GALA PERFORMANCE

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

WELL.....

A PERSONAL NOTE TO NANCY HOUSSELS......THANK YOU.....THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING....THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISION....FOR YOUR SUPPORT ...FOR YOUR DANCING FOR YOUR CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF THE NEVADA BALLET THEATRE !

THIS GALA PERFORMANCE BY THE NEVADA BALLET THEATRE A ONE NIGHT TRIBUTE TO HOUSSELS AT THE SMITH CENTER DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS...THIS FOR HOUSSELS ON OR NEAR HER 80TH BIRTHDAY AND 43RDISH YEAR OF SUPPORT FOR THE NEVADA BALLET THEATRE.

THE SATURDAY PERFORMANCE UP UNTIL  THE END A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WORLD CLASS BALLET IN EVERY WAY.

IT WAS LIKE THEY KNEW WHAT I LIKED AND WANTED......THAT WITH 24 MINUTES OF SWAN LAKE...PERFECTLY DANCED WITH THE TCHIAKOVSKY MUSIC....20 PERFECT SWANS AND A PA DUO.....IF I NEVER SEE IT AGAIN THIS WOULD BE THE WAY TO SEE IT FOR THE LAST TIME.

ONE SOLOIST...UNNAMED IN THE CHALLENGED PROGRAM REALLY HIT THE SPOT WITH CELLO...PIANO AND REALLY UNIQUE MODERN DANCE.

WE WERE IN THE THIRD BALCONY AND THE CANNED CLASSICAL BACKGROUND MUSIC PLAYED PRETTY WELL IN THE ALWAYS ACOUSTICALLY CHALLENGED SMITH SOUND SYSTEM.

LOTS OF GUEST ARTISTS...PAIRS....ALL WONDERFULLY DANCED...NO INTERMISSION AND THEN ABOUT AN HOUR IN A VIDEO....THIS FROM HOUSSELS DANCING CAREER...PROBABLY NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND NEVER AGAIN AND IT WAS THE HIGHLITE OF MY NIGHT....THIS FROM THE 60'S WITH HOUSSELS AND HER WORLD CLASS PARTNER DANCING AT FULL SPEED WITH COUNTLESS LIFTS...SPINS AND TWIRLS.....SENSATIONAL....ONE IN BLACK AND WHITE INTRODUCED MAYBE TO A TV AUDIENCE BY EFRIM ZIMBLAST JR....AND THE OTHER INTRODUCED BY BING CROSBY.....I COULD WATCH THIS FOREVER.

THE PERFECT NIGHT UP TO THIS POINT...NO THATS NOT TRUE....THEY STARTED 17 MINUTES LATE....3000 PEOPLE IN THE THEATRE AND NO DANCING....OF ALL THE GOOD THE NBT DOES...KEEPING TIME NOT ONE OF THEIR CONCERNS...IF THEY WISHED TO START AT 747 THATS WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE PRINTED ON THE TICKET....ALL THE COST AND EFFORT TO THIS MAJOR PRODUCTION AND THEN BE LATE.....THEY WERE READY AT 747...THEY COULD HAVE BEEN READY AT 730 LIKE IT SAID ON MY TICKET.

THEN IT GOT WORSE AFTER THE HOUSSELS VIDEO WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FINALE.....A STRIP PERFROMER...NAMELESS FOR ME...CAME OUT WITH A RAP BAND AND DRUMMER AND OVERWHELMED THE ALREADY QUESTIONABLE SOUND SYSTEM....DANCERS WERE AROUND HIDING IN THE DARK WHILE I WAS TRYING TO GET MY HEARING BACK....WHAT A HORRID FINALE....WHAT AN AWFUL MARRIAGE..WHAT A BAD WAY TO CONCLUDE A FABULOUS DANCE PROGRAM.

ANYTIME THE NEVADA BALLET THEATRE GOES...YOU SHOULD GO....GISELLE...AT THE SMITH CENTER MAY 9 AND 10.....702 749 2000   NEVADABALLET.ORG

TONIGHTS GOOD AND GREATNESS ABLE TO OVERCOME LATE AND LOUD.

SO SAD THAT A WORLD CLASS SHOW IS LATE DONE WITH INAUDIBLE RAP AT THE END TO RUIN ITS SCORE.

80 B-