DANCE INDUSTRY | ARTIST DEVELOPMENT | WHERE IS SHE NOW
Sakinah LeStage: From Artist Development Specialist to Creative Architect
When Dance Mogul Magazine spoke with Sakinah LeStage in 2021, she was embracing a new identity as an artist development specialist. Five years later, that instinct has grown into an ecosystem of creative direction, production, mentorship, artist development and opportunities for the next generation.
By Dance Mogul Magazine | Originally featured August 2021 | Updated & expanded 2026
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT — WHERE SHE STANDS NOW
Sakinah LeStage now describes her work across choreography, creative direction, production and artist development, while leading a creative ecosystem that includes SakinahDidIt LLC, Sign 22 Productions, The Whole Creative™ and the nonprofit V.I.D.A. Entertainment Inc. Her current portfolio also reflects a long-running creative relationship with Nelly, label and artist-development work, and a growing focus on building systems that help artists prepare for careers rather than simply prepare for a single performance.
FROM THE DMM ARCHIVE
Dance Mogul Magazine’s history with Sakinah goes back even further than this 2021 feature.
When Dance Mogul Magazine sat down with Sakinah LeStage in 2021, the entertainment industry was still finding its footing after the pandemic. Sakinah was doing the same thing in a more personal way: slowing down, reassessing what mattered, and naming a role that had been emerging through her work for years.
She called it artist development.
At the time, she told DMM that she loved developing not only recording artists but dancers as well, and that her gift was “educating and developing the greatness within an individual.” What reads differently in 2026 is how much of her current infrastructure now reflects that exact statement.
Her official site presents a career that has expanded beyond choreography alone. It describes Sakinah as a choreographer, creative director, producer and artist development architect whose current business ecosystem includes SakinahDidIt LLC, Sign 22 Productions, The Whole Creative™ and V.I.D.A. Entertainment Inc. Her work continues to connect performance with strategy, but the larger emphasis today is on helping artists build sustainable creative careers.
The Original 2021 Interview
As first published by Dance Mogul Magazine, August 10, 2021 — preserved here with Sakinah’s original wording.
Dance Mogul: How did you get through the pandemic?
Sakinah: It was great for me, it gave me a chance to slow down. It was somewhat therapeutic, by me slowing down I was able to become more intentional and more grounded in my thoughts. I did a 21-day meditation with my friends, I explored other talents like painting and writing, and of course, I gained weight, lol.
I really only hit a low when it was time to open back up, I was really sensitive at the time, I could feel everything, everyone’s anxiety and need to jump back out there head first, but I personally felt you needed a plan. But ultimately I let everything go, businesses, associations, etc. I let it all go and everything came back to me in a beneficial way that upgraded me to where I’m at now and I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey, transformation, and transition.
Dance Mogul: Tell us about your Rolling Loud 2021 experience?
Sakinah: Wow!!!, so that moment has been kind of a build to the journey I’m stepping into as an Artist Development Specialist. During the pandemic, I was still receiving calls to work with and for people and the word that was going around was, I was one of the best Artist Developers around.
I had already been working with the amazingly talented @lakeyah and @brskash so it went from small shows where I only needed a few dancers to now an event like Rolling Loud where I needed a lot more, lol. But it felt good to scout out new talent, I love the development process with everyone, not just the artist but also the dancers too. I know my gift is educating and developing the greatness within an individual.
Both artists and their teams did their thing and were well received. I’m happy I could be a part of the process.
Dance Mogul: What are your plans moving forward?
Sakinah: I’m definitely embracing this journey of an Artist Development Specialist. The most important aspect of that position is keeping it 100% with those who you work with at all times. That is the key to growing, accepting constructive criticism, drilling your weak points until they develop into your strongest. With that said I still dance, I still choreograph and direct. So I want to take the time to give the dancers some advice moving forward as we all get back to work.
Understand the assignment, everything is not always about you. If you professionally deliver your highest self at all times in all situations your recognition will come organically. Every dancer will not be a celebrity dancer but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the best you in any situation that involves you as a dancer. We have to get back to being professionals and keeping our manners and home training at the forefront of our talents. Talent gets you in the door.
Your morals, values, and principles determine how you move around once you’re in and ultimately if you get kicked out or not. We all have a chance to start over as artists and entertainers. Let’s all work towards building a better US so we can build a better industry, a better future.
“I know my gift is educating and developing the greatness within an individual.”
