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Published: July 20, 2008 03:48 pm    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

PV’s Vegas connection

By Vicki Rennie

When Bette Midler walks out on the stage at the 4,296-seat Colosseum at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace and starts belting out one hit after another, there’s an immediate Pauls Valley connection in the show.

Jordan Ballard, granddaughter of proud Pauls Valley residents, John and Ouida Ballard, is currently performing as one of the three Staggering Harlots (backup singers) for Midler.

Midler’s “The Showgirl Must Go On” began a two year run last month. She will perform five shows a week for 20 weeks per year.

Jordan started taking acting, singing and dancing lessons at the ripe old age of four years. She began performing at the Lyric Theater in Oklahoma City beginning at the age of eight years old playing Baby June in Gypsy.

She performed in the ensemble in numerous summer shows there while she was in Jr. High and Highschool and then graduated from Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City in 1999.

During her Freshman year at OCU, Jordan played the lead role of Ruby in Dames at Sea at the Lyric Theater.

In February of 2001, during her sophomore year, she moved to New York City and, after being there only one week, landed the role of Ariel in the National tour of Footloose, after her first audition.

In 2002, she was chosen for the part of Maureen in the production of Rent, which opened in Oklahoma City in April of that year.

During a two week break from Rent, she went back to New York City and was selected as a back up singer/dancer for Liza Minnelli's “Liza's Back.”

She resumed the Rent Tour for the rest of the year.

In 2003/2004, she played Amber Von Trussel on the first National Tour of Hairspray for one year then played the same role on Broadway for nine months.

Jordan moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2006 and had a walk on role on an episode of ER and Reno 911.

Rehearsals for Midler’s show were quite extensive, Ballard said.

“They began last October (2007) through February, lasting twelve hours per day, six days per week. We then went to Las Vegas and performed for one month,” she said.

The cast started rehearsing again on June 13 and returned to Las Vegas June 23 for more rehearsals before the show began.

With that kind of rehearsal schedule at 100 shows a year, there’s not much time for a private life.

When she does have some time off, she and her dog, a Black/White Pomeranian mutt/mix named Baxter, after her Grandfather, spend the day grocery shopping and doing laundry. Baxter also tags along when she jogs.

If you plan to go to Las Vegas either this year or next, be sure and go see the Bette Midler Show and Jordan, our Pauls Valley connection.

Now, we all can say we know someone, who knows someone, who is a star.

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Jordan Ballard None/ (Click for larger image)

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