Amber Lyoness on Burlesque, Choreography & Her New Show, Purr!

Don't Miss the Next Catbaret! 🐱🎭
There’s always a new Catbaret show coming up—whether in person in NYC or virtually! Grab your tickets at CatbaretShow.com for a night of cat-themed comedy, music, and burlesque!

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In this week’s Tails and Tassels, Gemma sits down with the powerhouse Amber Lyoness, the founder of Lyoness Dance Company and creator of the sexy feline-inspired burlesque show Purr. Amber shares her journey from dance to fashion school to discovering her love for burlesque and how she now channels her passion into choreography, costuming, and performance.

Amber talks about the inspiration behind her company, Lyoness NYC, and how she blends dance, burlesque, and creativity to empower women and celebrate their strength—both on and off the stage. You’ll also get the scoop on her new Purr  show, a celebration of black cat energy.

🎧 Tune in for a conversation filled with inspiration, tips on creating a successful performance, and a peek into Amber’s own creative process. 

📖 Resources & Links:

Amber’s Company: Lyoness NYC
Purr Show Details: Stay tuned on Instagram for upcoming events!

🐾 Connect with Amber:

Instagram: @amberlyoness
Lyoness Dance Company: @lyoness_nyc

💌 Connect with Us:

Follow us on Instagram: @tailsandtasselspod
Follow Catbaret on Instagram: @catbareshow
Email: TailsandTasselsPod@gmail.com

⭐ Subscribe & Review:
Follow Tails and Tassels on your favorite podcast app and don’t forget to leave us a review—it really helps us grow! 💖

Transcript

Gemma Smith (00:15.971)
Hi, kitty cats. Welcome back to another episode of Tails and Tassels, the show where you learn about the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, and their cats. I'm your host, Gemma Smith, also known as Gemma Stone when performing burlesque. By day, I work in animal welfare in New York City, and by night, I host the Catbaret a cat-themed variety show. And today, I'm chatting with the a-meowzing Amber Lyoness. 

Gemma Smith (00:45.056)
a dancer, choreographer, and burlesque performer who's bringing her unique fusion of dance, fashion, and burlesque to the stage. We're diving into her journey from studying dance and fashion to creating her own dance cabaret troupe. 

Today I'm chatting with the dynamic Amber Lyoness. She's a dancer, choreographer, and burlesque performer here in New York City. Today we're diving into her journey from studying dance and fashion to creating her own cabaret dance troupe, Lyoness, and their brand new show, Purr. 

Gemma Smith (02:00.342)
a celebration of that bold black cat energy right here in New York City. Also, we'll talk about her journey as a burlesque performer. Plus, this conversation reignited my own motivation to seek inspiration in my daily life, something I think many of you will connect with. And of course, bonus points, you'll get to meet her cuddly cat, Beyonce. And if you're in New York City, you can see Amber perform live at the Galentine's Day Catbaret's show in just one week on February 13th here in person in New York City or join the live stream for only $10. She's bringing her magic to the stage for a special night of burlesque, comedy, and music. Come celebrate with us and grab your tickets now, links in the show notes. All right, let's get into the episode. 

Gemma Smith (01:11.278)
Okay, kitty cats. Today I'm positively delighted to chat with another meowzing burlesque performer, Amber Lyoness. Amber is a New York City based professional dancer who specializes in jazz. 

Gemma Smith (01:24.878)
heels, Latin, ballet, contemporary, tap, and musical theater. She began her dance training at five years old at North Alabama Dance Center. And just three days after earning her degree in fashion at the University of North Alabama, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance and fashion. While Amber has danced her whole life, she made her burlesque debut at Madame X in 2019. She continues her dance training in New York City and performs with dance and production companies such as Honey Burlesque, 

Gemma Smith (01:54.316)
Siren Pack, 26 Stars, Skin Dance Company, and more. Amber Lyoness started the dance company Lyoness NYC in 2020 to showcase diverse dancers and burlesque performers in a compelling, feminine cabaret show. She loves how dance, burlesque, costumes, and other art forms express her sparkle and joy, and she's so honored to be able to do that with such a powerful group of dancers, artists, and creators, and what's even better than all of that? 

Gemma Smith (02:21.336)
Well, she's a cat mom and she has a burlesque show called Purr. Welcome to the podcast, Amber. Thanks for being here. 

Amber (02:28.764)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be part of this. Thank you for the lovely introduction. 

Gemma Smith (02:35.863)
Well, it's been wonderful working with you in realities and you're going to be in the Galentine's Day cat beret. So I would love for our listeners to know, can you share your background and journey in dance in burlesque a little bit more? 

Amber (02:50.236)
Yes, absolutely. So I started with dance when I was five years old. My mom put me in my first dance class, just something extra to do and to get some fun and exercise and just have an extracurricular. I absolutely fell in love with it. My mom, when I was 10, was like, do you want to do competitions? And I'm like, yeah. So I started doing competitions through middle school, high school, went to like 

Amber (03:17.862)
He studied at the University of North Alabama where I studied fashion, but I was also part of the dance program there. So it's just always been in my life. I've always loved music. I've always loved dance. But growing up, I've always dreamed of moving to New York, doing whatever. I just knew I want to move to New York. So three days after graduating, I went to New York. 

