SINATRA Dance With Me Announces Las Vegas Cast

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Twyla Tharp's new show at Wynn Las Vegas - SINATRA Dance With Me - will feature 14 of the world's finest dancers, including Karine Plantadit, Keith Roberts, Laurie Kanyok, John Selya, Laura Mead, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Marielys Molina, Matthew Stockwell Dibble, Todd Burnsed, Michelle Camaya, Kyle DesChamps, Meredith Miles, Mark Myars, Candy Olsen, Justin Peck, Carolyn Doherty, Amanda Edge, Cody Green and Ronny Todorowski.

SINATRA Dance With Me follows four couples as they fall in and out of love at a swinging nightclub. Laura Mead, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, John Selya, Karine Plantadit, Marielys Molina, Keith Roberts, Matthew Stockwell Dibble and Laurie Kanyok dazzle the stage as the show's principals. Blending the legendary vocals of Frank Sinatra with a big band and spectacular choreography, SINATRA Dance With Me weaves classic standards including "Fly Me to the Moon," "My Way" and "That's Life" in a soaring dance fantasy of romance and seduction.  

Laura Mead (Betsy) received her training from Berkeley Ballet Theater and the Juilliard School (BFA 2006). She has performed with American Repertory Ballet and the second national tour of Movin' Out (Dance Captain). Most recently, Laura appeared on Broadway in Come Fly Away.

Charlie Neshyba-Hodges (Marty) has danced with Sacramento Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Im-ij-re and Twyla Tharp Dance, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Washington. Charlie is the recipient of the 2010 Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer on Broadway for his performance of Marty in Come Fly Away.

John Selya (Sid) trained at the School of American Ballet and performed with American Ballet Theatre (dancer and choreographer) from 1988 to 1999. He has appeared on Broadway in Movin' Out and received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, an Astaire Award and a Theater World Award. He has also appeared on Broadway in The Times They Are A-Changin', Guys and Dolls and Come Fly Away. He has appeared in the films Everybody Says I Love You, Stay and Across the Universe.

Karine Plantadit (Kate) has appeared on Broadway in Come Fly Away, Movin' Out, The Lion King and Saturday Night Fever. She has appeared on television in Sex and the City and Starve and guest-starred on So You Think You Can Dance. She has also appeared in the films Frida (as Josephine Baker), Stay, Chicago and Across the Universe. She has received a Tony Award, Astaire Award and Drama League Awards nominations for her role in Come Fly Away.

Marielys Molina (Slim) has appeared on Broadway in Come Fly Away, Sweet Charity, Swing! and "Peepshow." She has appeared on television on the VMAs, SNL, Jay Leno and the Latin Grammys. Her film credits include Music and Lyrics, Idlewild and Old Dogs.

Keith Roberts (Hank) trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts and School of American Ballet. As a Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre, he worked with numerous choreographers including DeMille, Tharp, Lubovitch, Duato, Kylian and Neumeier as well as performing in works by Balanchine, Robbins, Tudor, Ashton and MacMillan. He has appeared on Broadway in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake; Fosse; Movin' Out, for which he received Tony and Astaire Award nominations; and Come Fly Away, for which he received an Astaire nomination.

Matthew Stockwell Dibble (Chanos) trained at the Royal Ballet School. He joined the Royal Ballet in 1994 and in 1999 became a founding member of K Ballet in Japan. In 2002 he started working with Twyla Tharp Dance in the U.S. He has also worked with William Forsythe, Roland Petit, Ashley Page, Christopher Wheeldon, Cathy Maston, Matthew Bourne, Francis Patrelle and Benjamin Millepied. Matthew originated the role of Chanos on Broadway .

Laurie Kanyok (Babe, U/S Kate) has had an eclectic career in film, television and stage. She has appeared on the Academy Awards, the Grammys and the Tony Awards shows, as well as numerous feature films. Most recently, Kanyok performed on NBC's Shall We Dance on Ice. Her Broadway credits include Fosse, Saturday Night Fever, Movin' Out and Come Fly Away. Laurie has also switched sides, producing The Gypsy Project: An Eclectic Evening of Dance, and also Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba as assistant choreographer.

SINATRA Dance With Me features scenic design by James Youmans, costume design by Katherine Roth, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Peter McBoyle. Music supervision is by the late Sam Lutfiyya with additional arrangements and orchestrations by Dave Pierce and Don Sebesky.

By special arrangement with Frank Sinatra Enterprises and the Sinatra Family, SINATRA Dance With Me features original recorded masters of Frank Sinatra's voice backed by a live on-stage, 17-piece big band. The show's score combines classic vocal performances from the Sinatra catalog and archives along with signature Sinatra arrangements (Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Quincy Jones) and some brand new orchestrations for this innovative spectacle.

Ticket prices are $69 and $89, plus tax and service charge. SINATRA Dance With Me plays at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through January 29, 2011. The theater is dark on Sundays.

To reserve tickets for SINATRA Dance With Me please call 888-320-7110 or 702-770-9966, or visit www.wynnlasvegas.com. Groups of 10 or more persons may contact 702-770-3724 or [email protected].

Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp has choreographed more than 135 dances and five Hollywood movies; directed and/or choreographed four Broadway shows; written three books; and received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, 19 honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor and many grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In 1965 Tharp founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance, and has choreographed for many other companies including American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance and The Martha Graham Dance Company. In film, Tharp has collaborated with director Milos Forman on Hair in 1978, Ragtime in 1980 and Amadeus in 1984; Taylor Hackford on White Nights in 1985; and James Brooks on I'll Do Anything in 1994. In 1992 Tharp wrote her autobiography Push Comes To Shove. Her second book, The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life, was published in October 2003, and she recently released The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together. Today Tharp continues to create and to lecture around the world.

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra is an American icon and one of the most recognizable and admired artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a catalogue of music that is a soundtrack for our lives. Long acclaimed as the world's greatest performer of popular music, he is the artist who set the standard for all others to follow. More than a singer, he was also an actor, recording artist, cabaret and concert star, radio and television personality, and, on occasion, producer, director and conductor. A beloved entertainer for six decades, Sinatra earned three Oscars, three Golden Globes—including the Cecil B. DeMille Award—10 personal Grammys (and a total of 20 for his albums), an Emmy, a Peabody and the Kennedy Center Honors Award. A generous charitable contributor, he was honored with the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, Sinatra was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian award. He also recorded nearly 1,500 songs released on scores.

Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE)

Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE) is a joint venture between the Sinatra family and Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG). FSE owns Sinatra's recordings from the Reprise era as well as a treasure trove of films, television specials and unreleased footage, photos and audio recordings, which collectively represent one of the foremost bodies of artistic work of the modern era.  FSE also owns and manages Sinatra's name and likeness rights and represents the artist's rights to the Columbia and Capitol catalogues. FSE pursues innovative new product and venture opportunities with respect to the legendary entertainer's name and likeness, as well as Sinatra's audio and visual recordings. (www.sinatra.com)

SOURCE Wynn Las Vegas