"The 2013 FANTASY Calendar: Behind The Scenes" (2012)

Very rare DVD introducing the dancers from FANTASY—a sexy group performing at the Luxor.

I received this at work, where a fellow coworker wanted me to tackle in reviewing this piece (also recommending I review some others as well). Usually DVDs like this rarely spread outside Las Vegas, unless of course you originated from, or are/were from, Sin City. Looking at the spicy front cover of this DVD, you're likely going to find this from those souvenir shops next to the casino-branded dice, shot glasses, mugs and t-shirts (am I the only one who finds peace shopping in those kind of stores?). And while most folks would take a good glance at this DVD then place it back in the shelves, I went on to do my coworker a favor, let alone the casino and the city of Las Vegas as a whole, despite the fact he admitted that the women on this DVD weren't his type, so here it is:

This DVD is an exclusive look-in at the fabulous ladies who are performers for the sexy dance group "Fantasy." Performing at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, most may think this is a 'modernized' showgirl group, and while that may be true, what separates them from the other groups is the ladies look less "robotic." In other words, they perform and have a great time without sporting the infamous poker face. With music that sounds like the soundtrack of a hot scene from a Cinemax film, it features a brief interview with each of the girls along with footage from their calendar shoot.

Curly-haired beauty Lorena introduces the audience with what the feature is all about. Judging from her vocal tone and unintentional fidgeting, it's obvious she hasn't had much experience speaking in front of the camera. And now for the ladies...

1. January [2013] - Jennifer
   Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she's been with FANTASY for three (3) years and was her third calendar shoot. (I don't know about you but she looks like fitness expert Jillian Michaels, but much prettier.) Her favorite dance number is the bed number, and if she wasn't working as a dancer, she'd rather be a chef. Will she be the next Food Network Star?



2. February [2013] - Amber
   From Dallas, Texas, Amber has been with FANTASY for seven (7) years and was her fifth calendar shoot. She mentions that the proceeds from their shows go to Shade Tree—helping children, women and their pets who were victimized from domestic abuse. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California (hello, neighbor!) and because she works day and night, she has "no time to party" but says "there are those nights." Amber proudly mentions she's a natural redhead with tattoos and piercings. Her dream date: getting dressed in a formal gown and likes to be bound and gagged—she laughs and was kidding (are you sure, Amber?). She said the calendar shoot made her look "too innocent" which was the opposite of her. For those of you men interested in her: she sounds like a tough cookie to keep up with!



3. March [2013] - Koree
   She's from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been with FANTASY for almost three (3) years. While she looks like a poor man's Carrie Underwood, she started dancing since she was 5 years old. Being her third calendar shoot, she originally auditioned for Jubilee! in New York, but got hired with FANTASY then moved to Las Vegas with her parents. Koree enjoys snowboarding, very much growing up with dirt bikes and quad. Proud of her tomboy side but enjoys being girly—loving calve massages and pedicures.



4. April [2013] - Delecia
   A more beautiful version of Jennifer Hudson, Delecia is from Memphis, Tennessee and has been with FANTASY for seven (7) years. She went to offer advice to young dancers saying, "Love what you do, dancer in LA or a showgirl. It doesn't matter, you're dancing." She has no problem performing topless (surely a confident one over here). As for the group themselves, she describes the girls and herself: "We're just regular people." She obtained a degree in Speech & Dramatic Arts and claims dancers are athletes. If her claim is logically sound, then I understand why there's an endless debate on why cheerleading is a sport. I'm certain upper management at ESPN and CBS Sports programming had to deal with that.



5. May [2013] - Natasha
   From Seattle, Washington, she's been with FANTASY for ten (10) years. She began dancing at an early age as her mother owned a dance studio. Outside from dancing, she pursues a lot of hobbies which includes working out, taking lots of dance classes, riding horses, playing sports, going shopping, going to the movies, and, what more, performing topless (right there with Delecia). This was her fifth calendar shoot with FANTASY saying the calendar was the "best shoot ever." Looks like it.



