Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Casino Gondoliers Sing

Videos by Isabella Mohr

Last night my family and I spent a little over an hour canalside here in Las Vegas. As you may know, one of the more prominent casinos has gondola rides. A major focus in that operation is the performance side of the attraction, and all of the gondoliers sing. Some are better singers than others, but they all had to audition to get the job.

Here are a few video clips from one end of the canal.

The first video is of a lady gondolier, or "gondoliera". Many of the gondola driving positions are staffed by gondolieras. While this is quite unorthodox from a Venetian standpoint, some of the women on board have real vocal talent.

Often the boats host one couple, out for a romantic excursion, but sometimes four people climb aboard with an aim of being entertained. Here's a guy with his hands full. While passengers in the front seat shoot photos and video, the couple in the back seat revel in the performance. The woman appears to be quite drunk. My guess is that this gondolier was thankful that the cruise would only last about ten minutes.


Finally, here's a gondoliera who may be slight in stature, but she has an amazing voice. This isn't the best sample of her talent, but it should suffice.

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