Little Diney All Grown Up

In a previous post, I mentioned my friend's daughter, Diane, who works in Las Vegas as a dancer in "Jubilee" - the fabulous show at Bally's. I've known "Diney" since she was tiny. She started dancing when she was barely walking and discovered her passion for ballet very early in life. She trained with Ballet Pacifica in Laguna Beach and studied ballet all through school, even at the University of Indiana. The only problem? She's tall, like her mom and dad (our dear friends, Laurie and Barry). She's intelligent, talented and very attractive, but tall just doesn't work in the world of prima ballerinas. After a short stint with the Salt Lake City Ballet following her college graduation, Diney realized her dream of securing a permanent position with a major ballet company might not be realized.

Instead of sitting around moping and crying, Diney began looking for another way to dance. She and her mom went to New York City and Diney tried out for the Radio City Rockettes. Once again, they told her she was too tall. Then one of her ballet instructors in Los Angeles suggested she try Las Vegas. Lo and behold, she found a job dancing - without going topless - for "Jubilee." Although her parents were worried at first, they've since come around because Diney is so happy to be dancing. And the best part? She has a beautiful "solo" ballet with a male dance partner toward the end of the show, to "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" that literally brought me to tears. She's so stunning. I asked her to send me some photos, so I'm including a couple for you to enjoy. She's on the left in the top picture and on the right in the second one. If you happen to go to Vegas, don't miss "Jubilee!" Bravo to our grown-up and gorgeous Diane!