A&E

Nevada Ballet Theatre celebrates a half-century of bringing ‘beautiful movement’ to Las Vegas

Image
NBT dancers perform.
Nevada Ballet Theater / Courtesy

This week, the curtain will open on Nevada Ballet Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Gala, a one-night-only performance at the Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall that will celebrate five decades of dance in Las Vegas, and the artistic company that provided it.

NBT’s origins are as humble as they come. In 1972, Vassili Sulich, then the male lead dancer with the Tropicana’s Folies Bergere, gathered a group of ballet dancers from the local entertainment industry and presented a series of dance concerts at UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre.

Nancy Houssels, a former Tropicana dancer herself, attended one of the shows, and was so impressed, she approached Sulich and insisted that they do something to keep the momentum going. The two gathered in her living room with 15 community leaders who chipped in $1,000 apiece. That $15,000 would become NBT’s first budget.

For Houssels, who still serves as a co-chair of NBT’s Board of Trustees, that moment of co-founding the company is a treasured memory. “That was pretty extraordinary, to come from nothing and see it grow just like a child, and to have seen Las Vegas grow right along with it,” Houssels says.

Today, NBT includes a company of nearly 20 performers and a ballet and dance academy with 400 students. In 1993, the organization established the Future Dance Program, which offers initiatives such as free in-school dance instruction and the opportunity to earn scholarships.

NBT’s 50th anniversary marks an important occasion—particularly for a local community still discovering and learning about this creative form through the organization’s productions.

Artistic Director Roy Kaiser teaches a class.

Artistic Director Roy Kaiser teaches a class.

“I think there are a lot of people, not just in Las Vegas but everywhere in the United States, that think there’s something mysterious about classical ballet,” NBT Artistic Director Roy Kaiser says. “There’s nothing mysterious about it at all. It’s beautiful movement to beautiful music.”

According to Kaiser, NBT has been planning this anniversary celebration for about a year. Early on, the group realized an important goal for the evening would be to represent the entire organization. So both the artists of NBT and students from the academy will perform at the gala.

The company will present a reprise of Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain (Pas de Deux)”—originally performed by the company in 2019—along with excerpts from Jungle, a ballet written by James Canfield, who served as NBT’s artistic director from 2008 to 2017.

Students from the academy will perform New York City Ballet’s famed “Circus Polka,” set to the music of Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. It will showcase 48 of the youngest students, ranging in age from 5 to 14, dancing playfully with a charming ringmaster.

NBT’s Future Dance Scholars will perform “Send in the Clowns,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Future Dance Scholar alumnus Jemoni Powe. Powe, who is currently studying at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York City, will also take the stage with a self-choreographed solo.

Additionally, Kaiser invited several guest artists to join in the celebration. San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancers Sasha De Sola and Tiit Helimets will perform “White Swan Pas de Deux” from the beloved Swan Lake, along with the lively ballet, “Drum Roll, Please!,” choreographed by San Francisco Ballet soloist Myles Thatcher.

“There’s been a lot of interest [in the event],” Kaiser says, “and people that have been following the company for a long time that are looking forward to it.”

A production of Carmina Burana, which opens May 20 at Reynolds Hall, will officially cap NBT’s 50th season. Kaiser says it will be one of the largest productions NBT has taken on, featuring the full company of dancers, plus nearly 80 choristers from the Las Vegas Master Singers, including three vocal soloists, along with an orchestra comprising members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic under the conducting of the Phil’s music director Donato Cabrera.

NBT will soon announce details about its 51st season. Kaiser sounds excited about it, and about the NBT’s long-term prospects in the ever-expanding Las Vegas Valley.

“So many things [are] coming to the city that are enhancing the quality of life, and [they] really have nothing to do with the Strip,” he says. “I think that Nevada Ballet Theatre can play an important role in that growth. And you do that by programming interesting, entertaining and fun programs to introduce the audience to this art form.”

Adds Houssels, “We’ve converted people into learning about the ballet and enjoying it. We’ve found our place, and we’re here to stay.”

NEVADA BALLET THEATRE’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA May 14, 7:30 p.m., $41-$150. Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!

Share
Top of Story