Amber (03:40.198)
you know, worked a little bit more in the fashion industry, but then still really fell in love with the art scene just in general, performing art scene. And so, you know, I started dancing, I started auditioning and just doing the things, training regularly at, you know, dance studios like BDC and Steps and just really like honing my craft as a dancer. And then I saw my burlesque show, my first burlesque show, my first NYC burlesque show. 

Gemma Smith (04:07.789)
haha 

Amber (04:10.086)
I want to say in 2019. And then I was like, I've always wanted to do this. Like, I feel like this is a similar story. Like you saw the burlesque movie in high school and then you're like, my God, it'd be so cool to do that. And so that kind of just like retapped in and you know, I really got to see it live. And I asked the producer, I was like, I would love to be part of this. I've never done burlesque, but I would love, I'm a dancer and I'm a performer. So I would love to be part of this. 

Amber (04:39.832)
sent my dance videos to her, because that's what I had. then, lo and behold, I was in the next show first time in pasties. Believe it or not, it was a Beyonce song and because that's my favorite artists. And I absolutely fell in love with it. It was just, you know, it was performance, but it has such a really cool like history. And it's just so powerful. It's so empowering. It's 

Amber (05:07.632)
radical, it's unapologetic, and it's just so open to your style, like your own style, who you are as a human being, and who you are as a performer. Performing arts is that in general, but it's really cool how I found myself through burlesque. And so, you know, as you can imagine, dance has deeply influenced my burlesque. you know, after that first show, I really worked hard and studied and was inspired by so many talented, you know, burlesque performers. 

Amber (05:36.73)
like yourself and just like really studied and being inspired and really respecting the craft of burlesque. So yeah, that's pretty much my little story. 

Gemma Smith (05:37.804)
Aww. 

Gemma Smith (05:50.091)
Well, that really resonates with me. I love what you said about everyone can find their own style and how you, as a trained dancer with a passion for dance, then saw burlesque. it's like this other level was unlocked in your brain where you're like, I want to do that. And I think for our listeners who maybe want to try burlesque and haven't before, what an inspiring story that you saw the show. And you're like, 

Gemma Smith (06:15.434)
And you are a trained dancer, of course, that's an amazing skill. But still, it takes bravery and courage to be like, I'm going to go up to this producer and say, I loved it, and shoot your shot, so to say. And it worked out. And speaking about different styles, you mentioned everyone in art in general. But I do notice, especially in burlesque, can you describe your performance style or stage persona? 

Amber (06:41.266)


Amber (06:41.686)
So my stage persona, she's, if we were describing like maybe a celebrity or looking at a celebrity for inspiration, definitely Beyonce, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Josephine Baker, like classic literally none of those celebrities I named would have probably existed. Josephine Baker didn't exist. definitely like the OG, who else? And then like more current. 

Gemma Smith (06:57.396)
Yes. 

Amber (07:10.354)
pop artists, like Sabrina Carpenter and what's another one that's more recent? Yeah, like Sabrina Carpenter. So very like pop diva, but still like a little old school cutesy, like tongue in cheek. Oh, Katy Perry, like early, like what is it? 2008, 2009, like Katy Perry. So like very poppy, very like now, like very modern, but still like. 

Gemma Smith (07:27.051)
Cool. 

Amber (07:37.682)
kind of like that old school, old Hollywood, very glamorous, very feminine energy. So those are people that inspire me, performers that inspire me. Usually like my burlesque ex, my persona, it's very, I always do a little bit of a five, six, seven, eight, whether it's more like burlesque. So we're like focusing on like, 

Gemma Smith (07:58.699)
You 

Amber (08:01.852)
the acting and like the, you know, the reveal, they're still like, okay, this is going to be the moment where there's a dance break, like a quick or it's like, you know, fully choreographed. So definitely dance happy burlesque acts. But yeah, that's pretty much my my persona. 

Gemma Smith (08:19.989)
can totally see that from the acts that I've seen from you. And speaking now for your inspiration and process creating your acts specifically. So we kind of talked about your performance style, but when you're approaching a new act, what do you think about when you're creating it? Is it costume first, music first? 

Amber (08:43.378)


Amber (08:43.798)
So it varies. Usually it's like music first. So I want to say a little bit more than half of the acts and the dances that I create. I've been listening to the song for a while and it's just been like naturally embedded in my brain. And maybe I have an intention of choreographing to it or maybe I like listen to it the first time and I'm like, my goodness, this would be like a perfect dance or burlesque act. So I let the song like marinate and listen to it like a few hundred times. 

Amber (09:12.658)
Before I really start choreographing or I choreograph in my head all the time on the subway. That's where it all like the little scene happens is on like this way or during my commute when I'm just like sitting and listening to music. So it starts with the music and then I get you know in my apartment or Yeah, usually yeah, I'll get in my apartment and then just start choreographing from there if I feel like it's needed. 

