Anita Mann: Debora Flores Narvaez was part of ‘Fantasy’ family

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 | 3:19 p.m.

This was not the show Debora Flores Narvaez would miss. Not this night. This would be a special performance, and she made it happen.

For weeks, the 31-year-old dancer had been eager to perform with R&B star Sisqo in the adult show “Fantasy” at Luxor. There was no question that this show was Narvaez’s vision, her idea, her concept. Typically, she was a “swing” performer in “Fantasy,” a dancer who took the stage maybe four times a month, whenever one of the 10 permanent cast members needed relief.

But for Narvaez, this was far more than a swing assignment.

It was the debut of a two-week run in which Narvaez was to perform a new number with Sisqo to his incessantly playful dance hit “Thong Song.” Narvaez was friendly with Sisqo -- the two had danced together previously in performances in Narvaez's former hometown of Baltimore -- and a couple of months earlier had invited Sisqo to see the new, amped-up version of “Fantasy.”

Narvaez loved the show, which had been modified by producer Anita Mann to fit the high-powered vocals of its new singer, Lorena Peril. Mann says she was enormously popular with the cast, too. Narvaez had been performing in the show for about a year when she asked Sisqo to check out a performance.

“He loved it,” Mann said during a phone conversation Wednesday evening. “They are both great dancers, and they had this idea to do a number to ‘Thong Song,’ which I thought was great, too, and she was very excited about it. We had choreographed it, and it was going to be a really fun number.”

The last rehearsal was Dec. 12, the last time anyone in the “Fantasy” cast saw Narvaez alive. When she didn’t arrive as scheduled the next night for the debut of the show featuring Sisqo, the immediate word was that something had gone terribly wrong. There was no sensible reason for her to be anywhere but the Luxor on that Monday evening.

Nearly as quickly, those who knew Narvaez best focused their attention on her abusive ex-boyfriend, Jason “Blu” Griffith. They remembered the couple’s violent past, at least three incidents where police were called on domestic battery calls, and the incident in October, when Griffith was arrested after beating Narvaez.

The suspicions about Griffith’s involvement proved tragically accurate.

Blu Griffith, 32, has been charged with murder, battery constituting domestic violence -- strangulation, and destroying evidence in Narvaez’s death. Her mutilated body was found by Metro Police on Saturday, encased in concrete tubs in a house in downtown Las Vegas. The Clark County Coroner’s Office ruled that she died of asphyxiation due to neck compression. She’d been choked to death.

The incident speaks to the tightly knit entertainment community, particularly those who dance, in Las Vegas. Narvaez had many friends who performed in shows and clubs across the city (I’d actually met her, at a lively birthday party at Firefly on Paradise Road for “Vegas! The Show” featured dancer Tara Palsha back in September). There is talk of some type of memorial performance, in time, to honor her memory.

As for Griffith, he was known not only as a dancer currently in “Love” at The Mirage, but those who saw his mug shot couldn’t help but recognize him as a backing dancer for Toni Braxton’s production at Flamingo Las Vegas a few years ago. Now he’s locked up, and on Wednesday was on the receiving end of a verbal torrent from Narvaez’s sister, Celeste Flores Narvaez, who had been working feverishly to uncover what had happened to her sister.

A memorial service for Debora Flores Narvaez is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Atrium Showroom at Luxor, where “Fantasy” is staged nightly at 10:30.

In some productions, swing performers come and go without making much of a personal impact on the permanent cast members. That was hardly the case with Narvaez and "Fantasy."

“Debbie was in for two weeks straight, rehearsing, and we’d flown her into L.A. to work with a choreographer on this. She was really part of the cast,” Mann said. “She was a full member of the production, really, because she would do … she would go to whatever charity event we asked, she would volunteer any time. She took part in the employee talent show (at Luxor), volunteered for that. Whenever we needed her to make an appearance, she was there.

“She was part of the ‘Fantasy’ family. Every girl who works for us is part of that family.”

As Mann spoke, muffled music could be faintly heard in the background. It was “Thong Song,” from Narvaez’s “Fantasy” rehearsals.

“I’ve just been watching Debbie’s last rehearsal, the last time I saw her,” Mann said, haltingly. “I’d been taking notes on it when I heard about her disappearance. It’s just a terrible outcome, the worst thing that could have happened. I can’t stop crying.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.