Ballet Theatre celebrates anniversary

Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

It may have seemed like an impossible dream in the beginning, but Nevada Ballet Theatre has endured, and begins its 30th season Saturday at the Rio's Samba Theatre with a production of "Don Quixote."

"This was a pioneering arts organization in Las Vegas when it was founded in 1972," said NBT Executive Director Harry Ferris, who joined NBT two years ago. "The company set the footprints for the arts, but it has always been a struggle."

Finances are always a problem for the arts, Ferris noted, but the company has had consistent support from patrons such as Kell and Nancy Houssels.

Nancy Houssels, a former dancer/choreographer, and Vassili Sulich, a former principal dancer with the Tropicana's "Follies Bergere," founded the dance company in 1972 as Nevada Dance Theatre.

Sulich became the company's artistic director. He left in 1997 and was replaced by the current director, Bruce Steivel. Steivel and the company's board of directors changed the name to Nevada Ballet Theatre in 1998.

A tribute dinner and gala performance is being held in honor of the Houssels tonight. The dinner and a cocktail party, with Elaine Wynn serving as hostess, will be held in the Rio's Miranda Room. The gala, in the Samba Theatre, will include scenes from ballets such as "Defile," "Black Swan" and "Corsair."

Tickets are still available for tonight's event, which will include guest appearances by international ballet stars Eun-Sun Jun and Jae-Wan Hwang from Korea's Universal Ballet.

There will also be a "Gala Waltz" and a "grand march" across the stage featuring the entire NBT company and students from the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre.

There will be two performances of "Don Quixote," based on the novel of the same name written in the early 1600s by Miguel de Cervantes. (The Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha" also was inspired by the classic work of fiction.)

Saturday's performance will feature dancers Natalia Chapourskaya and Kyu Dong Kwak in the lead roles. A Sunday matinee will feature Kiera Hansen and Dereck Townsend.

Marc Fineman, marketing director for NBT, described the production as being "set against a lavish background that captures the flavor of its Spanish setting. The production features elaborate sets, colorful costumes and a cast of 37 dancers."

Ferris said NBT is in more stable condition now than in the early years. He attributed that, in part, to the organization's facility in Summerlin, the 36,000-square-foot Donald W. Reynolds Cultural Center.

The center, which opened almost three years ago, was constructed using a grant awarded in 1996 by the Reynolds Foundation. The building is on land donated by the Howard Hughes Corporation.

"That is a fixed asset for us," Ferris said. "We are one of the few (ballet) companies in the country that has their own building."

In addition to being the ballet company's headquarters, NBT operates the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre at the site. The school has an enrollment of 400 students.

The "Don Quixote" production is a cooperative effort between NBT and the City Ballet of San Diego, the first such arrangement for the local company. NBT is using sets and costumes on loan from the San Diego group.

"More and more companies are collaborating," Ferris said. "The San Francisco Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre pooled their resources to produce 'Othello.' Collaboration brings resources together."

Which may allow the NBT to continue for at least another 30 years in Las Vegas.