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The Making of Cherry Boom Boom: A Love Story
When I walked into Hollywood's King King 9 months ago, I knew I wanted to do my new show there. It's this brilliant balance of nightclub and theater -- an intimate, yet hot, cabaret setting. It was the perfect place. I just needed to convince the owner of King King of the same. As Mario Melendez pointed out, there are a zillion burlesque/cabaret shows out there. "What makes your show different?" he asked. "My show tells a story", I said.And with that, he gave me a shot and THE RENDEZVOUS starring Cherry Boom Boom was born.Finally, I had the ideal venue for merging my two favorite worlds -- dance and theater -- in what I can only describe as a one-of-a-kind live theater experience that combines the best of burlesque with Commedia dell'arte, a 16th-century Italian style of acting that uses exaggerated physicallity and heightened emotions, yet all from a place of sincerity; a place of truth. And the truth I wanted to tell with Cherry Boom Boom's THE RENDEZVOUS is that we are all connected by the universal story of love.Everyone falls in love. Everyone goes on the journey. And everyone has messed it up from time to time. But everyone has grown from it. I believe we all share it. I have the privilege of working with Brian Kimmet and Angela Berliner, two beautifully trained actors who play the Lovers in my show. The tricky part was threading their story into and between the dance pieces -- a sort of pas de deux of my two worlds.I met Brian and Angela through The Actors' Gang, Tim Robbins' international Commedia dell'arte theater company. I've been a member for 10 years now and have had the honor of acting in a number of plays, and toured all over Europe. Still, my first love is dance, for which I am also best known. I spent 7 years with the Pussycat Dolls, as an original dancer, assistant choreographer and co-artistic director, helping build the foundation and develop what would lead to the PDC's phenomenal international success. I also played the original Darling Nikki in Prince's Around the World in a Day tour. And over the past 15 years, I have danced in and choreographed for many film and television projects, including Charlies Angels 2, HBO series Carnivale, Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease and, most recently, Dancing With The Stars.It is this combination of dance and theater that inspired and informed my decision to create Cherry Boom Boom 2 years ago. I called some of my closest dance friends who I had worked with for many years in the industry -- the cream of the crop, all with impressive and extensive resumes. A Boom Boom has to be a professionally trained dancer who is fully realized as a woman. She needs to understand and OWN the power she possesses, while also being playful and fun with a sense of humor. A Boom Boom is ultra-feminine to the place of full acceptance and empowerment. She dances with her heart and soul, and it doesn't hurt if she has a few tricks up her sleeve. She is sexy and sassy, yet classy. And as one audience member (of the male variety) noted, "These women look like they know who they are and what they want, and aren't afraid to go for it!"It's this essence of a woman that inspired the name Cherry Boom Boom. It's fun and it's a little ol' fashion. It's playful, yet luscious. It's sweet, sexy, and it's a little bit rock 'n roll! We started out with a 15-minute show that we performed in the downstairs area of Key Club Plush. From there we performed all over Los Angeles, at various Hollywood Clubs, such as Whisky A Go Go and Blvd Three. Within a short time, we had created a buzz and caught the attention of Dancing With The Stars. They were highlighting top LA. choreographers and I was asked to choreograph a piece on the show. I had met Carmen Electra while working with Prince and I asked her if she wanted to dance with us as our special guest. She accepted and it turned out to be a wonderful experience, while also opening many doors for Cherry Boom Boom.I grew tired of dancing in clubs for one night as an "act. I wanted to do a FULL show bringing my two worlds together -- dance and theater -- to tell a story in which all of the dancers play characters. I wanted them to shine individually, which inevitably would help us shine even brighter as a group. I wanted a show that was more than just the steps, more than just choreography, and way more than eye candy. Instead of the audience just watching us, I wanted them to go on the ride with us. I wanted THE RENDEZVOUS to have a thru line -- to be as sexy and sensual as it could and still have HEART.Fortunately, I found the perfect partner for realizing my dream for THE RENDEZVOUS in Shana Sosin.I met Shana through The Actors Gang. We were both actors, but she worked on the production end as well. I had seen her successfully produce the WTF Festival with Time Robbins and knew that if I was going to do this show, I wanted Shana to produce to it. We come from the same theater, and we speak the same language. I had finally found a producer that knew my history and got my vision. We were on the same page and we both liked to work, and work hard we have, along with sharing a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. As the first run of the show comes to a close this month, it's been a dream come true seeing such a talented, vivacious group of luscious ladies bring THE RENDEZVOUS to life -- Linda Cevallos, Ruthy Inhaustegui, Katie Miller, Vanessa Huntoon, Kelleia Sheerin, Sharon Ferguson, Hannah Feldner-Shaw and yours truly, Lindsley Allen.When I moved to Los Angeles back in the day, I came from Hanover, Pennsylvania, a quaint country town. I had no idea what I was in for. I just went with my instincts. My mom and dad taught me to follow my heart and my dreams. With Cherry Boom Boom and THE RENDEZVOUS, I feel like I've done just that, creating a Rock 'n Roll a Go-Go cabaret show that generates the best compliments from women, saying they feel inspired...empowered to be free and have FUN with their own sense of sensuality. It's something beautiful and sensual and playful that everyone can enjoy, while celebrating women at their very best.whole lotta love, Lindsley Allen -creator, choreographer, director
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