It's not often the opportunity to completely ignore a disco ball comes along. As it turns, sending squares of light scattering around the room, it's usually pretty obvious the disco ball has arrived – and so has the party.

But at Studio 54, located inside the MGM Grand Hotel, the party started 30 years ago and the disco ball, while massive and always a beloved symbol of dancing the night away, almost slinks quietly into the background, lost in everything else the club has to offer.

A reincarnation of the famed Studio 54 in New York City, which closed in its original form in 1979, Studio 54 Las Vegas brings that same glitz and glamour to a place where glitz and glamour feel right at home – Sin City.

That's not to say the club has lost sight of its roots, in fact, it embraces them. Giant black and white photography, shot by paparazzo Felice Quinto at the original Studio 54, adorns the club's walls, giving the partiers on the dance floor a little something to live up to. A giant man-in-the-moon, synonymous with the New York club, hangs above the DJ booth.

Studio 54 General Manager Anthony Olheiser said it's this history that is partly responsible for keeping the club a hotspot among those in search of a good time.

"There's a mystique about Studio 54 that no other club has," Olheiser said. "The name brings people in. They've heard of some of the newer clubs, but they're always curious about Studio 54."

Not simply relying on past successes to keep things hopping, Studio 54 has undergone some major changes in the name of party progress. In late 2005, as the club aged gracefully into its eighth year, a series of remodels were unveiled that turned the club into an even more vibrant place to see and be seen.

An entry way, replete with plush, high-backed couches to rest dance-weary feet, offers club-goers more fluid access to the spectacle they're about to partake in. The entry way is also home to possibly the only person not moving in the vibrating cavern of Studio 54.

In a space set deep into the wall, a mime in Studio 54's Freeze Frame entertains guests with a lack of movement. As its name belies, the Freeze Frame mime stands as still as a statue, making patrons wonder if that last martini is playing tricks or if that really is a living, breathing human posed so motionless. For the record, yes, that last martini is playing tricks, but the mime is as real as that cute girl winking at you from the bar.

The remodel also brought along a new way to keep watch on that girl, or any other that strikes your fancy. From the VIP area on the second floor, the first floor dance floor can be seen in its entirety, offering the best viewpoint to spy on a potential suitor or watch friends embarrass themselves with moves that went out of style even before the days of disco.

Although seating upstairs is reserved for VIPs, those with lighter pockets can still take in the view most nights with a quick stroll through the upstairs areas that aren't roped off. If you've got some extra change to throw around, bottle service at the club starts at $300 during the week.

It isn't just Studio 54's hardware that has undergone some changes. In early 2007, Olheiser introduced a Tuesday night industry party intended to bring in Las Vegas' movers and shakers, hence its name - Influence.

For the discerning club-goer, Influence is the place to be Tuesday nights because that's where everybody else will be. Restaurants and other clubs from across Vegas have reserved tables and it's the perfect place to rub elbows and make a few connections. Attendance at the party has skyrocketed from about 400 when it began to an average upward of 2,500 now, Olheiser said.

And what are most of those 2,500 people doing? Dancing. The club plays a mix of house, hip-hop, and Top 40 mash-ups, depending on the time of night, all with one goal in mind – to keep people moving.

An elevated DJ booth gives dancers a chance to watch as some of the most hailed DJs in the country spin their tunes. At a recent Influence, DJ Lethal from House of Pain and Limp Bizkit was charged with keeping the jams flowing.

The dance floor is also an excellent place to take in some of the club's more unique elements. About every 20 minutes, aerialists descend from the space above the floor and club-goers can crane their necks to watch scantily clad performers twisting and contorting their bodies onto and inside of metal contraptions shaped like stars and moons.

Go-go dancers, both male and female, flank the dance floor on elevated platforms, showing everyone down on the floor how it's done. From somewhere just above where the aerialists perform, the club also releases confetti drops several times a night.

With so much to look at, it's no wonder the disco ball sometimes gets lost. But in the haze of lights, confetti and music played at just the right volume, you can definitely see it – the disco ball, still spinning to its own tune.

-- Jamie Helmick