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When was the first time you saw Elvis?

Nine-year-old Nahat had just gotten off the bus in Detroit when he spotted a ruckus in front of a theatre, and a much-ballyhooed name on the marquee. He then snuck in by telling the (rather gullible) doorman that his mother was in there.

His review of the performance? “Elvis ripped that joint apart.”

Four decades later, Nahat and his San Jose-Cleveland Ballet would do a little joint-ripping-apart of their own with Blue Suede Shoes, a full-length story ballet based on 36 of Presley’s songs. The show went on to a national tour and a much-repeated PBS broadcast.

The ballet sequences were choreographed by Nahat and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet company. The ballet was presented by New Dance Ventures and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet.
What was particularly innovative about the Elvis ballet was the way it used The King’s music to tell a powerful story about innocence and the post-war American Dream. As Dennis Nahat commented:
“We didn’t realise it then, but Elvis set the tone for the time. I don’t know if the current generation really understands who he was. To my generation, he’s an icon. He came on the scene and hit us between the eyes and captured our feelings with music. He freed an entire generation.”
The structure of Blue Suede Shoes was clever. Each of the 36 Elvis songs symbolised individual parts of the story (with Guitar Man used as an overture linking different scenes).
For example, Arthur tries to woo Sally (I Want You, I Need You, I Love You), the local bad boy arrives (Devil In Disguise) and the Army beckons (Soldier Boy).

Returning home after a lonely winter (Long Lonely Highway) the GI’s are unrecognised (Stranger In My Own Home Town).

…..Initially, more traditional patrons of the ballet form were quite dismissive. Dennis Nahat commented: “We had some people say, “How can you use Elvis in this classical art form?’, but I just said, ‘Elvis is classic.’
….Verdict: Blue Suede Shoes was a brave, socially aware and sparkling undertaking that richly deserved the success it received.

read the full article at
http://www.elvisinfonet.com/

An interested party
(aka Lonnie)

longjonblu writes:

" When I was 15 years old my sister took me to see Elvis in Concert, 1959. He certainly was the King. "

You can check out his page: http://esnips.com/user/longjonblu

didnt see him at tall

ON MY TV WHEN I WAS 3

Is that when you decided you want to be a musician?

i LOVED ALL THOSE ELVIS MOVIES ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. But to be honest when I heard John Coltrane playing "My Favorite Things" is when I decided Music was my Life.

SUEDE

My Ma, took me to see Goldfinger at the cinema, she was a big Roger mooreTom /Jones fan, erm later that same evening, We curled up on the couch to watch Elvis in Hawaii....very sweaty I remember..still hold fond memories...of that evening...cheers Ma'...

look what you did...lol...

yep da Elv...fond child hood mems...oh uh huh,

M...

When I was 6 years old I met Elvis at Graceland.We stopped by there on a trip through the south to get a picture of the front gates and his uncle who was the gate guard let us in.