The call came around Thanksgiving. It was Tisza. “What are you doing for New Years Eve? Do you want to do a show? It’s an easy show. The guy told me that the dance moves would be really basic; He is more concerned with hiring people with personality. I thought of you, because you are very outgoing and friendly. He needs people who are not afraid to pull people up to dance, so that he can keep the dance floor full”.
“I’m not sure Tisza, I have not done a show in 4 years and my dance shoes are really rusty”.
“William, I know you can do this. Please do it with me. It will be a paid gig plus all expenses paid to a casino in Biloxi. They really need guys, and besides, the guy Bernie told me that he is more concerned with the person being able to get people up to dance. You can do it William. It will be fun, just like when we were on tour together. Call him”. I had nothing better to do for New Years Eve, besides, this would be like a mini vacation AND I would get paid.
I called him and left a message. Bernie from the production company called me back. It’s a show for a hotel casino he told me. “I’m not really a dancer, I’m a singer who moves,” I told him.
“If you have danced before then you will pick this up. Its really basic stuff” he explained. “I’m more concerned if you can get a crowd going, get people up to dance with you so that I can keep the dance floor filled”.
“That I can do,” I said to him. He asked me to email him a picture and resume. I couldn’t find a resume so I emailed him a picture—my blog profile picture. Bernie told me he trusted me, and that as long as I didn’t embarrass him he would hire me. I told him that I wouldn’t embarrass him because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. “What If I can’t get the choreography down or my learning curve is slow?” I asked. “We’ll have a rehearsal in NYC before we leave so you will have time to work with it and if you are that bad, we’ll put you in the back or not put you in the number”. He booked me for the job.
December 10th. A group of us meet at Nola Studios (at Studio 54—this is important) for rehearsal. The Dance Captain Nicole explains that it will be 3 dance numbers--You can’t stop the Beat; Disco Inferno; and Dancing Queen. At that rehearsal is Tisza; Brandon (my roommate on the trip), Janina (who like Brandon already knows these numbers); Melody and Shannon (are also new); Jason was missing. We start with the Hairspray number. It was so easy, reminded me of dancing in the theme parks. We learn the Disco Inferno choreography. It’s a little more challenging but still really easy. I’m confident. We have one hour left of rehearsal, and Janina and Brandon have to leave. The Dancing Queen Choreography is a bit more challenging especially since it has more to do with formations and dancing with a partner as part of a group. although its easy, my brain begins to fry and I don’t have the Dancing Queen choreography at all. It’s a good thing I videotaped.
I put off rehearsing for 2 weeks (too busy with work and Christmas stuff). With 5 days left, I review my videos. Hairspray is good. Disco Inferno is good. Dancing Queen OMG!! I ran out of tape and I don’t have it. Tisza is at home in Atlanta for the holidays, so I’ll have to work with Tisza when I get to Biloxi.
December 30th—I arrive at the airport extremely early with a pit in my stomach about the Dancing Queen Number. I meet more of the crew, Jason (another Dancer), Dan and Chevy (the DJ’s), and Bernie and his Wife. We all check in together and head to the gates. About 2 hours later we land in Memphis Tennessee, Home of Elvis Pressley for a quick stopover. The whole airport smells like delicious barbecue. We Grab lunch at a barbecue place—They had the most delicious apple cobbler and sweet tea (if you don’t know what southern sweet tea is, its iced tea with a ton of sugar brewed into it). By this time, the dance team is starting to bond. I love these bonding experiences, sort of like being on Real World. Put 10 people together for 3 days and see what happens when they stop being real and start getting on one another’s nerves.
We board the second plane that will take us to Biloxi Mississippi. It’s a very small plane. I mean really small. Our single (single as in are only) stewardess Sheila is very laid back and down to earth. “Please keep the aisles clear because… well…. Just in case we need to get off the plane in a hurry,” she says. 
About and hour later we are in Biloxi, Mississippi! I had been to Biloxi once before back when I lived in Atlanta. We went to Mardi gras one year, and went to see my friend Shawn (who is now the famous Drag Idol winner Genre Z).
The land looked flattened. Hurricane Katrina really did a number and the rebuild is still taking a really long time. You can see trees that were ripped up from the strong winds. Janina decides to explain to me our hotel accommodations. “Now this trip is what you make of it. It’s a lot of fun, but where we stay isn’t the best”. “Is there a gym?” I ask. All the seasoned dancers laugh. “We stay in a crappy place, but we will have fun, and there is a Waffle House right next to it” Janina says. Having lived in Atlanta for 5 years, I was excited that I would be able to have Waffle House again!