Amber (09:40.562)
you take some studio space. If it's a solo, definitely if it's a group number, obviously we'll have a rehearsal and I'll choreograph from there. And so then it grows from there and really workshopping it in the studio is so fun. I just love, especially with several bodies, it's great to do those formations and see how it looks on everyone. 

Amber (10:07.302)
That's always something I really loved is teaching dance and rehearsing dance and just seeing how it looks on everyone. And then that's pretty much how goes. then costumes are usually like, okay, this is like the color of the act. This is the color of it. So I usually like based off my costumes off of that. So yeah, that's kind of the creative process. 

Gemma Smith (10:30.791)
I love that and the subway is so relatable. There are so many times I've had my headphones on and like waiting for the train and does, or I see dancers also, like 

Amber (10:33.649)
Yes. 

Amber (10:36.487)
Yes. 

Amber (10:41.426)
Yes. 

Gemma Smith (10:41.637)
I can tell they're dancing and it always gives me a smile. And we're get more into Lyoness because you mentioned choreographing for like a company and the costumes for the company. But first you're gonna be performing at the February 13th, which when this episode airs, it'll be like in a week. 

Gemma Smith (10:59.976)
Galentine's Day show. So can you give us a little teaser, if you know already, like about your act, just a little teaser for the audience to want to come see you in the show. 

Amber (11:00.028)
Yes. 

Amber (11:11.644)
Ooh, a little teaser. So I'm not gonna give away too much, but it has to do with love. And it has to do with self-love. And basically, I guess the intention of it is walking away from something that's not serving you because you love yourself before anything else. 

Gemma Smith (11:20.029)
Mm-hmm. 

Amber (11:37.254)
you choose, because you love yourself, you walk away from whatever is not serving you. So that's the intention and the vibe behind it. yeah, a little inspirational. But sexy. 

Gemma Smith (11:47.145)
I love it. It's also a bit inspirational for the 

Gemma Smith (11:49.269)
new year. Like people for 2025 is upon us and like that could be a good vibe to set for everyone in the audience. 

Amber (11:57.338)
Yes, exactly. Inspirational, but still very, very sexy. Yes, always. 

Gemma Smith (12:01.33)
yes, always sexy, yes, yes. 

Gemma Smith (12:04.641)
Now, can you share, getting into the Lyoness, big, feline inspired name, I love it. Can you share the inspiration and origin of your dance company, Lyoness NYC? 

Amber (12:19.804)
So it started, technically it started March 2020. And we had our first show March 1st, 2020. was like a little, just like burlesque show, nothing was like, there was no group numbers, there's just like burlesque. And I was like, my goodness, I really want to take this off. Like I really want to like, you know, hire a bunch of dancers and choreograph and all of that. And I've always wanted to have like a troupe where, you know, I choreograph and it's all female. 

Amber (12:48.85)
But I didn't really know how I wanted to navigate it. And so it was kind of beautiful that I started Burlesque a year before starting Lyoness so I was like, OK, it'll be like a Burlesque cabaret dance troupe. So anyway, March 1st, 2020, we had our first small show. And then I had all these ideas. Of course, the pandemic happened, which sucked, obviously. 

Gemma Smith (13:17.105)
Mm-hmm 

Amber (13:18.16)
Like it 

Amber (13:18.51)
really, really sucked, but also it gave me time to like really meditate and focus and like, okay, what do I want to do with this? Like, you know, we're not doing shows for a while. So fast forward a year later, we have our first show. It was completely masked. I think it was like 30 % of people, like 30 % capacity at the venue. And it was a very large venue because again, a lot of spaces weren't hosting shows unless they were very large given the 

Gemma Smith (13:29.159)
Mm-hmm. 

Gemma Smith (13:44.625)
Mm-mm. 

Amber (13:47.994)
circumstances. but I was just like, my god, this is something I want to do. Rewind, we actually had virtual auditions for dancers. A few of the dancers I knew previously, but some of the dancers I didn't know, and I just met them virtually. And then we had a couple of virtual rehearsals. And then we had in person at a studio that we booked. And then we had that first show on in 2021. 

Amber (14:13.65)
And so that's kind of how it started. The name started because my last name is Lyons and I've always wanted to really capitalize and brand on that because it's a really cool last name. And I was like, okay, we'll just make it the feminine version. you know, it's just, it's beautiful. you know, represents female empowerment, feline, you know, strength and all of that. So that's pretty much how I started. 

Gemma Smith (14:19.663)
Nice. 

Amber (14:43.322)
Lyoness we're very, you know, it's cabaret, we feature burlesque performers. So we have a few burlesque performers that are in the company that do solo burlesque acts. And then obviously we invite burlesque performers. I know you've performed at one of my shows before, which was so lovely. And so yeah, just honoring burlesque. Some of our shows will have burlesque, others will not, and it'll just be, you know, dance. And yeah, that's pretty much us. That's Lyoness, and we've been going strong. 

