{"id":9659,"date":"2018-02-21T00:12:32","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T00:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dancemogul.com\/news\/?p=9659"},"modified":"2021-12-07T06:25:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T11:25:20","slug":"red-light-special-a-night-of-urban-burlesque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/red-light-special-a-night-of-urban-burlesque\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Light Special | A Night Of Urban Burlesque\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0How has your journey been as an independent female dance artist and entrepreneur?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0It’s been an uphill battle even as a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>B<\/span><\/span>lack<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0college educated woman, but it has been worth it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span>\u00a0been in the game for 15 years. I started off in the Hollywood scene<\/span><\/span>. When I<\/span><\/span>\u00a0started<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I experienced the whole light skinned vs<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0dark skinned issue and with me being dark skinned I always received the short end of opportunities. Eventually I had enough of trying to prove myself in that way<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0so I moved to NY. In NY<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I<\/span><\/span>‘ve<\/span><\/span>\u00a0felt more appreciated by the scene\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and controlling powers<\/span><\/span>. With that being said<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I was able to create a show like\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Red Light Special<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span>A Night Of Urban Burlesque\u00ae<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A show\u00a0<\/span><\/span>where<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I could have creative control to express my plight as a black woman and the plight of other women in other cultures.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Overall I show beautiful black women and women from different cultures such as Afri<\/span><\/span>can, Caribbean, Latin, Asian<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and I portray stories that express their sensuality, sexuality,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>self love<\/span><\/span>, being comfortable with your o<\/span><\/span>wn skin and hair, being dominant<\/span><\/span>, relationships, sex and being a bold sexy woman in an artistic way. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I use some of the dancer’s personal experiences to help create my pieces. For some of these women, they have experienced in<\/span><\/span>\u00a0their culture<\/span><\/span>\u00a0where pursuing dance isn’t the ideal for a career or even respected, or dancing in a s<\/span><\/span>exy revealing way is prohibited. T<\/span><\/span>his platform gives these ladies<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a place<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to express themselves unapologetically<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Has the NY community been receptive to your efforts?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>*Laughs* W<\/span><\/span>ell at first they weren’t feeling me because I was from LA. I had to stop saying that for a minute. One thing about NY, just because it’s open to culture doesn’t mean\u00a0<\/span><\/span>its<\/span><\/span>\u00a0open arms for you to be a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>part of it or push it. But I didn’t let that stop me or determine my worthiness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>How have your efforts grown over the years?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>In terms of my\u00a0<\/span><\/span>burlesque show<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span>\u00a0made it completely\u00a0<\/span><\/span>audience<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/wbr>interactive with the audience \u00a0and that’s been a big hit and a reason for growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Now<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>even some audience members dress up as they did in the Masquerade Ball. As I was developing the show I knew people wanted to be a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>part of something<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0not just watch. When I first started there was like 30 people, then we got up to 50, now it<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s up to 130 plu<\/span><\/span>s. We now see a mix of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>returning audience members and newbies. When I first started I went th<\/span><\/span>r<\/span><\/span>ough different phases like “Can I do this<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span>” to “Let me show you I know what I’m doing<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/span>“.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Now I just want everyone to come out<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and enjoy themselves as I\u00a0<\/span><\/span>do<\/span><\/span>\u00a0now.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Now that you have a solid foundation what are the next levels for you and your production?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Definitely goin<\/span><\/span>g to turn my production into a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>docuseries<\/span><\/span>. I als<\/span><\/span>o see it being on Broadway,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>what\u00a0<\/span><\/span>was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>interesting<\/span><\/span><\/wbr>\u00a0is I saw that vision during rehearsals. All the different aspects of entertainment came to lif<\/span><\/span>e like acting, dancing, music\u00a0<\/span><\/span>etc<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and I was like wow<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span>I have something here.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Dance and the business of dance is changing\u00a0<\/span><\/span>everyday<\/span><\/span>, what is the mentality you need to have to survive?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span><\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Take your business and brand more seriously.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I\u2019m<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>an 80s\u00a0<\/span><\/span>baby so I grew into the best of both worlds of having to work for it and microwa<\/span><\/span>ving things. Invest in yourself. Y<\/span><\/span>ou either sit back and complain or get with it and take off. Make sure you bef<\/span><\/span>riend lawyers and get your copyrights and trademarks down. P<\/span><\/span>eople love to copy and steal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>What can we expect from you from the rest of 2018?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yaminah<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I have a residency\u00a0<\/span><\/span>beginning\u00a0<\/span><\/span>March 17th<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0at<\/span><\/span>Basquiat’s Bottle<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0in Brooklyn<\/span><\/span><\/a>. It will include mu<\/span><\/span>sic, dance and cocktails<\/span><\/span>. I also have my event Danceh<\/span><\/span>all Battle NYC\u00ae that I<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>m producing\u00a0on\u00a0March 18<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>EXPG<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have my first Urban Burlesque workshop coming up in March as well. A<\/span><\/span>nd my company Art of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Legohn<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is being booked every season so be on the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>lookout<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for all of that.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My Instagram and Facebook pages always have updates so follow me at @<\/span><\/span>artoflegohn<\/span><\/span>, @<\/span><\/span>yaminahlegohn<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and on Facebook at Art of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Legohn,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>LLC or\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Yaminah<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Legohn<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Visit our websites<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.artoflegohn.com\/<\/a><\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.yaminahlegohn.com\/<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Red Light Special Show page<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.artoflegohn.com\/<\/wbr>red-light-special-burlesque<\/a><\/div>\n

Production Credits:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yaminah Legohn- Creator, Producer, director, choreographer<\/div>\n
Yancy Greene- Stylist, featured choreographer<\/div>\n
Dj- Dj Yanks<\/div>\n
Host- Shernita Anderson<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dancers<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Krystal Bates<\/div>\n
Haseem Bivins<\/div>\n
Jessica Figueroa<\/div>\n
Paulina Vilkkavaara<\/div>\n
Queen Ravenden<\/div>\n
Rita 2 It<\/div>\n
Kendra Ross aka Keramel Lovetouch (Featured burlesque dancer)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Djember Drummer<\/b><\/div>\n
Khary Kamau<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Music performer<\/b><\/div>\n
Victor Daze<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Photos by<\/b><\/div>\n
Primelens Entertainment<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Visual Artists<\/b><\/div>\n
Shayla Russell<\/div>\n
Asha Q\u00fcwan<\/div>\n
Mc Fresh<\/div>\n
Yaminah Legohn<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Marketing Director<\/b><\/div>\n
Creative Christianni<\/div>\n
Press and Media coordinator – Al Boogie<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Set designer<\/b><\/div>\n
Madia Hill Scott<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Venue<\/strong><\/div>\n
Gold Sounds<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Cocktails<\/strong><\/div>\n
Randy Martinez<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vendor<\/strong><\/div>\n
Tasneem Legohn<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n[wp_ad_camp_1]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dance Mogul:\u00a0How has your journey been as an independent female dance artist and entrepreneur? Yaminah:\u00a0It’s been an uphill battle even as a\u00a0Black,\u00a0college educated woman, but it has been worth it.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been in the game for 15 years. I started off in the Hollywood scene. When I\u00a0started,\u00a0I experienced the whole light skinned vs.\u00a0dark skinned issue and with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,342,4],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-9659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dance-industry","category-empowerment","category-exclusive-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9659"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=9659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}