From Showgirl to Farm Girl featuring Patti Jo Amerein (Cooper) Patti Jo Amerein (Cooper) began her stage career in the production of City Lites at the Flamingo Hotel. She was urged to audition for Donn Arden’s Jubilee! When the first contract change came up and was immediately hired as a Tall Nude. Patti Jo shares …
ep 043 From Showgirl to Farm Girl featuring Patti Jo Amerein (Cooper) Read More »
Hello there! I’m excited to share this video about a special circumstance that allowed me to choreograph and perform a solo in Jubilee at a moment’s notice! Watch the video to find out what happened and how it went! Thanks for watching! ? Athena Links mentioned: Subscribe to my weekly email and get a set …
Showgirl Story Time: That one time I did an improv solo in Jubilee Read More »
Being treated like celebrities as Vegas entertainers of the 70s and 80s featuring Joe Macchiaverna Joe Macchiaverna started off opening Hello Hollywood Hello as a singer and then continued on to be part of the opening cast of Jubilee! As a chorus singer and eventually worked his way to Principal in Jubilee and then the …
Female leaders in Showbiz who worked in a time of cultural and societal oppression featuring Su Kim Chung Su Kim Chung, head of the Special Collections at the UNLV library joins us again to chat about the matriarchs in the Showgirl’s life, Madame Bluebell and Fluff LeCoque. We discuss generational differences for women in society …
The gratitude and grace of a third generation Las Vegas performer as she continues her legacy despite restrictions featuring Skyla Johnson Skyla Johnson, currently performing in Las Vegas at the Luxor in Fantasy, shares how her showbiz lineage has shaped her as a performer and woman. We discuss her audition for the show, the differences …
How wanting more than “a little job” propelled her into her fabulous life in show business featuring Janet Kravenko Janet Kravenko was hired by Madame Bluebell at the age of 17 to join her touring company in 1957. She was traveling around Europe with seven other girls performing in the prestigious troupe while absorbing the …
It’s been 16 years since I left the Jubilee! I tend to reminisce even more about the show around the 2nd week of March, as that was about the time I last performed on that stage. So I thought it would be fun to share about the silly farewell tradition that Jubilee had for performers …
How being a “Donn Arden girl” has shaped life as a teacher, choreographer and woman featuring Alison Kravenko Alison Kravenko was destined to be a Showgirl. It is part of her family legacy. Her mother was one of the original Bluebells to come across the pond to perform in the Lido de Paris at the …
How being a Showgirl strengthens work ethic, confidence and being a woman comfortable in her own body featuring Amelia Bruff Today’s episode features Amelia Bruff, former Bluebell dancer, magic assistant, line captain and swing from Donn Arden’s Jubilee. Amelia, or Millie as she was known to cast and crew, spent a total of 14 years …
ep 036 How being a Showgirl strengthens work ethic, confidence featuring Amelia Bruff Read More »
This is the final episode of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. To culminate this series, I bring together the most impactful stories, previously unpublished, from the guests in this series and a few …
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 6, featuring Andrew Branche This is part six of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. Andrew …
ep 034 Diversifying the Narrative: part 6 featuring Andrew Branche Read More »
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 5, featuring Victor Littles This is part five of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. Victor …
ep 033 Diversifying the Narrative: part 5 featuring Victor Littles Read More »
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 4, featuring Gayve Littles This is part four of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. Gayve …
ep 032 Diversifying the Narrative: part 4 featuring Gayve Littles Read More »
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 3, featuring Anthony Brown This is part three of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. Anthony …
ep 031 Diversifying the Narrative: part 3 featuring Anthony Brown Read More »
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 2, featuring Jakki Ford This is part two of a seven part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. Jakki …
ep 030 Diversifying the Narrative part 2 featuring Jakki Ford Read More »
Diversifying the Narrative: stories from dancers of the line formerly known as the Ebony line and beyond part 1, featuring Jakki Ford Today’s episode kicks off a 7 part series in which I feature guests that are all People of Color that performed in Hallelujah Hollywood, Jubilee, and/or Hello, Hollywood, Hello between 1973-2016. I begin …
ep 029 Diversifying the Narrative part 1 featuring Jakki Ford Read More »
From dressing Mitzi Gaynor on tour straight out of fashion design school to designing for film and fashion, Karan Feder’s path led her to her position curating the costume and textiles collection at the Nevada State Museum Las Vegas where she helps preserve this unique time in Las Vegas history for generations to come. We …
Today’s episode is all about AUDITIONS! Listen in to hear about my experiences with auditions from my very first ballet audition when I was 12 years old until my final audition as Principal in Jubilee! eighteen years later. I discuss what went down in a showgirl show audition, what dancers went through during the process …
ep 027 Auditions: Does it ever get any easier? Featuring Athena Patacsil Read More »
Scott Barnard went from taking classes in a small village in New York to a full scholarship to train with Gus Giordano in Chicago. After a year of training, he went to Las Vegas, where the tall dancers went, to audition for Jubilee. We discuss the elementary school bullying that almost prevented his dance career, …
ep 026 Occupational hazards of dancing in a topless show featuring Scott Barnard Read More »
Alan Clancy came to Las Vegas in his early twenties after traveling the world as an acrobat from the age of 17, and then performing in Fredrick Apcar’s Casino de Paris production in Sydney, Australia. Blown away by the lights and lifestyle of the entertainment industry, he settled there and performed in many of the …
ep 025 Las Vegas really was the wild wild West featuring Alan Clancy Read More »
Today’s very special guest, Sal Angelica, shares about his journey from Brooklyn to the stages of Las Vegas and beyond over his 35+ year career as a dancer and adagio partner. From working with Donn Arden in Sky High in the Latin Quarter as his first professional dancing job to his dream job of performing …
This episode features former Las Vegas Showgirl turned Pilates instructor, Janet Sawczuk-Chapman. From her first professional dancing job in Japan to jobs on the Las Vegas strip, she shares about the decade she spent on the Jubilee Theatre stage. We discuss the highlights of being a Showgirl and some of the more difficult aspects of …
ep 023 What happens when weight notices don’t bother you featuring Janet Sawczuk-Chapman Read More »
That’s right! I made a video of my daily life, well, nearly.Wouldn’t it be fun to see Showgirls parading in their city?This video was inspired by a video that my Patron, Donna London, shared with me recently of a Moulin Rouge dancer in her fair city of Paris. I decided to make a bit of …
This episode features the multi-talented star, Jakki Ford sharing her story about how she got started in the performing arts and how she has worked as a model, dancer and actress. We discuss how she sang and danced in all three of Donn Arden’s MGM productions and continues to sing and record albums to this …
ep 022 We started breaking that color barrier featuring Jakki Ford Read More »
November 21st, 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the devastating fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada that killed 85 people and injured several hundreds more. This episode features survivors from the fire that were working on the opening of Donn Arden’s Jubilee! One member of the crew perished in the fire. …
ep 021 MGM Grand fire and the impact on the opening of Jubilee! Read More »
