[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 5, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATIONS, VASSILI SULICH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, on Saturday evening, December 15, the Las 
Vegas Philharmonic will be recognizing the work of one of Nevada's true 
cultural treasures, Vassili Sulich. I am pleased to speak of the vision 
and the accomplishments of this fine man.
  In 1981, Vassili Sulich received the State of Nevada Governor's Arts 
Award for ``Outstanding Individual Artist,'' an award which recognized 
his role in establishing the Nevada Dance Theatre and for bringing 
classical ballet to southern Nevada. This award is only one of many 
that have been bestowed upon Mr. Sulich, but it represents what he has 
meant, and still means for the cultural evolution of my home state.
  Born on the island of Brac, Yugoslavia, Vassili Sulich began 
imagining and improvising performances from an early age. As a refugee 
in Egypt, during World War II, he joined a Yugoslav children's theatre, 
which continued performing in Europe after the war. He received 
classical dance training with the Zagreb Opera Ballet, and he remained 
in the theatre ever since.
  In 1952, he received a scholarship to study in London. One year 
later, he moved to Paris to be a member of the Ballet de France de 
Janine Charrat. Paris became his home for eleven years, where he rose 
to the status of Danseur Etoile; first with Ballet des Etoiles de Paris 
and later with other companies and opera houses.
  During this time, he performed as a principal dancer in many ballets, 
partnering such famous ballerinas as Ludmilla Tcherina, Zizi Jeanmarie, 
and Colette Marchand. He made many appearances on television and film, 
and starred in ``Geraldine'' with Geraldine Chaplin.
  In 1960, Vassili was named the principal dancer at the Lido de Paris, 
and he began his choreographic career with ``Suite Lyrique,'' ``The 
Wall,'' and ``Oedipe-Roi'' with Jean Cocteau and composer Maurice 
Thiriet. In 1964, he came to New York as a principal dancer with 
``Folies Bergere'' on Broadway and to study with Martha Graham.
  That same year, he was offered a three-month contract by the producer 
of the ``Folies Bergere'' at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. It 
turned out to be a collaboration that lasted nine years. He was also 
named as ballet master, rehearsing and employing replacements for 
dancers and showgirls. The management of the Tropicana was always 
available to help, and even recreated a studio atmosphere in the 
theatre for ballet instruction in the afternoons and between shows.
  After several years in Las Vegas, Sulich missed the beauty and focus 
of classical ballet, and he approached the University of Nevada, Las 
Vegas, offering to teach classical dance. That same year, he organized 
his first ``Dance Concert'' in the UNLV Judy Bayley Theatre, 
choreographing three ballets for 26 voluntary dancers from shows on the 
Las Vegas Strip. The program received such enthusiastic acclaim that in 
May of 1973, he presented a second Dance Concert. The projects were 
labors of love: no one was paid, the dancers furnished their own 
costumes, and the university provided technical support.
  In 1974, a board of directors was formed, and the Nevada Dance 
Theatre came into existence, with Vassili Sulich at the helms as 
Artistic Director. Within a few years, the Nevada Dance Theatre was 
home to 23 professional dancers, providing classical ballet at home and 
touring the United States to critical acclaim. The Company was even 
recognized by Dance Magazine as one of the 10 best regional ballet 
companies in America.
  Since founding the Nevada Dance Theatre, Sulich has choreographed 
fifty-one ballets, ranging from classical to contemporary to dramatic 
works with wide audience appeal. One of his works, ``Mantodea,'' 
received international acclaim in Bulgaria and Russia and was filmed 
for Belgrade television. He has staged ``Mantodea'' for ballet 
companies in Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Hungary, and 
the United States. And just this year, he was again commissioned to 
stage the ballet in Brazil.
  After twenty-five years, Vassili Sulich retired from the Nevada Dance 
Theatre, but he has not retired from cultural service. He was 
instrumental in the forming of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and he has 
recently penned an autobiography, ``Vision in the Desert: A Dancer's 
Life.''
  I am proud to take this opportunity to congratulate Vassili Sulich 
for a lifetime of artistic achievement. He is indeed a cultural 
treasure and an ambassador for the arts in Nevada, our nation and the 
world.

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