Jackson Williams makes the right moves with Magic Mike Live Las Vegas

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U.K.-born dancer and actor Jackson Williams has been an essential piece of the team behind Magic Mike Live Las Vegas since the original version of the show made its debut in 2017 at what was then the Hard Rock Hotel. The striking performer had already shared the spotlight with superstars such as Whitney Houston and Robbie Williams when this intriguing new show came calling, and leaping at the chance to take up residency in Las Vegas proved to be the right move for Williams, who stuck with the show when it moved to Sahara Las Vegas and then landed a role in the third installation of Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike film franchise. He’s shown his moves onstage and screen, and he’s just getting started.

I was doing a world tour with Ellie Goulding when I got the call. I already had this career, I had danced for a lot of people, and I was very happy traveling the world, and then this came up. I thought, why not? I packed my bags and met the lads in L.A. to start rehearsals and, remember, I got off the plane with just a backpack and a suitcase thinking this might be a year or two. Now it’s been nearly six. This journey has been crazy because I was living out of a suitcase for so long, and it’s nice now to have a home and a family.

I could have, but I chose to stay in Vegas with the original show. When you start something and work so hard on something like this, you become more proud of it than what you ever thought it could turn out to be. I’m thankful I did that and that I had the opportunity to stay, and then we ended up shooting the movie last year, which was an absolute dream come true.

I feel like a lot of people will watch the film and be inspired and go watch the show to see the difference. We don’t have Channing Tatum or Salma Hayek, but the show is very funny, and we have female hosts that are so funny and keep us laughing every night. But (the movie) was a tick off the bucket list for me. I’ve done more than I can remember as far as TV, advertisements and performances with some of the greatest stars on the planet. I’ve been very blessed. But my goal was always to be in a film or something to have this type of experience on camera. It’s definitely something I’m very proud of.

It was great. Shooting 18 hours nonstop, your body is definitely tired, but with the adrenaline rush we all had, it was like we didn’t even need sleep. It was phenomenal.

There are a few things I’d like to do within the acting world that would be great, because I feel like you could do that forever. I’d love to get more into film, maybe some action stuff, because that would tick off another dream. You always wonder how something like this might open a door for something else, but right now I’m just so happy to be part of Magic Mike and I always have been. We are very passionate about what we do and we’ve always (received) so much good feedback in Las Vegas as we entertain and inspire people.

By Matt Kelemen

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art has always been a refuge for aesthetes, a quiet contrast with the kinetic atmosphere of the outside world. Current exhibition In Bloom goes a step further with a collection that celebrates the spring season of rebirth, renewal and rejuvenation. Open through Sept. 10, the 30 pieces range from small still lifes and landscapes to walllength wonders and large-scale sculptures that collectively represent humanity, change and transformation.

Demecina Beehn, the art and culture director for MGM Resorts International, worked with the Tia Collection of Santa Fe, N.M., to create In Bloom. “We’ve been working with a consultant for a long time named András

Szántó,” said Beehn during a tour. “He’s constantly traveling the world and was in Santa Fe for something else and was invited to tour the Tia Collection.”

Amazed, Szántó contacted Beehn and connected her with the Tia team. The Tia Collection’s blend of 20th century art from the American Southwest and visions from contemporary, globally recognized artists provided a fertile pasture from which Beehn could curate an exhibition. Bellagio’s botanical department helped physically transform the gallery by covering every inch of surface in the foyer with an abundance of flowers that creates the impression that the environment guests are about to enter is indeed distinct.

A trio of oil paintings by early 20th century artists Nicolai Fechin, Ralph Meyers and B.J.O. Nordfeldt comes into view upon entrance, each complementing the other with their color schemes. Nordfeldt’s Still Life with Grapefruit creates the illusion of a table tipping while items on its surface seem to remain upright. Robert Mapplethorpe’s black-and-white Rose shares the wall but stands apart with a depiction of a single flower and its shadow.

A right turn leads to Michelangelo Pistoletto’s eight-panel Color and Light. A mirror nearly 6 feet high and 4 feet wide was divided into puzzle-like pieces that were attached to wood panels covered with di erent colors of jute fabric. The reflection of the viewer becomes part of the art.

Viewers may see something of themselves in Yinka Shonibare’s stunning Bling Painting as well. Twenty-seven round disks are mounted on a golden backdrop, each with an African fabric center encircled by variously themed bric-a-brac representing war, luxury and religion. A life-size bronze sculpture of Alice in Wonderland jumping rope by surrealist Salvador Dalí stands in the center of the room, positioned perfectly against a backdrop of a hauntingly gorgeous edge-of wilderness landscape painting by Dan Colen, Mother (Distant Town), that is one of a series inspired by Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.

While many additional visually arresting works are part of In Bloom, two sculptures are particular highlights. Nick Cave’s rococo Soundsuit 8:46, a response to the killing of George Floyd, stands tall in one room while Tamara Kvesitadze’s stainless steel Man and Woman consists of two figures sliced into horizontal layers that intersect with each other as they rotate on round platforms. It’s a spin on the cyclic nature of rebirth that fits very well with the diverse o erings of In Bloom.

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