We pull into the Key West Inn. It looks like one of those “by the hour” places you rent a room from just to have sex when you are having an extra-marital affair with someone. Even the umbrella tables needed new umbrellas. Having been on several children’s theatre contracts in the past, this would be a piece of cake. It wouldn’t be so bad, as long as I had a clean room and a clean bed. I was fine. The reason the dancers stay here is because a lot of the smaller cheaper hotels were blown away in the hurricane and never re-built. There really wasn’t much else. Staying at the Hollywood Casino where we would be performing would cost the company way too much. Also many people head to Biloxi for New Year’s Eve that hotels sell out, and little trailer park villages start popping up everywhere. 
At least it was 60 degrees and the sunset was beautiful. NYC at that moment was being hit by a snowstorm.
An hour later we were heading to the Hollywood Casino for dinner at the Epic Buffet (which was part of the deal to come here, meals included). Casino buffets are great and this one lived up to its name “Epic”. Being a good dancer boy, I started with a salad. Then some fried Chicken, roast beef, and then Tisza and I went insane on the King Crab Legs. This would not be the first time Tisza and I have gone crazy for King Crab Legs at a buffet. We sat there filling about 2 whole plates of crab shells. I was stuffed and couldn’t get the smell of fish off my hands. Tisza wasn’t done, but was too embarrassed to get anything else since we had captured the attention of everyone because of the amount we could put away—at least in crab legs. In the back of my mind Mamma Mia was still looming. I asked Tisza that when we got back to the rooms if she would work with me. She agreed. 
While waiting for the van (which we were supposed to call when we needed a ride back to our hotel), we took a few pictures. We bonded a little more. We waited. And waited. The van never came. We had forgotten to call them! Nicole stepped in and called. She said that it would be about an hour. We went to the bar. We had a few drinks, and then Shannon and I decided to hit the slot machines. Not being gamblers, we played penny slots. I supplied the first dollar. We ran through that like water just trying to figure the machine out. We moved machines and she supplied the dollar this time. We agreed that if we made back 2 dollars, we would cash out since we would break even. We broke 2 dollars and five cents. Did we really want to take the ticket for $2.05 to the cashier window? Jason came over and said the van back to our hotel was waiting. We decided to just blast what we had betting 9 cents on each line. Within five spins, we had lost it all, even the nickel profit.
Tisza and a few of the others decided to stay back at the Hollywood Casino rather than return to the Key West Inn. Looks like I would have to review Dancing Queen on my own. Using Tisza’s notes, I stood outside of my hotel room in the cold under the naked umbrella reviewing the dance. Passers by must have thought I was crazy. Brandon kept telling me not to sweat it, that at rehearsal the next day I would get it. I didn’t want to risk it. 2 hours later, freezing cold and just slightly more confident then when I started, I took a shower and went to bed. Does Biloxi have soft water? The shower pressure felt good but the water felt slimy! Either it’s soft water, or something’s growing in the pipes.
At 7AM the next morning, I woke up. I really didn’t sleep well having nightmares of Dancing Queen. I take a quick shower (really to wet my hair more than anything) and call Tisza. We decided to hit the waffle house. Tisza and I love Waffle House having lived in Atlanta, and having been on tour together in the south where Waffle House sits at BOTH the exit ramp and entrance ramp to/from EVERY freeway. We knew exactly what to order. Waffles. I also ordered hash browns and bacon. Content with breakfast, we head back to the room. Tisza needed to begin her beauty regiment for the day (I swear it’s a 4 hour process, but Tisza is beautiful and her skin is like butter) so I knew she couldn’t run the choreography with me again. Brandon and Janina headed to the Waffle house so at least I could practice alone inside the room where it was warm. Show time would be in about 12 hours.
At noon we found ourselves once again at the Epic Buffet, this time I indulged in salad, southern fried catfish, and pecan pie. No crab legs were on the buffet for lunch. Then it was off to rehearsal in the ballroom.
As we entered the hotel's ballroom it was beautiful. This was going to be a Studio 54 Party for the hotel's High rollers (Ironic that rehearsal for this began at the real Studio 54 in NYC). Bernie explained to us that you had to be invited to this party by the hotel, and that to be invited you had to spend an average of 500 dollars a day at the casino—That’s roughly 180 thousand dollars for the year! 
Each table was dressed beautifully with Mardi gras masks, top hats, and disco balls that turned! Each Table a different color. But most striking of all was the silver disco ball dance floor that reflected the light in rainbows of colors! I was excited. We ran the 3 numbers and guess what? My work had paid off. I was ready for the show! We headed back to the Key West Inn and I took a much-needed restful nap.
