The Mesquite Toes Dance Troupe danced in the Christmas spirit December 6-7 at the Mesquite Community Theater with their annual Christmas show, raising money to share with a local charity.
While the Toes dazzled with their costumes and dancing, it may be time for some new feathers, as irrepressible emcee Pericles Rellas had to sweep feathers off the stage while amusing the audience with jokes between acts.
This year there were quite a few guest performers, including locally renowned Mesquite crooner Cary Kosk, who sang Christmas songs beautifully. Russ Westwood, western poet, charmed the audience with his western wisdom.
The audience was treated to an Argentinian tango dance team, Kathy Cho and Lawrence Lycan, and a performance by square dance teams from Las Vegas and Pahrump – Ned Newberg, Caller and the Sun River Jazz and Tap Teams.
Two eight-year-old girls from the Studio B Dance Academy graced the stage with their performances. First, Tinley Waite performed a beautiful solo modern dance to “Butterfly.” Next, Tessa Dotson performed a charming solo rap dance to “Lip Gloss.”
A stand-alone, standout performance by Karen Alvear singing to “Where Are You, Christmas?” had the audience completely mesmerized.
An audience favorite, judging by the amount of applause, was the lively opening act Christmas Can-Can and “Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer.”
One of the troupe’s most popular dances is “Thriller,” and they brought the undead, yet lively performance to the stage as a holdover from Halloween.
Linda Villanueva always brightens up the stage with her talented comedic act. This year was no different, as she mimed “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas” in a pink hippo suit.
Choreographers Tracy Bybee, Jane Lambert and Debbie Miller should be recognized for their great work. And, as always, the theater technical crew was there to help support the production.
The Mesquite Toes will perform their 2025 Dance Spectacular April 4-5.