Gemma Smith (14:56.516)
Yeah. 

Amber (15:12.156)
for almost four years. Excuse me, five years. Five years, yeah. I can't believe it. Yeah, so five years. So we'll have an anniversary show in March. 

Gemma Smith (15:19.184)
Can you believe it? 

Gemma Smith (15:26.566)
Oh yes, everyone stay tuned for that anniversary show. That's so impressive and really inspiring that you discovered burlesque, your love of dance you had when you moved here, you discovered burlesque and then you wanted to create a troupe. And I have to say, I loved being part of your show and I find it so refreshing because it's very unique. I don't see, I mean, I know there are others but I haven't been to very many cabaret dance shows that also feature burlesque and you also had a. 

Amber (15:29.286)
Yes. 

Gemma Smith (15:55.046)
whole artist at the show I was in and I thought that was so interesting and engaging and so I just like that variety. so now I saw your show at a different venue in Astoria but I think you have a new show called Purr and a new venue. So tell us all about your new show. 

Amber (16:15.706)
Yes, I'm so excited. So we launched the show in June of this year and it's in Brooklyn. It's called Love Joys and it's just like really like sleek, very like the colors are like purple and pink, which I love. So that's like total vibe, but like a very like chic little lounge in Williamsburg. And yeah, fell in love with it and we do shows every other month. 

Amber (16:44.307)
We had a June show, we did an August show, and a Halloween show. So yeah, it's been really fun. It's a very sultry take on our show. So It's Purr represents like feline, like black cat energy. We still do our group numbers and we still have, you know, our burlesque performers. So it is, you know, a burlesque show as well. So we'll have burlesque performers, variety performers that we'll invite to perform. 

Amber (17:12.21)
And we absolutely love this space. Lovejoy's has the cutest little cocktails. We have our own signature cocktail called the Lyoness Love Spell. And it's absolutely delicious and has little sparkles in it and champagne. And it's absolutely delicious. And so yeah, that's Purr. 

Gemma Smith (17:31.303)
my gosh, I love that you have a signature cocktail. The whole vibe. I know I meant to go to one of your shows and I missed it. So I wanna go to the next one. When is the one? So this will air February 6th, March. Would that be the next show that our listeners can go to at Lovejoy's? Do they just stay tuned to your Instagram? 

Amber (17:33.744)
Yes! 

Amber (17:48.198)
Yes, definitely stay tuned to our Instagram when we announce our next show, I Love Joys. Yes. 

Gemma Smith (17:54.061)
And that's at 

Gemma Smith (17:55.208)
Lyoness underscore NYC. 

Amber (17:57.916)
Yes, at Lyoness-underscore-nyc on Instagram, and then lyonessnyc if you want to go to our website. 

Gemma Smith (18:04.929)
yes, okay. 

Gemma Smith (18:07.932)
So we've heard about Lyoness, your show Purr, and I also wanna talk about you, you touched on, you you went to school for fashion, you mentioned how you love to think about the color and how it looks on everyone. So can you talk about your costume creation for your dance company and solo as well if you want, have a beautiful costume for your, everybody loves, is it diamonds? Yes, yes, so feel free to talk about that in general. 

Amber (18:29.975)
yes. 

Amber (18:34.45)
Yeah, I love my girls with sparkle. So we have a few outfits, a few group outfits that we all wear. My favorite is our gold. It's a gold two-piece. So it's a really sexy sparkly bra with some metallic sparkly bottoms and then a skirt, a little French skirt that we like to reveal. And then that's just paired with like accessories. So sometimes we'll do black gloves or gold gloves or red gloves. 

Amber (19:02.546)
We'll play with accessories with that. And everything's just so sparkly and bejeweled. So that's like my favorite Lyoness costume. We wear that one pretty frequently. And we usually use that. and then my second favorite is our black latex. So we usually use this for our Purr show, because again, black cat energy. So it's like a latex bodysuit, super high, like thigh. 

Amber (19:29.528)
you know, brief moment and then it's like super sparkly. So we have the AB like really sparkly iridescent rhinestones covering it. So that's the process and it's always fun, especially like our last rehearsal before the show. If I have a new costume we wear for the rehearsal to get like our bodies used to it and make sure the fit is all right and it's just like really exciting to have that costume at rehearsal. Then you get really excited for the show and to wear the new costumes. 

Amber (19:58.118)
And then, yeah, just from myself, same, I love to sparkle. So I love like bedazzling everything. You see a lot of pinks and a lot of reds. Those are like kind of my colors. I'm looking to venture out more in the new year. I'm like, let's switch it up. I have a blue outfit that I'm like, I could wear that more. So yeah, again, I see colors in songs. So it's like, know, okay, what? 

Amber (20:27.226)
you know, color fits this. So yeah, that's pretty much like my creation for my costuming. 

