Thread: Belly Dancers really should pay tribute to Lliberace!

The beautiful Sabrina (San Diego) organized a tour of the Liberace Museum during the Las Vegas Belly Dance intensive.
I NEVER knew this man was so fascinating and so generous! It was a wonderful tour. (Thanks Sabrina!)
What I had known about him was he wore a lot of sparklies.
If you have a chance- see the museum. They're closing in October of this year and REALLY deserve support.
At one point Swarovski was going to go out of business. Liberace heard about this and placed an order of such magnitude that they were able to stay afloat. We owe Liberace a lot! LOL.
Some pictures are in my facebook album here:
Samira Shuruk | Facebook

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

The beautiful Sabrina (San Diego) organized a tour of the Liberace Museum during the Las Vegas Belly Dance intensive.
I NEVER knew this man was so fascinating and so generous! It was a wonderful tour. (Thanks Sabrina!)
What I had known about him was he wore a lot of sparklies.
If you have a chance- see the museum. They're closing in October of this year and REALLY deserve support.
At one point Swarovski was going to go out of business. Liberace heard about this and placed an order of such magnitude that they were able to stay afloat. We owe Liberace a lot! LOL.
Some pictures are in my facebook album here:
Samira Shuruk | Facebook

I grew up watching Liberace on the tube.

I LOVE Liberace.

And Cher.

My heroes!..l;,

PS, my mother had "good taste." I wish she were here now. She'd plotz...l;,..l;,..l;,

Liberace is one of my heroes - a guy who wasn't afraid to dress as he pleased, convention be damned. A guy after my own heart. He also could play a mean piano!

I didn't know the museum was closing - that's too bad...

I always wanted to go to the Liberace museum, but didn't make it there the last two times I was in Vegas. ..cr.:

I visited the Liberace museum about 10 years ago and have six words of fabulousness to share---glitter hot pants matched to car----

It was divine!

I actually got to see Liberace live during the '80s. He came out in this white fur cape, which he just had to take off and show off the lining -- the inside was completely surfaced with crystals (maybe that's what all those Swarovskis went into). Just astounding! I forgot how much he said it weighed, 25 pounds or something like that.

Love that museum, just love it so dang much. I am sorry to hear it is closing. My mom lives in Vegas, I'll make sure to go one last time when I am there visiting next.

Jeanne, so cool you saw him live!!

grew up with his tv show !...then his life

One of my favorite places here in Vegas..I will miss it!

I met him in 1983(?) He played the Nebraska State Fair and afterward, he and his entourage came into the restaurant where I then BFF and I were having dinner. The manager asked us to move tables so that they could all sit together and in some privacy. Not knowing who was there, we were moved anyway. What can we say, we were raised by Midwestern Mothers. It was polite.

He and his companion came over and thanked us very nicely. When we went to leave, we found out that our bill had been paid and that we had some take out waiting for us. Which, as University students, made us very happy!

not only was he a fabulous dresser, he was a very nice and thoughtful man.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I met him in 1983(?) He played the Nebraska State Fair and afterward, he and his entourage came into the restaurant where I then BFF and I were having dinner. The manager asked us to move tables so that they could all sit together and in some privacy. Not knowing who was there, we were moved anyway. What can we say, we were raised by Midwestern Mothers. It was polite.

He and his companion came over and thanked us very nicely. When we went to leave, we found out that our bill had been paid and that we had some take out waiting for us. Which, as University students, made us very happy!

not only was he a fabulous dresser, he was a very nice and thoughtful man.

{{{HUGS}}}

Wow. That's just awesome!

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

....
not only was he a fabulous dresser, he was a very nice and thoughtful man.

{{{HUGS}}}

Yea. THis really came across in the museum tour. He was very generous.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFd27tPsBfg&feature=related]YouTube - Liberace 80's Interview[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCJ-qARb2M0&feature=related]YouTube - A YOUNG LIBERACE in the 40's[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9nO9Ro_kd4]YouTube - 1969 Liberace Show Boogie Woogie[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dioRwB4RvrQ&feature=related]YouTube - Liberace Music Video & Entrance 1981[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x6bs9qigcM&feature=related]YouTube - Liberace 1984 performing on his rhinestone piano[/ame]

40,000 rhinestone lined mink coat! In the museum there is a rhinestone covered CAR! (pic in my Facebook).

This is really cool, thank you for sharing this, I had no idea, it is so wonderful that he did that.

I really enjoyed reading these facts.

Thanks again.

