass and mini-string with a trumpet horn head on it (what the hell was that?). Again the music was not Mozart but somehow most of it worked with the dance. Peter Kosovec, one of those I will miss if he ever graduates, did a pre-finale classical bouzoukee solo. It was special as is this young talented musician who plays multiple instruments.

I recall writing this review last year and recognizing some of the faces from last year's tour. I also remember reciting Tamburitzans pieces from Croatia (3), Vojvodina (don’t remember this one), Serbia (2), Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria (2), Russia, Israel (2), Slovakia, Siberia, Poland, Estonia, Armenia, and Greece. Twenty pieces in all with a 22 minute and 15 minute intermission.

This is a feast for the eyes set in what really is too small of a stage. In that Saturday night sauna, dancing must have been a load. The Tamburitzans do their own tickets and avoided the worst box office in town. They also sell videos and have a neat http://www.tamburitzans.duq.edu web site. The Duquesne University Tamburitzans is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the cultural heritages of Eastern Europe and its neighbors through performance, while awarding scholarships to talented and deserving student performers. That's pretty clear, but it is really a first class professional show as good as any in Las Vegas. Sixty-five years of tradition here with a totally new show each year. I will be sorry to see one favorite musician, one favorite male dancer and one favorite female dancer graduate someday and no long be in this tour group to entertain me! Ah graduation, I remember it well after 13 years of college.

There was an all-too-small crowd of a couple hundred able to withstand the heat (but well worth the suffering). It is hard to book in Las Vegas with the entertainment competition, the cost, and the location all factors. The Horn Theatre is fine for this show, the problem is filling the seats in the ultimate quest for the entertainment dollar. For the $20 the Tamburitzans charge, go... If you don't like it I will stand behind your ticket, there is a guarantee. It is once a year in May, check the web schedule. http://www.tamburitzans.duq.edu An A+ 97, Sammy Davis is the stage presence by which all shows are measured. http://www.tamburitzans.duq.edu Rumor has it that a first class broadway type show was in town this week but I was unable to obtain credentials. Unfortunately only a few 100 were able to find their way to this show at this venue, sorry. See ya soon at some show.