Newsletter issued by the Las Vegas Rotary Club

Official publication of Las Vegas, Nevada Rotary Club

Hal de Becker traveled the world doing what he loved: dancing. He was the product of a theatrical family that moved to Southern California allowing him to grow up with the Hollywood sign in the background. After acting in small roles, he fell in love first with classical music and then with ballet. He appreciated beauty in those art forms as well as in the physical scenery of Switzerland, France, Palm Springs, Italy, Holland, and other exquisite places around the globe where he danced. De Becker worked on stages from Lake Tahoe where he opened for Nat King Cole to a Casino Campione in the Italian Alps becoming the talk of the town and finally to the hotels of the Las Vegas Strip. As he reminisced through the years of his fascinating life, we learned that the great ballet dancers never stop practicing, always aiming for perfection. When this interview was conducted, he owned a dance studio where other dancers could go to achieve the greatness that Hal attained during his long career. Some of the funny stories of De Becker's life come from the other side of his personality, the private detective. Educated, urbane, and sophisticated, Hal De Becker is indeed a man for all seasons and a lover of the dance art form. Shall we dance?

Rene De Haven was born on May 8, 1922 on a farm in Oklahoma. All his life he wanted to become a dancer and dreamed of one day dancing with the likes of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Later on in life his dream actually turned into reality when he danced in the show Les Girls. Rene came to Las Vegas in 1959 to open at the Riviera. He discussed what the scene in Las Vegas was like in 1950s, describing the life of a dancer and revealing how different the lifestyle was from that of most people. In California, Rene spent some time in Los Angeles working at the Moulin Rouge and at Marineland. He also found time to start a film career while dancing at night. Some of his more notable film appearances were with Jerry Lewis and later with Elvis in Jailhouse Rock. In 1961, after dancing for many years, Rene suffered a heart attack and stroke while in Tahoe. He recovered and then went to the Sahara where he performed in his last big show. With all his experience in dance and shows he then began the transition from dancer to choreographer. He received an opportunity to go to Portland and choreograph shows there, although he would always come to Las Vegas when he needed a lead dancer for one of his productions. Rene De Haven currently works for Hollywood Props and Design Group where he has spent the last five years.

Includes meeting agenda and minutes. CSUN Session 15 Meeting Minutes and Agendas.