Ha ha! My piano teacher in college always said to flourish after playing French music like Liberace. :)
So in my lessons, we always practiced grand entrances and exits to the stage.

Just saw this thread.
Yes, I'm soooooo glad we went to the museum. There's more pics in my facebook album too Sabrina Bd | Facebook

He was such an incredible showman. always stiving to top himself. I really wish you all could have seen the cosutmes up close. each one was more spectacular than the next. Totally lavish up close and reading well from a distance. The tour guide was so knowledgeable about his art. And, I was very impressed that his extravagance was matched by his philanthropy.

I wish the Swarovski company would save his museum, as he saved their company all those years ago. If Liberace hadn't saved Swarovski, what on earth would we wear?!?!?! ;) I certainly wouldn't have my jewelry store.

I am SO SORRY to hear the museum is closing. I've been twice and really appreciated the chance to look at those wonderful costumes. The second time, I had to laugh -- in their workroom they had one of my favorite books on bead embroidery.

WOW! Sabrina, those are great pictures!!! Thanks so much for sharing them. It's so sad they are closing. :(

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

The beautiful Sabrina (San Diego) organized a tour of the Liberace Museum during the Las Vegas Belly Dance intensive.
I NEVER knew this man was so fascinating and so generous! It was a wonderful tour. (Thanks Sabrina!)
What I had known about him was he wore a lot of sparklies.
If you have a chance- see the museum. They're closing in October of this year and REALLY deserve support.
At one point Swarovski was going to go out of business. Liberace heard about this and placed an order of such magnitude that they were able to stay afloat. We owe Liberace a lot! LOL.
Some pictures are in my facebook album here:
Samira Shuruk | Facebook

Love that museum! Love the costumes!!!!! OMG! Those costumes!!!! Can you imagine what it would have been like had he gotten into belly dancing? ..l;,

I am so sorry to hear that the museum is closing. ..cr.: I'll have to make a point of going one last time.

I love this thread!

I've watched specials, about Liberace that included a tour of the museum, it was awesome!
I wish I could see it in person!

I loved it when he appeared on talk shows; he had a wonderful sense of humor, he always seemed so happy.
He seemed like a very nice man, caring man, in his interviews.

:-)

Mike du Bose, the photographer who was with us also took WONDERFUL photos:
Login | Facebook

I actually met Lee on several occations and he was as nice a man as you could hope. A real down to earth guy who loved his beer. LOL And what a showman!! We tried to stump him at a rehersal by shouting out song titles -- no sheet music -- He won!

I always loved his costumes and I'm sad to see the fabulous museum close.

Originally Posted by jenee

I actually met Lee on several occations and he was as nice a man as you could hope. A real down to earth guy who loved his beer. LOL And what a showman!! We tried to stump him at a rehersal by shouting out song titles -- no sheet music -- He won!

I always loved his costumes and I'm sad to see the fabulous museum close.

Wow! Lucky you Jenee! And Tahira, I loved hearing about your meeting with him!
Does anyone know why the museum is closing?

Originally Posted by ra-chell

Wow! Lucky you Jenee! And Tahira, I loved hearing about your meeting with him!
Does anyone know why the museum is closing?

Lack of funding, from what I understand.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Lack of funding, from what I understand.

As more people who remember Liberace stop going to Las Vegas, the museum has fewer and fewer visitors... and it's not NEAR anything in Las Vegas.

Liberace - what can I say??!!!! I LOVED him as a grew up and still listen to his music. What a talented individual he was and his flair for "sparklies" and his costumes - well, I still enjoy him to this day!

I was heartbroken that I had to miss this outing.

Originally Posted by ozma

I was heartbroken that I had to miss this outing.

Ozma! Are you ok? I heard a tiny bit about what happened. I hope you are fully recovered!

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Ozma! Are you ok? I heard a tiny bit about what happened. I hope you are fully recovered!

I'm fine now.

Scratched corneas apparently heal pretty damned quickly but OMFG they hurt before that. My poor date got to take me to get 24 hour emergency care at 4:30 AM because I couldn't sleep due to the pain. And he got to walk around with me when I looked like crying and was still sporting arm bruises from a back fall in Japan...people avoided eyecontact with us.

Also fun was trying to talk about how realistic my plans to still perform without contacts were when I had a crying eye and couldn't even touch my eyelid much less put on make-up...same for my thought that I could still go to the Liberace museum when I couldn't put on make-up, light caused me pain, and I looked like hell...and HE had wanted in on the Liberace action.

I was fed pancakes and cuddles, so I missed something big but not everything important.