Passion gives Dian Diaz lounge longevity

Las Vegas is a fickle town where buildings, people and even trends in entertainment come and go with whiplashlike regularity.

And that, in large part, is why Dian Diaz's 10-years-and-counting tenure at Bellagio's Fontana Lounge is so impressive.

But it's no surprise, either. Diaz brings to her shows not just ample talent, a longshoreman's work ethic and wide-ranging versatility -- audience members might hear anything from slow ballads to high-energy dance tunes to Latin-flavored pop -- but a personality that turns casual visitors into loyal fans.

"It's been awesome," Diaz says. The Fontana Lounge "is kind of my home, and you get attached to the people who come. There are always new people to meet."

Diaz keeps in touch with many of them through her Web site (www.diandiaz.com) and, she admits, "when they're planning vacations, I end up like a tour guide, (suggesting) what to do when they're in Vegas."

In addition to a corps of local regulars, Diaz's audiences invariably include out-of-towners who make seeing her show a centerpiece of their vacations.

"It's crazy when some of these groups come in," Diaz says. "We have people from England who come all the way to Vegas, then they'll come in and see me three or four nights in a row. I'll go out and joke with them and say, 'I'm so grateful you're all here, but there are so many other things to see.' It's a huge compliment."

What's her secret for Las Vegas lounge longevity?

"You have to really have a passion for what you do," Diaz says. "I look at my job as not really a job. It's something that I would do for free. If you love something so much that you would do it for free, it's truly the best job you could ever have."

Diaz plays Bellagio's Fontana Lounge from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.