Gemma Smith (20:34.85)
And I have to say, at your show, I was so impressed because I was backstage, you know, in the dressing area, and there were like costumes being handed out to your different dancers. And it was so organized. And I was so impressed. And I was like, my gosh, she has to like, it's not just like, I get stressed enough remembering all my gloves and all my pieces. And I was like, gosh, she like has to be organized for everyone. So do you also, you bedazzle all the costumes for the dancers? That's a lot of work. 

Amber (20:43.691)
yes. 

Amber (21:03.474)
It is, yeah, it's definitely like passion, excuse me, passion that like drives what I do. But yeah, it's great. I mean, I don't have children, or at least I don't have human children. So it feels like that's like my maternal energy going into like the love of what I do is, know, yeah, the love of what I do for the dancers, for Lyoness. Like Lyoness is my baby, I don't know. 

Gemma Smith (21:29.804)
my gosh, yeah, I can just see you're radiating joy and happiness. can tell it's just 

Amber (21:32.793)
Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (21:32.865)
like what you love. So that totally makes sense. And speaking of your non-human child, now's the part of the show where we're gonna learn more about your cat. And I genuinely don't know too much other than some Instagram photos I've seen. So tell me what's your cat's name and how did they come into your life? 

Amber (21:40.018)
Ha ha ha! 

Amber (21:49.616)
Yes. 

Amber (21:54.364)
Well, I think this is perfect opportunity because she just, she's right next to me. Yes, I was like, let me wait. Hold on, let me just turn off the camera real quick to grab her. 

Gemma Smith (21:58.281)
Yay! 

Gemma Smith (22:01.635)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, take your time. 

Gemma Smith (22:07.42)
It's okay, I could edit it out too. 

Amber (22:09.456)
Okay, cool. Okay, let me just, 

Amber (22:12.094)
real quick. Beyonce, my goodness. 

Gemma Smith (22:15.308)
yeah, that's her name! 

Amber (22:18.972)
Well, this is my baby girl. She's very shy, so she'll be up here for like two seconds and then go, but her name is Beyonce. She's a little tabby. She'll be four. Okay. She's like, that's enough of that. She'll be four in March. Yeah, she'll be four in March. I adopted her literally when she was like six months old from ASPCA. 

Gemma Smith (22:25.208)
Yeah. 

Amber (22:49.958)
Yeah, and she's, we've been inseparable ever since. She's my baby girl. 

Gemma Smith (22:55.786)
I love 

Gemma Smith (22:56.347)
that you adopted her from the ASPCA, because you know, by day I work it. I'm a manager at the ASPCA kitten nursery on 91st Street, right around the corner from 92nd. So how old do you think she was when you adopted her? 

Amber (23:03.82)
wow! 

Amber (23:09.714)
She was six months. I think that might have been where, I think it was like there. 

Gemma Smith (23:13.667)


Gemma Smith (23:16.25)
She may have started at the nursery and then they move on to the adoption center on 92nd Street. Yeah, that's wonderful. So for Galentine's Day, like she's your gal, like you really do, you have a female cat for cat baret Galentine's at home watching. 

Amber (23:21.554)
Okay, that's where was then, yeah. That's too funny. 

Amber (23:32.421)
Exactly. 

Amber (23:35.214)
Exactly, yes. Yeah, she's my Galentine. She's been my Galentine for the past three, four years. 

Gemma Smith (23:45.078)
Now, can you share a little bit about her? So we know she's a little shy and please know my cats have not made an appearance of me holding them here because one is also very shy and one is a big orange tabby that would be like, get me out of here. So it's amazing your cat made an appearance. Can you share a little bit more about her like quirks and personality? 

Amber (24:06.93)
So yeah, she's a little shy, like camera shy, like if I'm FaceTiming and put her up, she's like, don't, camera's away. Despite her name, even though her name's Beyonce, she does not like the limelight. But she is in person, she's cuddly, she'll walk up to you and rub her head to your legs, she's very friendly, even though she's a little bit shy. One of her quirks 

Amber (24:52.517)
I think a days later my cords were broken. 

Amber (24:58.682)
Yeah, so she loves cord. She's kind of grown out of it, but like every now and then usually if she's like mad at me, like if I've taken a long trip and she's been with like a cat sitter, she'll like get her revenge by chewing on a cord. But for the most part, she's like grown out of it pretty well. But yeah, that's like one of her like a little annoying things that she does. yeah, she's overall, she's super loving and yeah, she's great. 

Gemma Smith (25:26.707)
Love a love bug cat. She looks like a nice cuddly, you know, for our listeners she's a, she looked like she was a gray and white tabby and kind of like a nice big cuddly cat. 

Amber (25:38.576)
Yeah, she's definitely a big cuddly cat. She's, yeah, super cozy. She like lays every night next to me like on my pillow, so. Yes. 

Gemma Smith (25:47.485)
I love that. you know, 

Gemma Smith (25:48.876)
speaking of the cords, it's such kitten behavior too. Like she's probably growing out of it. My cat Lion-o he wants to eat plastic bags. It's so annoying. So like we can't ever have plastic bags out. And if a guest comes over, they don't know. And we're like very hyper vigilant. Like, please put your plastic bag away. So I totally commiserate. It's hard. How can you, you got to charge your phones. got, you know. 

