Former OTC student takes talent to Las Vegas

If it wasn’t for a lost bet, Brian White might be a police officer today instead of performing in Las Vegas.

White, who attended OTC after graduating from Kickapoo High School, is in rehearsals to be a performer in “Le Reve,” a stunning production at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

White, 25, will be one of 93 performers in the production that deals with the dreams of a young girl who falls asleep.

“It’s a spectacular production and I have several parts in it,” White said.

But if White hadn’t lost a bet several years ago while coaching some local gymnasts, he might not have seen the bright lights of Las Vegas.

“When I was working at the gym, a group of cheerleaders came in and we were making fun of them. I bet one of the cheerleaders they couldn’t perform a certain gymnastics trick. They did it and I had to become a cheerleader,” he said. White ended up on the Missouri Elite cheerleading squad.

 He turned out to be a very good cheerleader. So good, White earned a cheerleading scholarship to the University of Central Florida. There, he was picked to appear in a movie, “Bring It On 4.”

A friend he met in the movie joined the “Le Reve” troupe and called White about eight months ago regarding  the tryouts with the production. White tried out and made the production company.

White will do a number of tricks in the production, which requires him to do some underwater work. He drops from a 20-feet tall Chinese fan and does some other gymnastic moves.

His mother, Ann White, who is the secretary to the president of the OTC Richwood Valley campus, said as a mom she’s naturally nervous for her son but added, “He’s so excited. I’m so happy for him. It’s amazing.”

Steve Koehler is coordinator of media relations for Ozarks Technical Community College.