50 and Fabulous
THE NEVADA BALLET THEATER PRESENTS CARMINA BURANA
By Stacey Gualandi
After the Nevada Ballet Theater presented its unforgettable 50th Anniversary Gala at the Smith Center this past weekend, I honestly didn’t think the one-night-only celebration could be outdone.
With dancers from the professional performing company, students from the Academy, and several Future Dance Scholars appearing on stage in half a dozen unique performances, artistic director Roy Kaiser says it was a perfect way to pay tribute to NBT’S co-founder Nancy Houssels and this historic occasion.
“I’m really interested in presenting work by really talented choreographers who are working throughout the dance world,” says Kaiser. “I want our audience to be able to see a diverse sampling of what’s out there. I want to give them a really broad look at how wonderful dance is across the world.”
But the company isn’t turning in its tutus just yet. To salute five decades of dance in Las Vegas, NBT’s season will wrap up on a ridiculously high note. Literally.
On Friday, Carmina Burana!—a massive production with over 120 operatic singers, dancers, and musicians, will make its official debut.
Kaiser says the Las Vegas Master Singers are sending over 59 choristers who will remain on stage for the entire production. There will be a live orchestra featuring members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, conducted by Donato Cabrera, and the company’s 18 dancers will be joined by three veteran vocal soloists flying in from Salt Lake City who have already done this production.
“It’s a lot of moving parts,” jokes Kaiser. “The score by Carl Orff is almost an hour nonstop. For the dancers, it’s a marathon because they are not only doing incredibly challenging choreography by Nicolo Fonte on stage, but almost every time they’re off stage, they’re doing a costume change, and then they’re back out again.”
Carmina Burana! is ambitious, to say the least, but it captures the performing arts in one sensational spectacle. It will be only the third time Fonte’s “reimagining of this acclaimed work” appears on stage. As an added bonus, there will be an ode to the songbook of George Gershwin in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?
Artists of Ballet West in Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana – Photo by Luke Isley
For Kaiser, closing this landmark season and momentous return to the stage post-pandemic in such a big way is truly an honor.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to close with a ballet that brings together brilliant choreography and beautiful music in such an extraordinary way.”
Like the artistic directors who came before him—James Canfield, Vassili Sulich, and Bruce Steivel—Kaiser continues to leave his artistic imprint. He’s just announced what we can look forward to next season: A return of Dracula; holiday favorite The Nutcracker; and a brand-new production of The Wizard of Oz. We’re not in Kansas anymore!
“The Wizard of Oz is a great ballet. It has wonderful integrity choreographically and visually is stunning,” says Kaiser. “We use projection; there’ll be people flying all over the stage, but at its core, it has integrity, and it will show this company off.”
Artists of Ballet West in Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana – Photo by Luke Isley
Kaiser’s biggest challenge now is building its audience to ensure not only NBT’s future but also the city’s cultural future.
“The larger the audience is, the more I’m able to do artistically, and the more we can spread our wings.”
In the words of Balanchine, ’S wonderful, ’S marvelous and ’S what you’ll love to see.
For tickets, go to https://thesmithcenter.com/tickets/2122/carmina-burana/
Principal Artists Beckanne Sisk, and Chase O’Connell in Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana
[…] Earlier that day, they featured the talent of Paige and the Overtones and Zach Ryan. The Discovery Museum had a table, and children were doing some art projects there! The Nevada Ballet Theatre, which had just celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the center this past week, had another big performance lined up to begin that night. I had the pleasure of attending their performance scheduled for that evening, Carmina Burana. Both are fabulous! You can check out our recent blog about those two events on our website, written by Stacey Gualandi. […]