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Be a Teese. International Queen of Burlesque Dita Von Teese will announce the three winners of the first U.S. auditions for MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris while hosting at Tabu on Thursday, March 6. Concluding the four-day open casting call, the 12 finalists will perform a freestyle piece and a choreographed piece for Von Teese and the panel of judges. After the celebration, the winners will be flown to Paris, where they will receive formal training for two months before joining the Vegas dance troupe. To be considered, dancers must be between 5’4” and 5’8” and 21 and 30 years of age, have formal dance training and a valid ID and possess natural physical beauty and an uplifting personality (read: perky, natural breasts, we think). See for yourself if Von Teese has as good a taste in dancers as she has in lingerie ensembles.
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Watch a frenzied Frenchman. We just saw the previews for The Republic of Dreams, the mostly wordless, one-man show at the Onyx Theatre by Barthelemy Glumineau, one of the clowns in the Cirque du Soleil production of Love. We’re not even going to try to explain what it’s about, except maybe to pepper you with words from the artist and the theater’s manager: “environmental,” “atmospheric” and “physical.” We can also tell you that Glumineau artfully hacks away at a lump of clay with a butcher knife, throws himself to the floor repeatedly, heaves and cries and snorts and pounds his fists and pulsates under a muslin sheet for an hour. Glumineau explained: “It’s about fighting to exit a dream, a man still in his sleep, struggling for life.” Act fast: Only 60 seats will be sold to preserve the delicate vibe. Performing the evening of March 11 and 18 (or, the morning of March 12 and 19), 1 a.m., $10. Reservations: www.onyxtheatre.com or 732-7225
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See weird shit. Jona Bechtolt’s MySpace page describes his musical brainchild, YACHT, thusly: “an amalgamation of self-taught dance moves and anthemic electro-power jams all played backwards and covered in cherry cola … uncluttered, inspiring sessions of improbable dancing and synchronized crowd-waving.” Color us curious. March 6, 10 p.m., $10. The Beatles Revolution Lounge, 692-8383.
4
Combat violence through anatomy. V-Day 2008 presents the Las Vegas community production of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues in celebration of the 10th anniversary of V-Day, raising community awareness and putting an end to violence against women and girls. There will be only two powerful performances of the famed piece given at Bugsy’s Supper Club on Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 each, cash only, and are available at Bugsy’s Supper Club, Impact Models and the Rape Crisis Center during business hours or can be preordered by contacting Miranda Smith at [email protected]. Proceeds benefit the Rape Crisis Center of Southern Nevada and the Katrina Warriors of the Gulf South.
5
Get extreme. If you’re interested in mountain-climbing and BASE-jumping and other so-called extreme sports, but would rather not brave the outdoors or risk injury, then check out the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, a traveling event that showcases documentaries and narrative films dealing with all things adrenaline-fueled. It’ll get your blood pumping without the need for harnesses or helmets. March 13, 7 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 507-3400.
Banff Mountain Film Festival photo by Andrew Querner