What is it about watching people dance that keeps America riveted? From Dirty Dancing and the Step Up series (now anticipating its fourth installment this summer) on the big screen to So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew on TV, there’s really nothing we won’t watch. And over 14 seasons, the thing Americans watch the most is Dancing With the Stars (“Ballroom Fever”). More than even American Idol, Dancing With the Stars is America’s reality show. It’s got drama, comedy, instant gratification (scores are given right after each dance), the requisite wacky judges, costumes ranging from the shiny to the scanty and undeniable sex appeal. You don’t have to watch them dance to appreciate what Maksim Chmerkovskiy or Peta Murgatroyd bring to the table; that they actually do have talent beyond a chiseled physique just ups the escapism factor for the rest of us.
And so it goes that DWTS has landed a live stage show in Las Vegas at the Tropicana, where stars and pros from seasons past recapture the glory of their televised routines without all those pesky hosts and judges getting in the way. If anything, the stars here are more at ease than on TV, their dance numbers more refined. (Having more than a week’s worth of practice prior to performance will do that to you.) The Las Vegas DWTS has already been extended beyond its initial July 7 end date through August, so clearly the same viewers that have made the show a success are turning up to watch the real thing.
Las Vegas visitors get a good mix of the show’s performers, from pros Dmitry Chaplin and Lacey Schwimmer to stars Joey Fatone, Tia Carrere, Sabrina Bryan, Kyle Massey and Carson Kressley. The stable for prospective performers is seemingly endless, and already additional dancers from the TV show have joined the cast for short runs, including Kym Johnson and Tony Dovolani. Who knows? Your favorite dancer might be gearing up for a Vegas two-step next.