Amber (26:13.938)
Exactly, yeah. No, those are necessities. So, but yeah, she eventually grew out of it. So I guess, yeah, like you said, kitten behavior. 

Gemma Smith (26:20.448)


Gemma Smith (26:22.99)
And I love that she lays on your pillow with you at night. That's so sweet. Do you have any other daily routines or special rituals with her that come to mind? 

Amber (26:33.102)
I think, like, as a performer, some nights I come home very late. Like, last night I came home at like 2.30 or... No, I can't go home. Yeah, like 2.30. So like, if I'm working my regular job, I'll come home at like 7.30 p.m. whatever. But yeah, if I work a late show, usually I give her... It's just like habitual at this point. I felt bad like as a kitten and I'm like, she doesn't understand. She needs all the love. 

Amber (27:00.134)
but I'll cuddle and give her extra treats if I come home super late. And it's just become habitual. So I think her biological clock, if she knows any time after 11 p.m., I'm not home, she's like, my goodness, I'm getting extra treats. So yeah, I guess that's my little ritual. Yeah, when he asked, that's so funny. Yeah, I didn't think we had a ritual, but yeah, that's our little ritual. 

Gemma Smith (27:29.044)
That's a great one because like when you come home from a show, you're decompressing, you're like relaxing, and that sounds like the perfect time to spend some time with Beyonce. 

Amber (27:37.916)
Exactly, yes. Yeah, lots of like extra little... She likes the... what is it? Temptations. So I give her like little extras. So... She does, exactly. 

Gemma Smith (27:45.156)
yes, she deserves it. 

Gemma Smith (27:49.939)
And you know what, I think we kind of talked about this earlier, but you may have more to add. Speaking about how like your cat, whether Beyonce, your specific Beyonce inspires you, or just cats in general inspire your art and performances. You touched on it a little bit with like feline, feminine energy with Lyoness and purr, but curious if there is anything else or anything like specific cat themed acts you want to 

Gemma Smith (28:14.826)
talk about. 

Amber (28:16.092)
Yes, so I do have an act, it's called Kitty Cat. And it's by Beyonce, so it's very fitting. I just realized this. Okay, I choreographed that number a year before adopting Beyonce. 

Gemma Smith (28:20.735)
yes! 

Gemma Smith (28:33.181)
You manifested it. 

Amber (28:34.59)
I just realized that like actually okay. Yeah, that's so wild So after yeah adopted her after the fact that's so funny 

Gemma Smith (28:44.861)
I love that you discovered that during this podcast, because someone else also had 

Gemma Smith (28:48.525)
a revelation about their cats during our podcast. So that makes me so happy. 

Amber (28:53.714)
Yeah, it's so funny. But anyway, yeah, Kitty Kat and it's just very like unapologetic, like, you know, feline black cat energy. The song is fun. I feel like it's a very underrated Beyonce song. It's not her most popular song. But yeah, when I heard it, you know, again, like it came out like in 20, sorry, in 2007. So it's like an older song. And then I heard it. 

Amber (29:21.958)
for the first time in a very long time, like in 2020. And I was like, this would be like fun choreography. And so I choreographed it, taught it in a virtual dance class. then, and now it's also a choreography, choreography for my dancers for Lyoness. So we do have a group number. It's probably like our, one of our first numbers. Choreographed that as a group number, had a burlesque act. And then a few months later, I adopted my cat Beyonce. That is so funny how that. 

Gemma Smith (29:32.57)


Amber (29:51.59)
happen. But yeah, that inspired me and it's just giving like dark, you know, cat energy. That's, you know, how cats have inspired that act. Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (30:01.439)
I want to say I love that song, Kitty Cat. I actually didn't know it back in 2007 either, but when I make my playlist for Cat baret I'm always looking at songs about cats. And of course, Kitty Cat, that's come up, that's been on my playlist. It's a great song, and I like that it's not her most well-known song, because sometimes it's good to have acts to introduce people to good music that's not overdone. So I think that's really perfect. 

Amber (30:03.771)
Yes. 

Amber (30:24.658)
Exactly. 

Amber (30:26.478)
That's very true. Yeah, it hasn't been too overplayed. Yeah, because I've had people, I've performed it and people have come up to me and they're like, I've never heard that song, that Beyonce song. So yeah, it's nice to introduce new art and new music. Or new for people, new for some people. 

Gemma Smith (30:43.048)
Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (30:45.864)
And I'm so glad you also mentioned about your dance classes. I've always been, well, I have to work Sundays, so I never can make it. But can you share more about your dance classes? And let's promote that here, because I bet a lot of folks listening would love to do a group dance to Kitty Kat 

Amber (31:02.322)
Yes. 

Gemma Smith (31:02.472)
or your other themes. 

