Oral history interview with Karen Carmichael conducted by Stefani Evans on December 9, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
In this oral history Carmichael discusses the world of professional dancing in the 1970s through the 1990s. She discusses her start in the industry and a variety of Las Vegas shows she participated in including: the Union Plaza Can Can, the American Dream Festival, Dasin’ Dirdy, and Babes Ahoy. She also goes into great detail behind her vision for Skyline, her adagio act, and the many celebrities she encountered throughout her career.
Carmichael also discusses her second career in jewelry design, and her experiences working with art galleries on the Las Vegas strip. She details the experiences of starting off at traveling art festivals, working her way up to award winning designs, and the art of jewelry photography. She also discusses the process of researching and publishing history for her book. She ends the interview with a discussion of what it means to be an artist and role of creativity in her life and those around her. She also discusses the ways in which others such as Betty Francisco, Hedy Jo Star, Debbie Reynolds and Sammy Davis Jr. had shaped her life.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Susan P. Slade conducted by Claytee D. White on July 31, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Slade discusses attending Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, Nevada and being in the Rhythmettes, the school's female dance group. Slade describes the team's operation and culture, and the different places they performed in Nevada and around the country. She talks about life in Las Vegas, the city's growth, and the communities in which she has lived throughout Las Vegas. Slade concludes the interview by presenting her scrapbook of Rhythmettes pictures and memorabilia.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nancy Houssels conducted by Claytee D. White on March 19, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods--an Oral History Project of Ward 1. Houssels discusses going to school at Berkley University and the University of California Los Angeles, and then migrating to Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses dancing at the Dunes Hotel and later at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino where she met her husband. She then discusses her part in starting the Nevada Dance Theatre and being a “prime mover” in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Linda Spinks Alverson conducted by Nancy Hardy on August 15, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Alverson discusses her early life in Isleworth, England and early interests in dancing. She talks about becoming a part of the Bluebell girls in Paris, France at the Lido and showgirl performing across the world. Alverson remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in in 1972, performing at the Stardust Hotel in the
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with LaVerne Ligon, B. J. Thomas, and Leonard Polk conducted by Claytee D. White on July 09, 2012 and July 18, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Ligon, Thomas, and Polk discuss their personal early dancing careers, their varied experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada during segregation, and working for
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ffolliott "Fluff" LeCoque conducted by Betty Rosental on March 03, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Fluff LeCoque discusses the first time she worked with black entertainers which was at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino, the various black artists she worked with, segregation at the Las Vegas Strip, and her extensive career in the Las Vegas entertainment business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Corinne Entratter Sidney, Charlotte Nort, Mary Neivans, Joy Blaine Garner, and Judy Jones conducted by Su Kim Chung on January 11, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Sidney, Nort, Neivans, Garner, and Jones discuss their early lives and recall their memories as members of the Copa Girls at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. They describe the audition process to become a Copa Girl, showgirl costumes, and the choreography that was created for their performances. The group recalls performing along famous singers, including Frank Sinatra, and the entertainment in Las Vegas during the 1950s and 1960s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Katherine M. Joseph conducted by Claytee D. White on October 25, 2004 and September 05, 2007 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Joseph discusses dancing in Paris, France with Josephine Baker and working at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino during its heyday. Joseph also discusses race segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and of the burgeoning and bustling African-American communities and neighborhoods.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Lee conducted by Stefani Evans and Su Kim Chung on February 29, 2024 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Lee describes his four decades of experience as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer (36 at the Four Queens Casino), after leaving behind a career in dance. Lee was selected to originate the role of "Tea" in a 1954 New York City Ballet stage production of The Nutcracker. He also danced in South Pacific at the Thunderbird, and with Carol Channing's revue at The Riviera, and a traveling production of Disney on Parade. After dancing in Alcazar de Paris at the Desert Inn Hotel in 1980, he quit dancing and went to dealer school. He worked swing shift at the Four Queens Hotel, and attended ballet classes at UNLV during the day. Lee, now 89, still works five days a week at the Four Queens. In this interview, Lee talks about ballet, typecasting, discipline, and being "ten times better." He discusses becoming a U.S. citizen in 1959 and changing his surname from Li to Lee.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rizzo Rich conducted by Nancy Hardyl on June 19, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Rich discusses the choreographing process for the
Archival Collection