6. June [2013] - Tracey
   She's from Warrington, England and has been with FANTASY for six (6) years and was her sixth calendar shoot. As you might have guessed, this girl is the girl on the cover of this DVD. Born and raised in England, it all started when she attended ballet school. Tracey says performing topless feels liberating and sexy. If she were a drink, she'd be a "Champagne Tequila Slammer." Loves her dual persona: homebody similar to Martha Stewart, while her alter ego breaks free as a sexy dancer (how many girls would kill to have a dream like Tracey's?) As she is the dance captain of the group, she's talks about looking ahead in the future, saying showgirls have "a short shelf life." Was in the process of obtaining her pilates certification. Sure sounds like an intelligent woman to me, what do you think?



7. July [2013] - Yesi
   This girl is from Havanna, Cuba and began dancing since she was 5 and also took synchronized swimming. She is/was so good that Anita Mann allowed her to choreograph one of their dance numbers. She's been with FANTASY for three (3) years and was her third calendar shoot. Being with the group helped her with learning to speak [American] English language. Her message to the Latin community: come see FANTASY in the US and to follow your dreams. You heard the lady, mis amigos y amigas.



8. August [2013] - Kristin
   With her P!nk-like hair style, or at least it reminds me of P!nk, she's from Port Washington, Wisconsin, and was her third year with FANTASY on her third calendar shoot. "We're just giggly girls," Kristin says. Loves when she gets her hair and makeup done. Her fantasy man: funny, comfortable man and is a laid-back, chill person. Gentlemen, any takers?



9. September [2013] - Soolin
   A name that sounds Asian, Soolin is from San Francisco Bay Area, California. She's been with FANTASY for 1½ years and was her second calendar shoot. She says the group feels like a family and describes her on-stage personality in three words: sweet, fun and sexy. Her normal personality? Shy.



10. October [2013] - Chloe
    Another girl from England (never said which city) and was new to FANTASY. With the makeup and hair style on that shoot made her look like a modernized Marilyn Monroe! Anyway, she auditioned in various shows and gigs and went on to apply for FANTASY. Admitting to being another shy one, she enjoys the workout and the sexy moves, despite not being used to being in front of the camera. We've all got small fears we work on to overcome, don't we?



11. November [2013] - Dar
    Interesting name, as she's from Detroit, Michigan and has been with FANTASY for eight (8) years and it was her fifth calendar shoot. Mentions that the group does meet and greets with the audience as FANTASY has been around for 13(+) years—quite impressive, apparently. Dar mentioned she had to hold and wear barks and twigs for her shoot. Well, at least she's a natural.



12. December [2013] - Mariah
    When a girl's name is "Mariah," it's tough not having to spring the wonderful Mariah Carey first thing in your mind. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, Mariah has been with FANTASY for four (4) years. She says that backstage, they're just "regular girls." She sent a message to those who haven't seen FANTASY, which supposedly includes myself:
    
    "Absolutely come. It's great for couples, groups of bachelors/bachelorettes, my grandma loves it, my family loves it. It's just that every girl is so different that everyone can relate to somebody, so there's really something for everybody."
    She's onto something...so far.
    
    She briefly talked about an embarrassing moment, one of them having unhooked her top improperly. Just when an unintentional showing of a girl's boobs is embarrassing, suddenly purposely showing boobs don't untie correctly when a girl wants them to. Proves you can't always have what you want, huh? Her favorite thing in the world: social media. She's up to date and manages her very own personal Twitter and Facebook accounts, welcoming fans to contact and message her. I believe a geek may be the best guy for her.



13. November [2012] - Lizzy
    Without mentioning the city, she's from Ohio and has been with FANTASY for six (6) years. Right away you notice she's very soft spoken. She starting dancing in tap and ballet at 4 years old. This was her fifth calendar shoot. Lizzy admitted that the hardest thing about being a showgirl is knowing it's going to be over at some point (yet another pessimist, but then again, how long can an entertainer last in Las Vegas?). With that, she plans to open up her own [dance] studio as was suggested by her parents. Loves to go to the gym and eats healthy.



