Nevada Ballet Theater, Cirque du Soleil dancers team for ‘A Choreographers’ Showcase’

Throbbin'.

Not jumpin'. Not shakin'. Not rockin'. Not rollin'.

Studio is ... THROBBIN'.

BOOM-ba-ba-ba-BOOM-ba-ba-ba-BOOM-ba-ba-ba-BOOM.

"That's it, it's getting there," says the compact, charismatic choreographer in the red T-shirt, exhorting his half-dozen dancers through the propulsive tribal drumbeat in Greg Ellis' "Ceremony of Passage" as they slink, leap and arm-pump with primal power to the recorded music.

Upper-body thrusts in sync with the rhythmic pounding, their feet -- typically a focal point for dancers -- are an afterthought.

"Nobody's going to be watching your feet, so work it out for yourselves," Rommel Pacson tells his Nevada Ballet Theatre crew, including an acrobatic (to say the very least) Cirque du Soleil guest dancer, "Ka's" Rei Noguti, the somersaulting "prey" of the fleet-footed "hunting party" in this jungle-esque dance tale.

So goes one of three rehearsals at NBT's Summerlin studios as "A Choreographers' Showcase," the annual NBT/Cirque du Soleil collaboration -- this year at CityCenter's Aria, transferring from Treasure Island -- gets up on its twinkly toes.

Or, in Pacson's piece, titled "PR," their thundering pedal extremities.

Combining 22 NBT dancer/choreographers with 21 Cirque performers from "Mystere," "O," "Ka," "Zumanity," "Viva Elvis" and "Love," the showcase of original works -- with the formal subtitle, "A Project Designed to Stimulate and Encourage Artistic Growth" -- will be performed Sunday and May 22. Profits will help subsidize a May 20 matinee for 1,000-plus Clark County students.

The joint effort "allows artists from both NBT and Cirque du Soleil the freedom to develop their own choreographic skills through creating new work in a variety of dance styles," said NBT executive director Beth Barbre in a statement. "The showcase has been a true indicator of the depth and talent that exists in Las Vegas among our local dance community."

One studio over from Pacson's pulse-pounder, NBT choreographer Mary LaCroix supervises one male and one female dancer in the less animalistic "Apres Vous," set to "Tiny Vessels" by Death Cab for Cutie and "Apres Moi" by Regina Spektor. Featuring more traditional balletic movements, it will total nine performers, including one from "Viva Elvis."

Ballet does have its own unique vernacular, yet some instructions are, well, basic.

"Stick your leg out -- stick your butt out," she tells her performers, then watches as they briefly strike a pose before the crouching woman wraps herself around the man's left leg and slides gracefully to the floor, still clutching his limb, triggering a stream of giggles.

"Oooh, I like that," LaCroix tells them as they freeze in that sexy position. "Get to the floor and move your hips. Yes -- twist like that!"

Across the hall, choreographer Kalin Morrow runs a rehearsal with cheery good humor. Laughs permeate her session with dancers practicing "Cue: Bow," set to four pieces -- "Tokyo," "Explanation Mark," "Take Time" and "PS" -- by the group The Books.

"I just fell in love with these four songs that translate into dance really well and I wanted to bring the quirky mentality of the band and the music out in the piece," Morrow says. "There are awkward moments, there are funny moments and it brings out all the personalities of the dancers. Each person has a little bit of a character."

Moving to her metronome-style countoff -- one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-and-one," Morrow repeats -- dancers time their gliding to the rhythm, but accept advice on the smallest body gestures.

"Bring your elbow in, not so much, just down in front of you," she tells one dancer. "I want to see that hand chill, just sort of bouncing."

Titters break out as two female dancers face each other, two hands clasped, one's other hand on her partner's hip, as they swing each other outward. "Shift, then take a step," Morrow instructs, reminding them to be as mindful of their landing as they are of each other.

"Keep your eye on that center line after you toss her."

Pointing out that her piece includes performers from "Love" and "Viva Elvis," Morrow says the hook-up between the companies produces a two-way energy surge that electrifies everyone. "It's such a cool process," Morrow says. "They have a different lifestyle than we do, they perform every evening, their rehearsal process is different. Still, even though it's the beginning of their day, they're like, 'Let's do this!' We're able to come together on this common plane and go back to the essence of dance."

Back amid the untamed passions of Pacson's piece, the animated choreographer gives his dancers a five-minute break that clocks in at about two, before telling them they're going to rehearse it over and over. And over and over. And over and over.

"In the beginning it's the hunting party, they're praying for the good kill," he says about the dancer/characters who, though human, indulge barbarian instincts.

"It's very primal, that place all humans come from. They're moving across the stage with this beat that's carrying them and it looks like a chase."

Once caught, their prey -- "Ka's" Noguti -- is fiercely set upon. "There's an escalation and when they finally surround him and they're tearing him to pieces, I wanted it to be orgasmic. Everyone comes gathering and it's this frenzy of eating and feeding."

Which explains all that throbbin'.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.