— Sakinah LeStage, Dance Mogul Magazine, 2021
Watch the Work: Sakinah’s Creative Direction and Choreography
Sakinah’s current portfolio does not treat artist development as a classroom-only idea. The work remains connected to stages, music videos and performance. These official video releases provide a window into that practice.
The BoykinZ — “Fell in Love with a Cowboy” (Dance Cut)
The 2025 dance cut is currently featured in Sakinah’s official portfolio, connecting her present-day creative work to a new generation of Atlanta-based performers.
Official Artist Channel video • The BoykinZ • 2025.
Young Dylan — “Get Litty”
Young Dylan’s official 2023 video credits Sakinah LeStage as choreographer, a direct example of the movement work that sits alongside her artist-development practice.
Official Young Dylan video • Choreographer credit: Sakinah LeStage.
Baby Tate featuring Flo Milli — “I Am”
The official “I Am” video is another documented Sakinah choreography credit. The song’s message of affirmation also mirrors the development philosophy that has become increasingly central to her work.
Official Baby Tate video • Choreographer credit: Sakinah LeStage.
The Sakinah LeStage Timeline
From performer to choreographer to creative director to builder of creative infrastructure.
FOUNDATION — ATLANTA & FORMAL TRAINING
An Atlanta native, Sakinah trained across dance, musical theatre, singing and drama, attended DeKalb School of the Arts and studied dance at the University of South Florida. That multidisciplinary foundation later became central to the way she develops artists for more than choreography alone.
THE PERFORMANCE YEARS — TOURING & COMMERCIAL DANCE
Her early professional career included touring with Ne-Yo and performing alongside major artists including Diddy, Fergie and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The performer’s point of view would become part of the practical knowledge she later brought into choreography and artist development.
CREATIVE DIRECTION — BUILDING THE WHOLE PERFORMANCE
Sakinah expanded into choreography and creative direction for artists and major live platforms. Her current official biography cites creative-direction work connected to T-Pain, Musiq Soulchild and a long-running relationship with Nelly, along with festival, television, film and corporate work.
2015 — DMM DOCUMENTS THE AtLA TAKEOVA ERA
Dance Mogul Magazine interviews Sakinah LeStage and Kiki Ely about AtLA Takeova, giving DMM an early archival record of her thinking about dance, inspiration, business and creative leadership.
2021 — ARTIST DEVELOPMENT BECOMES THE NAME
In the middle of the industry’s pandemic-era reset, Sakinah tells Dance Mogul Magazine that she is embracing the role of Artist Development Specialist. She identifies her gift as educating and developing greatness in artists and dancers while continuing to choreograph, direct and perform.
2023–2025 — THE PORTFOLIO KEEPS MOVING
Her documented choreography credits continue to appear in official music releases, including Young Dylan’s “Get Litty.” By 2025, The BoykinZ’ “Fell in Love with a Cowboy” dance cut is featured in Sakinah’s current professional portfolio.
2026 — THE WHOLE CREATIVE
Sakinah’s current work has become an ecosystem. Her official site identifies SakinahDidIt LLC, Sign 22 Productions, The Whole Creative™ and V.I.D.A. Entertainment Inc. as parts of that structure. The Whole Creative mentorship program focuses on helping pre-professional and professional dancers develop their artistic voice, understand the business and prepare for sustainable careers.
Where Is Sakinah LeStage Now?
The clearest difference between the Sakinah LeStage DMM interviewed in 2021 and the Sakinah LeStage of 2026 is not that she stopped doing what she was doing. It is that she built structure around it.
Her official biography now describes an interconnected creative ecosystem spanning SakinahDidIt LLC, Sign 22 Productions, The Whole Creative™ and V.I.D.A. Entertainment Inc. The language has also evolved. She is not presented only as a choreographer or creative director, but as an artist development architect — someone concerned with the full construction of a performer’s career.
Her long-term relationships help explain why that evolution matters. Sakinah’s official biography says she has worked with Nelly for more than 11 years and has been tapped by companies and labels including HYBE, Quality Control, Warner Music Group, LVRN, RCA and Interscope for development and creative work.
At the same time, The Whole Creative turns the development philosophy outward. Its mentorship program is designed for pre-professional and professional dancers who need more than combinations and performance notes: artistic identity, business tools, discipline, career planning and a clearer understanding of where they fit in a competitive industry.
Now Can I Do My Ssshhh...?
Sakinah has also created Now Can I Do My Ssshhh...?, a performance platform connected to The Whole Creative. Her official site describes it as a showcase where emerging artists apply what they have developed in training and present polished work in a professional environment.