14. December [2012] - Ashton
    From Minnesota, with no city mentioned, she's new in FANTASY and this being her first calendar shoot. Off the bat, Ashton loves the attention and how people all have to listen to her. She moved to Vegas over a year ago, and knew she wanted to pursue a career in dancing after graduating from school (never mentioned high school or college). She admits that "performing topless is a little scary," went on to say that the shows aren't about the human body but the entertainment. She spends about an hour a day on her bathtub and jacuzzi. What an interview that was.

And there you have it. Nudity? It's very brief and there were scenes with some blur in them. Some had the girls' hair taped on her boobs to prevent the wind from blowing their hair off, while some had a nude-colored patch covering their boobs. In summary it's a rated MA type of nudity broadcasted on national/cable TV. If you're really eager (hah!), the closest would be the interview with Natasha at timecode 12:50 but that's it. Speaking of timecodes, you'll witness a production crew taking a selfie during Chloe's photo shoot at 24:17.

The DVD cover on the back says this is roughly 42 minutes when the actual time is close to 35 minutes. For a behind the scenes feature DVD, this could've packaged in much more goodies—sample photos from the behind the scenes shoot, more questions about the girls (short biographies), extra footage from the shows themselves, interviews from the production crew and choreographers training the girls, fan reactions, alumni dancers, perhaps a full feature performance of their shows...the list goes on. As for the feature itself, this is something you might see on HBO and/or Cinemax near the after hours as a "filler," to transition one feature film to another to keep the network from going off air.

Despite having my coworker mentioning the ladies here aren't his type, I found this DVD okay. This may also be something shown on a TV screen in Luxor to promote the show, played on a DVD player on 'repeat-all' with the audio on low. As for the girls, none of the girls mentioned their age, but I feel these are girls in their 30s, but hey, at least they look great. As for their dancing, except the topless parts, their routines remind me of the ASF Dancers from the defunct noontime Philippine variety show Wowowee. Mariah says to go see their show as it's "great for [couples]." And what better way to spend time with your girlfriend telling her you like to watch a topless show from a group of sexy ladies called FANTASY? I'm guessing she'll say "no" in an instant. For families as well? Hard to convince little Sally/Johnny to watch with you since this show is for "adults only 18+."

While this may be a stocking-stuffer for a few folks, this likely appeals strongly to those who are big fans and/or who know the girls personally. About the editing, it was cut very nicely and the motion graphics were done well. Being that these girls were introducing themselves and where they were from, a graphical lower third could've been included. In fact, the DVD menu was very confusing. When you click on "Play All," you'd think it'll start on Lizzy and Ashton (2012), but instead it starts on Jennifer (2013), leaving Lizzy and Ashton to be featured last. I'm sure their live performances are a five-star, but just a reminder that this review is for the DVD itself (knowing it'll attract visitors new to this website).

For the record, I've never personally attended a show. However, if I were to choose my favorite girl having watched this DVD, I'd say it's the girl representing my birthday month: September - Soolin! Since one girl, Kristin, mentions the kind of guy she's looking for, the rest of the girls never mentioned their relationship/marital status. In a relationship or not, whether she's reading this or not, may I say, "Hello, Soolin! You have a cute voice."

There's always room for improvement trying to release a top-heavy DVD that sells, but coming from a guy who visits Vegas and enjoys staying in his hotel room watching Italian operas, Tavis Smiley, Antiques Roadshow and world news on Vegas PBS instead of hitting up the clubs and bars (yuck), this was alright. While more could've been included, it's got that Vegas broadcast feel that I like when caving in my hotel room eating chicken tenders with ranch and a glass of orange juice I would order from room service (I'm a homebody). However, I will say this:

If you are one of the women featured on this DVD, and/or a woman currently performing for FANTASY, I will like to interview you on this website. Your answers will be posted on this site for fans and visitors to read! Contact me using our contact form. The questions will be emailed to you directly. If you are not featured on this DVD, I kindly ask you make a brief introduction so I know who I'm talking to. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he started blogging in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, plus playing old video/MS-DOS games, digital video archiving, listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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