Las Vegas Myths Busted: Showgirls Still Dancing on the Strip
Editor's Note: Vegas Mythbusters now releases new entries every Monday, with a bonus Friday flashback edition. Today’s entry in our ongoing series originally appeared on October 14, 2022.
One important thing to know about real showgirls is that they are elite classically trained athletes who perform nightly in musical productions on the Las Vegas Strip.
Another important thing to know about real showgirls is that they no longer exist. They haven't done this since the last Vegas showgirl show in 2016, "Jubilee!" Bally's, closing after 35 years.
All the showgirls you see on the sidewalks of the Las Vegas Strip these days are either paid models or street performers who pose for photos in exchange for tips.
The idea that a full-time job still exists for women in glamorous outfits, heavy headdresses, and high hooves is a myth. This is a myth whose persistence is understandable. When the city of Las Vegas saw fit to replace the two 25-foot-tall showgirl signs that welcomed visitors to downtown last August, what were they replaced with? Two 50 foot showgirl signs.
How Showgirls Disappear
From the 1950s to the 1980s, showgirls performed in almost every major casino. Tropicana has "Folies Bergère". Bally’s has “Jubilee!” Stardust has “Lido de Paris.” There's "Pzazz!" in the desert hotel and "Casino de Paris" in the dunes. There's "Hallelujah Hollywood" at the MGM Grand. Most of them have an element of toplessness, but that's never been the main attraction.
"She was inspired by Parisian cabaret," said former "Jubilee!" actress Diane Palm. Dancers, lead dancers and company managers said: "Showgirls' performances are of great artistic beauty and convey an atmosphere of glamour, fantasy and pageantry." Like MGM's great Hollywood musicals, they are grand and arresting. It is a remarkable scene with many actors singing and dancing. . In addition to showgirls, there are dancers, singers, principal actors, special performances and a live orchestra or band. "
Some internet pundits blame showgirls' decline on "woke culture" and its resistance to oppressive female stereotypes. Others say it's because the age of Hollywood's big musicals has gone the way of the dodo (to quote a once-popular phrase).
While there is some truth to both ideas, it was the corporatization of the Las Vegas Strip that erased the showgirl presence. The countdown to the final curtain begins as power shifts from millionaire casino owners with occasional Mafia support to corporate executives tied to shareholders.
The hotel sponsors showgirl performances, which are expensive. Each show costs up to $10 million to design, with annual staging costs of at least $1 million and a cast of hundreds. That was in the 1970s!
"When Jubilee! opened, we had 128 artists," Palm recalls. “Pete Menefee designed 20 gowns for our Titanic collection alone, and those 20 gowns were worth $250,000. We have jewelry imported from Europe, designed and made in Paris by master jewelers. We have jewelry from around the world Feathers everywhere. Money doesn't matter," she said.
When money becomes an item
Until the early 1980s, hotel owners never required showgirl performances to recoup their expenses. They are considered losers and their real purpose is to attract and retain players at the casino. At the time, gambling still accounted for about 75% of the average casino revenue. That's why so many members of each "Showgirl" audience are compensated -- including drinks, meals and hotel rooms.
Today, this revenue stream has been reversed, with 75% coming from non-gambling sources. Business owners in the eighties decided to let independent producers pay to rent their showrooms rather than pay to perform their shows.
After many shows in Las Vegas became "four walls" and were forced to rely entirely on box office revenue for funding, not a single producer volunteered to host a showgirl show. Instead, they brought the essence of what Vegas is still known for: superstar musical residencies, touring productions of Broadway-tested productions, and the quirky wonders of Cirque du Soleil.
The last showgirl bastion?
Suffice it to say, the showgirls from "Vegas The Show" are still dancing healthily on the Las Vegas Strip at the 423-seat Saxe Theater in Miracle Mile Mall. But this production only uses some showgirls in some songs to show showgirls in the context of Las Vegas history, much like the Museum of Natural History does with other extinct animals.
It could also be said that Showgirls continues to try to update its image with sexy dance numbers from young headliners Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani, whose most recent performance featured backup dancers dressed as Featuring French Showgirls.
However, according to Palm, these are weak arguments. “You can dress up as a showgirl, but it’s not the same as appearing in a production that is such a rich part of Las Vegas’ cultural history.
"The tradition is over," she said.Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Visit to read previously debunked Vegas myths. Do you have any suggestions for Vegas myths that need debunking? Email [email protected].
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Source: www.casino.org
