The Folies began in Paris in 1869 as a standard music hall production, with jugglers, wrestling matches and magicians interspersed with a line of dancing showgirls. The show evolved to focus on the dancers, and it became a must-see for all visitors to Paris.

Folies showgirls were distinguished by their lavish costumes—or lack of them. The show premiered its first nude dancer in 1911, and artistically undressed performers dancing can-can became a hallmark of the show.

In 1959, producer Lou Walters brought the Folies Bergere to the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas. This was the second Parisian-style production show in Las Vegas, following the Lido de Paris, which debuted at the Stardust the year before. With a few adjustments for tamer American audiences, the Folies became a huge hit for the Tropicana, helping to cement the casino’s reputation as the “Tiffany of the Strip.”

Hundreds of dancers passed through the Folies, including several who made a lasting mark on Las Vegas. Dancer and choreographer Vassili Sulich, a nine-year veteran of the Folies, went on to help co-found both the Theater Arts Department at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the Nevada Dance Theater, the latter with former Folies adage dancer Nancy Houssels (of Szony & Clair fame). Longtime showgirl Felicia Atkins, like Sulich, was honored with a 1999 induction into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame, then at the Tropicana.

The Folies closed just a few months shy of its 50th anniversary, proof that even long success is no guarantee of future survival on the Strip. Though the show has gone dark, its hundreds of alumni and millions of satisfied audience members will honor the Folies Bergere with memories for years to come.

SOURCE: Vassili Sulich Collection, UNLV Special Collections

David G. Schwartz (www.dieiscast.com), is the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is the author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.

By David Schwartz

David G. Schwartz an Atlantic City native and the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is the author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. His web site can be viewed at www.dieiscast.com.