Amber (31:04.822)
Yes. So we do have classes. They're usually like pop up classes. So they're not like usually a specific schedule. So they, you vary. can be usually they're on Sundays, but sometimes we'll have them on Monday or Tuesday earlier in the week. And we don't have the schedule out now, but there are going to be several classes in the new year in 2025. So look out for that. Again, we post all this on our Instagram and our 

Amber (31:32.944)
website so Lyoness underscore nyc the instagram or Lyoness nyc the website and so you can look out for that we're planning a class possibly a workshop so tvd on that at the end of january going into you know february so again keep an eye out on that and the classes are open level there you know we start out with a warm-up and then we learn some choreography 

Amber (32:00.466)
We'll learn some techniques like walking or arm movements or sometimes we'll bring in props. A lot of the times we'll do glove reveal, a glove peel, so playing with props and certain methods of removing a glove or a top piece like a shirt or a dress. we go into dance but also we throw in some burlesque elements as well. 

Amber (32:27.346)
So yeah, that's pretty much the classes. Again, it's open level. So if you've never danced before in your life or if you're just getting back into dance or if you, know, professional dancer, it's open for everyone and we give different, we give different, what is it called? Adjustments and like if you want to do a more advanced version or a beginner version, we still keep that in that class. So you have different options. And so that's kind of how the classes go. 

Gemma Smith (32:57.246)
Oh, that's so inclusive. That sounds like my jam. I have a goal to take dance classes every year. Last year I grew up tap dancing. I was like, I'm going to take a tap class in 2024. I did not. So I do. I'm going to do more in 2025. That sounds so fun and fun for people who are like dancers or not dancers or curious about burlesque in a way that's like a safe environment. You're not, you you're just taking, you know, you're not taking all your clothes off. You're dipping your toes into it and just trying it out for fun too. 

Amber (33:09.584)
Yes. 

Amber (33:24.654)
Exactly, yeah. So it's very open. Also, I love tap dance. My dance studio was big. My dance studio growing up was so big into tap. So yes, let's take a dance class, or a tap class together in the new year. 

Gemma Smith (33:37.338)
I would love that. 

Gemma Smith (34:22.684)
Alright, so we talked about dance classes. Oh, where are the classes in Manhattan, I think? 

Amber (34:29.266)
Yes, so there at Manhattan we'll rent a studio. Yeah, well we always rent a studio out of Ripley Greer, so like on 38th Street and 8th Avenue. So it's very central, so. 

Gemma Smith (34:40.998)
Yes, I like Ripley Greer when I rent their small studio if I ever need to work on something by myself and I think it's so nice and so clean and easy to rent. So that's great. 

Amber (34:51.666)
Yeah, it's great. I love Ripley. Yeah, super flexible studios. Yeah, I also rent the smaller spaces to workshop anything as well. So yeah, it's great. 

Gemma Smith (35:01.422)
Okay, now back to your cats. have one more question for you. How do you or do you ever incorporate your own cat into your creative work or is she just there when you're working on all of your costumes? Like, yeah, how does she kind of fit into your world? 

Amber (35:18.45)
She's always there when I'm working on costumes. She's pulling on string. She's there. She wants to be part of it. Speaking of which, she's creeping up. As far as like performances, I've had her in one. Believe it or not, Kitty Cat, it was a virtual show, but it was like far after the pandemic. Like it was interesting. So somebody was hosting a virtual show, a performer that was also featured in our show before. 

Gemma Smith (35:36.921)
wow. 

Amber (35:48.502)
less performer in LA. So she was based in LA but she did a virtual show and the virtual show was last year so it's very interesting but got a lot of people and it was great. So I was a little bit like you know nervous because I'm like I did a you know a zoom show back during the pandemic so we'll see how it goes but it was really it went really well. A good turnout and 

Amber (36:14.586)
I featured her in the very beginning, so it was her little burlesque debut. I just kind of brought her out, kind of like how I did here, like super simple, brought her out. had my like glove and like my costume, my gown, coming out with the cat and like play with her for the first verse. And eventually she was like, you know, doing the thing. And I'm like, okay, that's it. And everyone loved it. You know, we split our tips. It was great. But yeah, that's the all. 

Gemma Smith (36:41.372)
She got her 

Gemma Smith (36:43.406)
temptations. You gave her like her tips and temptations. 

Amber (36:46.84)
Exactly, yes. 

Amber (36:48.051)
So it was really cute. It was fun to have her, like, you know, showed, get that little burlesque experience. But yeah, I think that's pretty much it. That's probably where it's gonna go. Again, despite her name, she does not love the spotlights. 

Gemma Smith (37:02.639)
Yeah, I understand. That sounds like a great way to incorporate her. 

Amber (37:04.175)
Yeah. 

Amber (37:06.992)
Yes. 

Gemma Smith (37:08.183)
Now we're to the part of the podcast where you share a piece of advice for fellow performers and a piece of advice for cat parents. 

Amber (37:19.74)
So my piece of advice for performers is just like keep honing your craft and like there's you know never there's never a time where you can't keep growing like so you know take advantage of dance classes so that could be a burlesque class or that could be a tap class or ballet or ballroom or like a style that you've never tried before or that you used to you know do. 