An Eventbrite listing currently schedules the next Atlanta presentation for October 17, 2026 at Impact Event Center, describing a live showcase for artists completing a 12-week intensive artist-development program.
View Current Event Information →
Five years later, the most important line in Sakinah’s 2021 interview may still be the simplest: her gift is developing greatness in other people.
What the Next Generation Should Learn From Sakinah
Talent gets you in the door. Professionalism determines what happens next.
Sakinah said it directly in 2021. Skill matters, but so do values, preparation, conduct and the ability to work as part of something larger than yourself. The professional dancer is not only the person who can execute the choreography. It is the person the room can trust.
Learn the business around the art.
The Whole Creative reflects a reality every young performer eventually meets: dance careers require decisions about identity, branding, money, communication, relationships, planning and opportunity. Training the body without training the professional leaves part of the artist undeveloped.
Your second act can begin before the first one ends.
Sakinah did not have to stop dancing or choreographing before becoming an artist developer, producer or entrepreneur. Careers can expand horizontally. The knowledge gained onstage can become the foundation for leadership, teaching, producing and ownership.
Build something that can develop other people.
The progression from individual creative work to mentorship programs, production platforms and nonprofit infrastructure is a legacy lesson. A career becomes larger when the knowledge stops ending with the person who earned it.
Why It Matters to Dance Mogul Magazine
Dance Mogul Magazine’s archive becomes more valuable when it does more than capture a person once.
We first documented Sakinah LeStage with Kiki Ely in 2015. In 2021, we documented a transition point as she named artist development as the direction she was stepping into. In 2026, the record shows what happened when that idea was given time to mature.
That is cultural documentation in its fullest form: not simply announcing success after it happens, but preserving the earlier moments when an artist was still articulating what she hoped to become.
Sakinah’s story also aligns directly with DMM’s larger mission of self-empowerment. Her work asks dancers to think beyond being chosen for the job. It asks them to understand the assignment, develop the person behind the talent, learn how the industry functions, and eventually build opportunities for others.
That is the difference between a credit list and a legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sakinah LeStage?
Sakinah LeStage is an Atlanta-based choreographer, creative director, producer, entrepreneur and artist-development professional whose work spans music, live performance, television, film and artist mentorship.
What is The Whole Creative?
The Whole Creative is Sakinah LeStage’s creative-development platform. Its mentorship program is designed to help pre-professional and professional dancers cultivate artistic identity and learn practical tools for building sustainable careers.
What is Now Can I Do My Ssshhh...?
It is a live performance platform created by Sakinah LeStage to showcase emerging talent and work developed through The Whole Creative. Current event information describes artists presenting after a 12-week intensive development process.
Has Sakinah LeStage worked with Nelly?
Yes. Sakinah’s current official biography describes a creative partnership with Nelly spanning more than 11 years.
Does Sakinah LeStage still choreograph?
Yes. Her current portfolio continues to feature choreography and creative work alongside her expanding artist-development, production and mentorship roles.
Keep Exploring Dance Mogul
• Sakinah LeStage & Kiki Ely | AtLA Takeova — return to DMM’s 2015 interview.
• Celebrating Black Creative Directors & Choreographers — explore the lineage of artists building movement behind the spotlight.
• The Mogul Spotlight Journey — how DMM documents artists beyond a single publication moment.
• DMM Article Library — continue through the Dance Mogul Magazine archive.
The Story Continues
In 2021, Sakinah LeStage told Dance Mogul Magazine that everyone in the industry had been given a chance to start over.
She appears to have used that reset not simply to restart, but to build.
The choreography is still there. The creative direction is still there. But around those skills now sits a larger architecture: businesses, mentorship, artist development, production, a nonprofit and live opportunities intended to move other creatives forward.
That is why revisiting artists matters. A statement that sounded aspirational five years ago can become evidence of a life actually lived in that direction.
Dance Mogul Magazine will continue updating the record as the work grows — because a dancer’s story does not end when the original article is published.
2026 update sources: SakinahDidIt.com, The Whole Creative information published on Sakinah’s official site, official artist YouTube credits, Eventbrite’s current event listing, and Dance Mogul Magazine’s 2015 and 2021 archive.
Sakinah LeStage • Artist Development • Creative Direction • Choreography • The Whole Creative • Dance Industry • Dance Career • Where Are They Now • Dance Mogul Magazine
© 2026 Dance Mogul Magazine LLC | dancemogul.com | Inspiring Self-Empowerment Through Dance Culture
