‘Love 2 Dance’ spotlights dancers

In the family of performers, dancers are the underappreciated, poor cousins, say husband-and-wife dancing team Michael Kessler and Melinda Jackson.

So the couple decided to pay homage to dancers everywhere in a production featuring music and lots of dancing.

"Love 2 Dance" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday at South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Kessler and Jackson star in the show that they also wrote, produced and directed. It's based on filmed interviews that the couple conducted with dancers of all ages and backgrounds. The subjects talked about their passion for their art, difficulties they've faced, their supporters, mentors and the sacrifices they made to become dancers.

Of the 20 interviewed, the show will feature 15, Jackson notes. Kessler and Jackson, who have been dancing for decades, say they relied on their own experiences to shape the production.

"A lot of the subjects are friends of ours, and the others we auditioned," Kessler says. "When you've been in the business this long, you've definitely had some triumphs and tribulations. We wanted their stories to be told."

One dancer, Don Bellamy, talked to Kessler and Jackson about his childhood. He didn't know the family was poor when he was growing up, Kessler says, but there were times when his mother had to choose between paying for dance shoes or paying the light bill.

Jackson and Kessler used the stories to craft musical numbers. The filmed interviews will be projected onto a screen, and each segment will be followed by a musical number. The subjects also will perform live.

Tickets for the show cost between $20 and $30 and are available at americandance.biz, southpointcasino.com or by calling 797-8055.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.