From Gymnastics to the Las Vegas Stage: Jan Drake Bakke’s Dance Journey
Jan Drake in a black-and-white headshot from 1986
Where It All Began
I was seven years old when my father took me to my first gymnastics practice at the UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) gymnasium in 1965.
After my wondrous ten-year gymnastics career, I took a few years off and went to college. I studied dance and grew to five-ten.
At nineteen, I performed for Lane Dance Theatre in Eugene, Oregon, under Mary Seerieter in the 1980s. I also joined her C. Rider Dance Company through a selective audition. Though it was not part of the school curriculum, I trained and performed in about 70 full-length shows.
It was intense training and performing, and I am still grateful for it all. It paved the way for me to become a professional dancer later.
I was also a dance assistant and dance aerobics teacher on the staff at LCC. Later, I trained and performed for UNLV’s Dance Department.
Jan Drake performing with C. Rider Dance Company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon, 1985
Eventually, I went back home to Las Vegas, as my dad called me home. He was starting to get ill, and it was time for me to be home for a while with both my parents.
Finding My Way Back to Dance
I took massive amounts of dance classes at Backstage Dance Studio, along with several other dance studios in Las Vegas. Every teacher I took from was awesome!
I was training for the shows and loving dance in general.
I also did some modeling events in town with Lenz Modeling Agency and continued to audition.
It took thirty-five auditions to get my first professional dance show.
It didn’t matter how many times I auditioned. I finally got in!
Darn right!
Once you get in, so to speak, you are in, and jobs come abundantly if one chooses. It did for me, gratefully.
Minsky’s Burlesque
My next job was with my dance teacher, Rich Rizzo, who hired me for Minsky’s Burlesque in 1986 at the Hacienda Hotel here in Las Vegas. It was produced by Maynard Sloate.
It was a delightful burlesque show—so cute, and also steamy and sexy.
Rich taught me the famous Donn Arden Showgirl walk in between shows, as the show was closing soon. He just knew I would be working for Donn.
I was there for only four months.
It was a little bit of an awakening for me doing that show for interesting reasons. It was Las Vegas show business at its finest and more.
We were asked to gamble with the gamblers after the show, dressed up and assisting. That came naturally to me, as my dad had taught me the famous blackjack game.
Hello Hollywood Hello
My next contract was for Donn Arden, just as Rich had predicted.
That was for Hello Hollywood Hello at Bally’s Grand Reno MGM from 1987–1989.
At the audition for this show on the Jubilee stage, there were only two of us. Don gave my immediate boss, the Company Manager for the show, Jillian Hrushowy, a yes nod, and he gave me a big smile.
Later, I was educated from my row of tall nudes about the famous Donn Arden and the background and culture of his huge production shows.
I had worked hard to get there.
It was a magnificent time, and I still have lifelong friends from the cast today, including Adrian LePeltier, the other Company Manager assisting Jillian, who was also a huge support and friend to me, as he was to everyone.
I had the dearest roommates, starting with Cynthia Hoffman, my first roommate, whom I auditioned with. Later, I lived with Beatrix Kasten and Sara Honey from the cast. They are still friends today, thirty-nine years later, along with many others from the cast as well.
It was a divine cast and a stunning show.
I lo. ved wearing Costume Designer Pete Menefee’s costumes throughout it.
Jan Drake in “Hostess” costume
Hello Hollywood Hello at Bally’s Grand Reno MGM in Reno, Nevada, approximately 1987–1989.
Enter the Night
My finale show was Enter the Night, produced by Ted Lorenz.
This was in approximately 1992–93. I was now thirty-three years old.
I wanted to continue, but after four months, my boss, Terry, and Line Captain Danielle Courson Rossetti felt I needed to take a break because I was taking care of my dad, who was very ill and dying during this time.
Terry reassured me that I had the option of coming back.
This was the end of dancing in shows for me, however.
I am so grateful and blessed for an incredible, majestic career in professional dance and show business. I cherish it daily.
When the Dance Continued
I had back problems soon after, and for the next ten years I took dance classes at Backstage Dance Studio, the original studio, with my favorite teachers, Angelo Moio and Shawn Hughes, while I could.
I had the time of my life again.
I met my husband, Steve, soon after, in 1995.
During that time of professional dance retirement, I was also performing briefly with a Christian worship dance group for local churches in the city of Las Vegas.
This was very gentle dancing for my back injury and a lot of fun, too. It was a nice way to end my professional dance performing life.
Jan Drake at the Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, approximately 2016.
The Dance Never Ends
The dance, however, never ends!
There isn’t a day that I don’t do a dance move or turn. On some days, I even do turns down the grocery store aisles.
God bless!
Love, Jan
September 19, 2026
Jane Drake with her husband, Steve, in Las Vegas, September 20, 2026.
