Sunday, May 18, 2008

This is a note from Bubba:

So I've just returned back to my condo here in the quite hot and ever so sparkly Las Vegas. The audience tonight was amazing...quite a difference from the past few who obviously thought they were at a wake for a loved one. I have to tell you first hand that a lively and interactive audience certainly makes a difference when performing for a crowd of 4000. I'll catch you up a bit since I haven't taken the time to keep up.

Rehearsals in L.A. went well. We were in a studio in the Valley for the first part, then moved to Sony Studios which used to be MGM for the last portion. Then we came to Vegas to continue on the set. We are playing Caesar's Palace where Cher first played after her split with Sonny.  So this is a 40 year full circle for her. I ride a bike to work everyday through the masses of tourists and past the over-the-top casino hotels, and most nights after work stop to watch the dancing fountains at the Belagio while creating my own soundtrack with music on my iPhone. The theatre is incredible; very plush and expansive. The set is incredibly huge and impressive. Massive towers with a mechanical moving bridge, and over 500 moving lights.  The dancers have 7 costume changes and Cher has 17, complete with hair. Try that in two minutes! She tries and succeeds. Three days before we opened, Oprah came and took over our stage for three days to shoot a special with Cher and Tina...Turner that is, swimming pools movie stars. Then we opened on May 6th with my parents in the audience all the way from Alabama.  How amazing it is to still see their faces out there cheering for me, their 44 year old baby. Opening night had Barry Manilow and Seigfried and Roy in the audience and lots of drag queens as well. Two weeks have past with tonight being our seventh show and Carrie Underwood came and forgot to say Hi to me. So that's the cliff notes version.

Anyway, I'm back here in my condo and thinking of Atlanta and my return to Dance 101. I've been gone for almost three months and boy am I ready to get back and get involved. I mean, I love what I'm doing, don't get me wrong, but somehow at some point Atlanta, Dance 101, and you guys snuck into my heart and I'm ready to come back. The entire time I've been working on the Cher show, I've been working on our upcoming show, Transformotion, as well. I love saying the name. I love talking to the choreographers about their dances and hearing updates on how their dances are going. I love compiling the show order and seeing if it actually will work. I am getting super excited for the show. I've been putting in non-Cher hours on editing video for interludes between dances to allow for costume changes and also to add a multi-media element to the show. For all involved and all who attend, you are in for a wonderful evening of entertainment. If you have not purchased your tickets as of yet, run, ball change, jete'...do anything but walk to get them. You will not be disappointed. See ya'll in two weeks.   - Bubba