At 6PM we reported to the Epic Buffet for another quick meal (I kept it light, Tisza just had crab) and then we went in to prep for the show. Costumes were gaudy but fun. Bernie explained to us that we would start off the event; dance with the crowd a little; come back to the dressing rooms; change; do our first number; dance with the crowd some more; and keep doing this till all our numbers were done and we rang in the new year. “I don’t want to see any of you standing around, or dancing with each other,” Bernie said. “You’re on my time now and I want the dance floor full”.
At 8:45PM dressed in what Tisza dubbed as my “Mexican waiter costume” and the girls in their gangster costumes, Bernie placed me Tisza and Nicole on the dance floor and told me to strike John Travolta poses. He placed other dancers around the room. Just like a movie shoot, us being part of the background, I began my John Travolta Saturday Night Fever dance just as the doors were opened to welcome the crowd in. Cameras started going off. We were like living centerpieces. Dan the DJ invited the crowed to dance so each of us headed into the crowd and found ourselves dance partners. We danced about 4 songs. I was sweaty and tired already and we were just beginning! We headed backstage for a quick costume change and a quick run through of Disco Inferno. I downed water.
(Shannon in the Disco Inferno Costume)
3 minutes before we were supposed to go on with Disco Inferno, Tisza encountered a problem with her costume. It was on backwards and in the process of switching it, something happened. Janina jumped right in and 3 minutes later we were all on stage performing disco inferno, Tisza in a brand new dress, but still beautiful. After the number we headed into the crowd and found ourselves new dance partners. I found me a woman who didn’t seem to want to dance with her older husband because “I wear him out” she told me. 4 songs later it was back to the dressing room to change and run Dancing Queen quickly. More water. I am exhausted.
Our Dancing Queen costumes were like tacky colored flamenco costumes. Tisza looked like Chi Chi Rodriguez from To Wong Foo! On stage we began the performance. In the middle of the number… oops.. Small brain fart… but a quick recovery. No one will notice. (sigh). Then it’s off to dance with the audience again. This is fun, like being at a party, except the only difference is that when you are tired of dancing, you sit down. Here you can’t. And when your partner is tired of dancing, you have to go find another. At least DJ Dan was throwing in some slow songs. My slow dance partner loved that I was from Hawaii and that I was singing to her. She was alone, a widow. Her husband of 57 years passed away that year. How sad. 5 songs later including 2 line dances (the Electric Slide), one groping drunk woman who won thousands of dollars that night with only 5 dollars grabbing my ass singing “that’s the way uh huh uh huh I like it”… and it was off to the dressing room to change into the final outfit. I didn’t think I was going to make it. “I don’t have the energy,” I said. “Find it” Bernie said, “You’re on my time now”. I drank a coke and found the energy. At least this would be the final number and then we would bring in the New Year. 
“Ladies and gentleman, the world famous dancers performing You Can’t Stop The Beat” The number went fine for me. Tisza injured her knee but I didn’t know it until after the fact. After the performance, the goal was to fill the dance floor with as many people to ring in the New Year. I danced with 2 women at the same time, one who had to make sure her phone was ready to call her son at midnight. These ladies were funny, trying to imitate any dance moves I made. I had to keep it simple. I was so tired and I must have lost weight cause my pants kept falling. I had to practically hold it up. 10—9—8—7—6—5—4—3—2—1!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Balloons fell from the ceiling and I think I kissed about a hundred older women. We sang Auld Lang Sang and America The Beautiful. Then we snuck off to the dressing room where Champagne awaited the whole cast. I think we each had our own bottle.
After changing out of our costumes,having a few drinks, and partying in the hotel bar where Nicole did her Wild Thang rendition, and security insisted that if I continued to do Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies choreography they would have to remove me (apparently they thought it involved to much kicking) we headed to the Waffle House and then bed. It was 4AM and we had to be ready to head to the airport at 8:45AM.
Jason missed the van and had to catch another separately. Security at the airport stopped Janina for having a disco ball in her bag. We flew to Memphis where Tisza and I had more Cobbler at the Barbecue Airport, and then home to NYC. It was an adventure I will never forget. I have to admit that it ranks in my top 3 New Year’s Eve parties ever. I hope I get to do this gig again next year.I made some new friends, re-bonded with Tisza, had an amazing workout, and proved to myself that I still had it in me to be a performer. Thank you Tisza for bringing me this gig, and thank you Bernie for giving me the chance.
