http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/31.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net 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) :)]]> http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#755 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#755 GMT 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]]> http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#911 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#911 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#921 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#921 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#1039 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#1039 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#1041 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#1041 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#2305 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#2305 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#3447 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#3447 GMT http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#13234 http://forum.esnips.com/posts/list/226.page#13234 GMT