Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nevada Ballet Theatre to salute Rodgers

Nevada Ballet Theatre will celebrate the centennial of musical theater genius Richard Rodgers with two spectacular dance premieres.

NBT artistic director Bruce Steivel has created a contemporary piece while Ann Marie DeAngelo, former prima ballerina, choreographer and associate director of the Joffrey Ballet, has structured a hip-hop-inspired dance.

"Paquita," a virtuoso gem from the Kirov's classical repertoire, completes the program. Performances are 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Artemus Ham Hall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

For his tribute, "Rodgers' Song Book," Steivel combines 13 Rodgers favorites from "South Pacific," "The King and I," "Babes in Arms," "Oklahoma," "Carousel" and "Cinderella." Costumes capture the images of the original Broadway shows.

DeAngelo focuses on "My Funny Valentine," sung by Chaka Kahn, "Little Girl Blue," performed by Janis Joplin, and "You'll Never Walk Alone," a duet by Aretha Franklin and Robin S, and "Walk On." It showcases brilliant break dancer "Mr. Wiggles" -- aka Steve Clemente of Las Vegas, a native of the South Bronx.

For the NBT dancers, it's a program that displays the great range of their talents. Principal Tess Hooley slinks and sizzles in the Rodgers' numbers, then performs "en pointe" in "Paquita."

She dances a pas de deux to "Falling in Love" with Zeb Nole in Steivel's work. Then, for "The Lady is a Tramp," she dons black fishnet stockings to vamp six men. She changes to a midriff-baring outfit for "Walk On."

"It's fun to try different things," she said. "I've never had a chance to do hip-hop. There's less structure, a freer style of dance."

That's an understatement.

DeAngelo described "Walk On" as "popped-up Rodgers," then continued, "I used Rodgers' songs as metaphors for what's missing in life today -- passion, feeling. We're so bombarded by media and the Internet. People get further and further from the themselves. They lead fragmented, disjointed lives.

Listening to Rodgers' music, you might be at rest for a while.'

DeAngelo was dance consultant to the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization for the Rodgers centennial and was in charge of motivating new ballets based on his music. Her efforts resulted in, among others, programs by New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

While with the Joffrey, she was known as a virtuoso because of her strong technique. She was also an international guest artist for several years and danced in all 50 states, Europe, South America and Russia. She has been choreographing and directing since the mid-1980s and is now also producing and teaching at Ballet Pacifica in Irvine, Calif.

DeAngelo has worked with "Mr. Wiggles" over the past 12 years.

"Wiggles uses his talent in an unconventional way," she said. "His stuff is very hard edge, but his moves are an integral part of the story. He pioneered street dance forms, and his inventions, his signature moves, are part of dance culture."

Clemente has been dancing since he was 5. "I learned by watching all the older cats on the corner," he said. "My older sister, Wanda, was a big influence, too."

He got his nickname from famous New York graffiti artist Seen.

Clemente pointed out that the media, not street dancers, had coined the name "break dancing."

"There's different styles of street dancing, but the media put it all under the 'break' umbrella," he said. "Break dancing comes from the Bronx. When the drummer does a solo, that's a 'break,' and that made guys and girls hit the floor. Anybody that flipped out at party was hitting the breaking point. So, when dancers started hitting the floor, going off the most, they became the B (break) boys.

"'Uprockin" is from the gangs of New York. There was a big misconception that gangs were dancing instead of fighting. Never happened. They were joking around, mimicking what they were going to do to another gang in a rumble."

"The Electric Boogaloos in Fresno, Boogaloo Sam, created 'poppin" and taught it to Michael Jackson -- but what he does is really a backslide," Clemente said. "'Lockin' comes from L.A."

Street dancing launched Clemente's career when he was 15. He and his buddies danced at a club, The Roxy, in Greenwich Village and were at Studio 54 in its heyday.

"Entertainment people started to seek us out. They were giving us money to dance all over the world. It was a blessing, too. Dancing was a lot more positive than spending negative time on the streets, fighting and doing drugs."

With NBT in "Walk On," Clemente has a solo routine and will also partner with Yoo Mi Lee of NBT.

"Picture a guy gliding across the stage while a ballerina twirls on her toes," he said. "It's going to look like a Gap commercial -- so cool.'

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