Showgirls on Pointe

[Bellamy]

Showgirls on Pointe

 

When the casting director for the Las Vegas version of "Phantom of the Opera" held an open call for ballerinas, 50 women tried out for 6 openings. Many of the women had come from Los Angeles just for the chance.

 

If Las Vegas has long been a draw for dancers, well, they haven't traditionally been seen as the classically trained sort. But that perception seems to be changing, as performers with a formal dance background are finding that the city's pop reviews and musical extravaganzas provides better job opportunities than most major American hubs of high culture.

 

"There's more longevity in show business here," said Brian Burke, artistic coordinator and resident choreographer for Celine Dion's "New Day" at Caesars Palace. "There are showgirls on the strip who are 50 years old, who own their own homes and who are bringing home a paycheck by doing something they love, by dancing."

 

Ms. Dion's show uses 50 classically trained dancers and makes an effort to spotlight their pedigrees. About half of Las Vegas's 90 or so productions employ dancers, said Alex Karvounis, a founder of VegasAuditions.com, which attests to the rise in opportunities: it listed 370 auditions in 2005, up from 260 the previous year.

 

Broadway outlets, like "Phantom," which will open in the spring at the Venetian, and the forthcoming productions of "Hairspray" and "Spamalot," are creating more dance jobs. And dancers are part of the string of Cirque du Soleil extravaganzas, the latest of which, a showcase of Beatles music at the Mirage, opens this summer. "Between Cirque and Broadway, the employment situations are fantastic," said Julie McDonald, whose firm, McDonald/Selznick Associates, represents dancers and choreographers.

 

The paychecks are smaller than they would be in New York or Los Angeles - about $600 a week for a lounge show to more than $1,400 a week for the Broadway productions. (And smaller, for that matter, than if those dancers were willing to take off their clothes.) Union protections are not guaranteed, and performers often work 10 shows a week, compared with Broadway's 8. But the cost of living is lower in Las Vegas, and there is no state income tax.

 

There is also the question of what else is on the résumé. Those years with Alvin Ailey are nice, but "La Rêve" at the Wynn Las Vegas wants dancers who can swim, too.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/arts/dance/08moss.html

[1Celine12]

Maybe once the dancers from Céline's show are done, then they can apply for a job at another show. I think that mentioning Céline's show was a great idea. It says that there can be a wide variety of dancing jobs out there. LOVE the article.

[Celine's Wife]

Yeah, I'm sure a lot of them could try and get gigs with other shows after they're done with Celine's