Ruka White

<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Lil-Red Velvet is a daring new immersive theatre work by RUKADANCE, premiering May 2026 at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion. Reimagining Little Red Riding Hood through camp, humor, and provocation, the 45-minute performance blends cabaret, vogue, burlesque, acting, singing, and dance. At once playful and menacing, Lil-Red transforms from ingénue to antagonist, challenging expectations of innocence, power, and desire. Featuring an ensemble of dancers, musicians, and theatre artists—including a transgender Wolf character who is also a pole dancer—the work celebrates queer identity, body politics, and Africanist aesthetics in performance. Audience immersion is central: the forest spills into the theatre, and Lil-Red moves among spectators, blurring lines between fairy tale, cabaret, and club. With NEFA’s support, Lil-Red Velvet will expand opportunities for diverse artists while sparking critical dialogue on identity, transformation, and community.</span></p>