Anita Mann: The evolution of the Las Vegas showgirl
Editor’s Note: Producing shows for the Las Vegas Strip is not for the faint of heart. In recent days, we’ve had the cancellations of STEVE WYNN’S SHOWSTOPPERS at Wynn Las Vegas, RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT at Tropicana, Frankie Moreno’s production at Planet Hollywood, Matt Goss at Caesars Palace, and we’ll bid a very fond farewell to JERSEY BOYS at Paris Las Vegas in September.
While Robin Leach is on his annual family vacation in Italy exploring the delights of Tuscany, Puglia and next week Sicily, he’s invited a number of his showbiz pals to pen guest columns in his absence. Today, we welcome two producers who have had long-running success on the Strip: Anita Mann, owner of Anita Mann Productions, with her FANTASY at the Luxor and Adam Steck, who has THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER at Excalibur among his Las Vegas lineup that also includes Mike Tyson at MGM Grand, Human Nature at The Venetian and the new PUPPET UP! also at The Venetian.
Ladies first, so here’s Anita:
By Anita Mann
There’s something magical about the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas showgirl. Showgirls have become synonymous with this city, and their legacy will continue as true Las Vegas icons even as the showgirl phenomenon has changed over the years.
I saw my first Las Vegas show when I boldly snuck in to see VIVE LES GIRLS at The Dunes in 1961. Of course, the style, staging, costuming and even the dancing were all very different from FANTASY and today’s shows. One thing has stayed constant, though, and that is the concept of the showgirl.
Madame Bluebell brought the concept of “French showgirls” to the United States. In the early days of burlesque in Las Vegas, in shows like FOLIES BERGERE and CASINO DE PARIS, there were three groups of performers: showgirls, adagios and ponies.
The showgirls were the stars. Legendary choreographer and producer Donn Arden thought that costumes would look best on ladies 5’8” or taller, so the ladies were statuesque and beautiful, of course, and wore bejeweled, feathered costumes. But the elaborate costumes restricted their range of movement, and the choreography reflected that.
That was not the case with the dancers. Adagios were pairs of partnered male and female dancers who performed together during interludes of the show with lifts and more elaborate choreography.
The ponies were like today’s modern dancers. Ponies were short — much shorter than the tall, graceful showgirls — and they were always covered because of how hard and vigorous they had to dance. However, neither the ponies nor the showgirls of the past had individual identities in the show. You would see a chorus line of towering, gorgeous girls with ponies in the background all looking and dancing exactly alike.
That’s not to say that these productions weren’t incredibly beautiful or popular. My father absolutely loved MINSKY’S FOLIES at The Dunes, the first topless in Las Vegas. Coincidently, I went on to later choreograph the show!
What’s so beautiful and inspiring about today’s adult revues, like FANTASY, is the evolution of the showgirl into a modern dancer. As styles have changed and dance as entertainment has evolved, audiences grew to expect more from showgirls and dancers until the lines blurred and became one and the same. Now, dancers today are appreciated as performers in their own right.
At FANTASY, all of our showgirls have their own identity in the show. Seven nights a week at the beginning of our show, we introduce the audience to each showgirl in the cast. When you look at our stage from the seats in Atrium Showroom at The Luxor, you see a cast of beautiful ladies, all equally strong and talented dancers, but each with their own persona and distinct look.
Take Sonya, for instance. Sonya is our stunning aerialist in the show performing a brilliant routine on silks in addition to our dance numbers. Not only is she a Las Vegas native, but her family history also is steeped in the history of dance.
Sonya’s father was an adagio dancer in the chorus of THE LIDO at the Stardust, and her mother was a pony in a number of Las Vegas shows. It’s almost as funny as it is beautiful: An adagio and pony have a daughter who becomes a Las Vegas showgirl in one of the longest-running shows on the Strip.
FANTASY will celebrate 17 years in October, and to be as successful as we have, we have to constantly innovate and evolve, much like the history of the showgirl. Lorena Peril has returned as our headliner to bring a dynamic energy to our show in addition to her powerhouse vocals.
Our comedian, Sean E. Cooper, entertains audiences nightly with his impersonations of pop icons and is always adjusting his act to be new and fresh. We have a few surprises in store for our 17th anniversary and new calendar launch. In the meantime, our show will keep making your fantasies come true every night.
For more information, go to FantasyLuxor.com and call (702) 262-4400. Check out FANTASY by following us on Twitter and Instagram at @fantasyluxor and liking FANTASY on Facebook.
Congratulations on 17 years, Anita. That’s a mighty long run! Be sure to check out our other guest columnists today, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment.
