Exuberant smiles abound from the audience as the Bishop’s Performing Dance Group presented “Gatsby” last week. For 90 minutes everyone was transported back to the 1920s as the glamorously-clad dancers brought out the emotion and dazzle in their interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary prism of the American Dream. And next month, the La V celebrates their 90th birthday with more brilliantly portrayed frivolity from the era’s excess. We can’t wait for Prospect Street to become a dazzling spectacle of flappers, champagne and decadence on Dec. 15. Best of all, the charity celebration benefits the La Jolla Historical Society. Watch out for vintage automobiles, flashbulbs and flappers to ensure everyone has a grand entrance to the party. The hotel’s dining and public spaces – THE MED, Café la Rue, La Sala Lounge and the mezzanine Galeria, will be transformed into a palace Gatsby himself would envy with speakeasies and a Jazz Age dance hall. With space for 300 lucky invitees, tickets for La V’s Party of the Century will sell out fast and are set at $290 per person. Visit lavalencia.com for more information. Natasha Webb, who played Daisy Buchanan, gives a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for the show. “The fall concert is choreographed by our teacher, Donna Cory. She chooses the theme or story we will be dancing and performing. This year, she chose ‘The Great Gatsby,’ and the whole group was ecstatic. We dedicated numerous hours into the creation of this project, and we were invested into making it the best it could be. 
For me, the best part of the concert was witnessing and being involved in every step of the journey. Every member of the Performing Dance Group approached this concert in August with no knowledge of what we were going to be doing.” But as time went on, the concert progressed and it was amazing to witness. Every single component of the story slowly came together, and we were able to translate words on a page into movement on a stage.”
Gabe Garon, who played Gatsby, also offers a peek into the show.
“The most inspiring part about the show for me was its ability to make comment about the American dream and the American experience. ‘Gatsby’ is hailed as the great American novel because it deals with money, society, and socioeconomic mobility, among other things. These issues and themes are incredibly relevant today, despite the age of the book. I was also very interested in the character of Gatsby because it was so different from how I identify on a surface level.
For me, the best parts of the show were acting it and discussing its symbolism in class. Cory put an incredible amount of thought and analysis into the choreography of the show, and it shows. Every moment is so fully imbued with symbolic imagery and action that discussions can last for entire class periods. I also enjoyed taking on the persona of Gatsby because it was so different from my personality, delving into his anger and motivation and love and break away from reality.”