Amber (37:48.272)
dance classes, acting classes, you know, improv classes, which are like so amazing for burlesque improv, many like, you know, certain techniques, meisner method acting, whatever. We just have so much in New York. So it's like, we're so blessed. So there's so much training out there that's, you know, accessible to us. Pole classes, obviously, you know, lyra you know, all those acro classes that 

Gemma Smith (38:03.056)
Yeah. 

Amber (38:17.198)
I definitely want to be better about going to in the new year. So, you know, there's just so much opportunity. We're surrounded by museums. So there's art there where literally you can get inspired. Shows, going to concerts. I went to obviously like Beyonce's concert. I don't have her budget, but there's like so much inspiration there and like. 

Amber (38:40.484)
In my head, I'm like, okay, I imagine fireworks coming out and we're on a harness. And so like literally scaling that down to a cabaret scene, it's always so fun. So you are literally so inspired every day, even if you're not in New York. Obviously you can go to like concerts and watch YouTube videos and go to other local shows and see local art. Literally in midtown. 

Amber (39:07.474)
I like see like, you know, at 5pm when it's like rush hour, people rushing and just like the movement and the energy and the focus. It's like you were literally inspired. Like that can be art. Like that can inspire your art. Just like business people who aren't, maybe aren't not performers. They can still inspire you. So, yeah, just take advantage of like the opportunities and the inspirations that we have here. And then as far as a cat, 

Amber (39:35.986)
I'm a very new cat parent. I forgot to mention I adopted Beyonce, literally my first real pet because my dad's allergic to everything. So I never had any cat or animal growing up. And I got my first apartment. And so when I said, even before I got my first apartment, was like, okay, I want to get a pet when I get my first place. And, you know, a few months in, I adopted Beyonce. So it was great. So I think it's just, 

Amber (40:05.936)
You can learn a lot from your pets and it's just like maintaining boundaries with your cat, obviously, but then like also yourself, like in life, like you can literally learn so much from animals. It's insane. cats literally don't care what you think. Like, so why should you? Like they're there. They know you're going to love them either way. So it's just, you know, you can set boundaries for yourself in life as well. 

Gemma Smith (40:10.617)
Mm. 

Amber (40:35.794)
like your cats literally inspire you. And then also like their feeding schedule, like, you know, you don't have to like, as soon as they wake you up, you don't have to feed them then and there. it's their time to eat at 10 a.m., you feed them at 10 a.m. because you're the parent. So yeah, I think like, really. 

Gemma Smith (40:41.721)
You 

Gemma Smith (40:53.079)
You're better than I am. 

Gemma Smith (40:57.081)
like the servant. 

Amber (40:59.878)
This took me a while to learn and then somebody told me they're like, nope, you're the parent at the end of the day. So I'm like, okay. 

Gemma Smith (41:07.353)
That's so true. Yeah, you're being a good parent, making sure they're eating the right amount at the right time. I love it. 

Amber (41:14.598)
Yes, trying to. But yeah, I think that's like the most advice I could get as almost four-year cat parent for the first time. 

Gemma Smith (41:25.793)
You gave such good advice and inspiration for me. You I'm coming on living in New York City 13 years and some days I'm going to my day job and I'm forgetting to look around at the inspiration. There are some times when I'm more motivated and going to shows or going to a class and it's just a good reminder as we're early into 2025 and wanting to remind ourselves of all the beautiful things around us and to keep going. So I think this is great inspiration as you said for anyone listening. 

Gemma Smith (41:55.316)
any city, there's museums, there's classes, there's virtual classes, there's all sorts of things that you can get inspiration from in your daily life. So I really love that nugget of advice. 

Amber (42:06.266)
Thank you. 

Gemma Smith (42:08.182)
You're welcome. And before we wrap up, is there anything that you didn't mention about your cat or your art that you'd want to share with our listeners? And no worries if not. 

Amber (42:19.568)
No, I don't think there's really anything yet. 

Gemma Smith (42:21.142)
That's fine. 

Gemma Smith (42:23.457)
I just wanted to give you the option in case like I missed something. Cool. 

Amber (42:24.9)
Yeah, no worries. 

Amber (42:27.061)
Yeah, no. No, I pretty much covered it. I feel like you asked some really, really good questions and yeah, was nothing. 

Gemma Smith (42:36.728)
It's my, oh 

Gemma Smith (42:38.988)
good, it's my passion to produce this podcast because I get to interview talented and skilled and inspired performers like you and learn all about your journey. And so I'm excited for our listeners to follow you on Instagram. I'll link your everything in the show notes so they can follow and keep abreast on what you're doing. And I plan on coming to Purr in 2025 as well. 

Amber (43:02.418)
Yes, 

Amber (43:04.12)
absolutely. my goodness, this is so much fun. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, I appreciate you. I appreciate you as a performer, as a human. And yeah, I really, I look forward to listening to the podcast and everything. This is so much fun. 

Gemma Smith (43:22.402)
Fantastic. Okay, well, and