Recently, when I received my copy of Neiman Marcus – The Christmas Book 2011, it was accompanied by a note from Jessica Hurlbut (Director of Public Relations, Neiman Marcus Las Vegas).   In the note, Jessica directed my attention to one of the costlier “Fantasy Gifts” – Guest Choreographer at The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas – and inquired as to what direction I would take, with regard to the music.

For a mere $500,000, you are able to collaborate with Mark Fuller, the CEO/Founder of WET (Water Entertainment Technologies) – the company responsible for the greatest choreographed water features in the world, including the Dubai Fountain (Dubai, UAE), Performance Lake at Wynn Macau (Macau, China), Columbus Circle Fountains (New York, NY), ; as well as some of the most well-known attractions in Las Vegas, including the updated Volcano at The Mirage, a quintet of fountains around the grounds of CityCenter, and, of course, The Fountains of Bellagio.

Fuller will give you a personal tour of The Campus (WET’s corporate HQ, in Sun Valley, CA) and visit WET’s top-secret Idea Playground, where you will preview some of the company’s upcoming projects.  Fuller will then hand you off to WET’s principal choreographer, with whom you’ll select a Fountains of Bellagio-appropriate piece of music.  This, of course, is the part of the gift that really gets my motor running.

At this point, you’ll take a quick course in the software WET uses to simulate the water’s movements, and help develop the choreography.  Then there’s a whole Vegas segment, at Bellagio, that culminates in the debut of your show.  To top it off, Neiman Marcus will donate 1% of the proceeds ($5,000) to Water.org – a US-based non-profit that provides safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries.

Now, the songs used at The Fountains of Bellagio have a few things in common: they are all inspirational, sweeping, and iconic songs that are found in our common cultural psyche – and range from the “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s Messiah (as performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), and “Your Song” by Elton John, to “Singing in the Rain” by Gene Kelly and (the song synonymous with Bellagio) “Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye)” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.

So what songs did I pick?  They are listed, in order, in the slide-show, above.  Some might find a few tracks surprising; while others will make sense to anyone who knows me (and if you don’t; welcome to ShulmanSays.com – get into it!).

For instance, far easier than picking just one song by Dame Shirley Bassey would’ve been to pick a dozen of her signature songs that would make for an amazing show (seriously Smith Center… She’s not getting any younger!); which reminds me, I should do a Shirley post, soon.  So, I opted for the beautiful track written for her by Pet Shop Boys, the lyrical protagonist of which might very well be the personification of the city of Las Vegas.

But to answer Jessica’s query, I had to pick just one of these tracks (click on the CONCIERGE tab, above with any questions about the playlist), and that would have to be “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles.  What would you pick? 

Guest Choreographer at The Fountains of Bellagio
Neiman Marcus – The Christmas Book 2011
$500,000
Click HERE for purchasing info

Get into it!