From the Strip Club to Usher's Stadium Tour: 8 Years of Stripping Got Me Here
*this article was written by RLT in collaboration with Redd, our CEhOe *
On June 26, 2026, Redd performed for the first time with Usher — the opening night, and the first of many shows on the upcoming RnB stadium tour. Redd is one of three dancers handpicked for the full US tour. By the end of the tour, hundreds of thousands of people will have seen her on a stage she's been working toward for her entire career.
She shared that stage with international legends, a live band, and two other sex workers — women just like her, who built their craft in clubs, and who know what it means to perform under pressure with everything on the line. Little Redd, who started dancing in a strip club at 18 and spent her entire early adulthood surviving on pole and SW, was on a stadium stage. And she earned every second of it!!!!
Redd on stage at Usher's RnB Stadium Tour opening night in Denver, June 26, 2026 — on the big screen in front of 70,000 people
From the Club to the Stadium
Redd started stripping at 18. Pole dancing and sex work carried her through her early adulthood — through financial instability, putting herself through college, surviving two abusive relationships between the ages of 18 and 26, and through every moment when the world was not making space for her so she had to create it herself. The club was where she learned to perform, where she learned to command a room, and where she developed the grit, the instincts, and the craft that would eventually carry her here.
In 2022, she made the leap — left her corporate job and went all in on dancing full time. No safety net, just the pole, the years of work behind her, and an unwavering belief in what she was building.
"I had no idea that the impact that the club and pole dancing would have on my life would become so significant." — Redd
Where it all started! Baby dancer Redd — this is the foundation everything else was built on brick by brick
Denver, June 26, 2026 — Usher's RnB Stadium Tour, Opening Night
70,000 people. Opening night. One of three SW performers handpicked for the full 50+ show stadium tour run.
The week leading up to the show, the weather was relentless. Nothing went smoothly. And what Redd witnessed in that building was something she won't forget.
"The most inspiring part of the first show was watching how every single dancer, musician, artist, crew, backstage, lighting, tech person gave it their all that night, and worked together through every kink, through every moment to put together a show that has officially made history in music and in RnB." — Redd
This tour is historic for a reason. Usher has been saying it clearly: R&B deserves stadium stages. It always has.
"It deserves to be in a stadium. It is not just for theaters. It is not just for arenas. We do this too. We are major too. R&B is major too." — Usher (Las Vegas Sun, June 25 2026)
And strippers? We've always known we were the major too! We've just been waiting for everyone else to catch up.
Getting ready for opening night. The glam, the nerves, the red — Denver was a whole moment 💄
A Stripper's Secret Weapon
One thing Redd knows about strippers: we know how to put on a show like nobody else.
We improvise, we make split-second decisions that look planned, we read a room in real time and adjust without missing a beat, we perform when we don't feel like it, when the crowd isn't with us yet, when everything is going wrong behind the scenes, and we have been doing that for years in rooms that didn't always respect us.
SWers show up with the same professional grit as every other person on that stage. Because that's what we do. That's what we've always done.
"We deserve to take up space. And especially to fulfill the roles that are inspired by our aesthetic, our undeniable energy, and our unwavering confidence and rebellion against the status quo." — Redd
The aesthetic dominating mainstream media and pop culture right now? Strippers built that. The energy that sells out stadiums? We've been bringing it to clubs for decades. It's time the big stages reflected that too!!
The Part Nobody Sees
Even Redd — eight years in, hundreds of performances deep — felt imposter syndrome walking into this.
During weeks of rehearsals, in the minutes before the first show, she felt herself holding back. Fear. Shame she didn't even know was still there, lingering no matter how much work she'd done to release it.
"Even in the first show, although I looked beautiful and poised and like an absolute bad bitch, I know that I was still holding back out of fear of being seen so clearly by so many people." — Redd
For the rest of the shows, Redd knows exactly how she's about to show up for each and every one.
"I know that I have the RLT community and so many fellow SWers and women and queers on my side cheering me on. I understand that I am paving a path for more SWers to come. I have done years and years of preparation for this moment. This did NOT happen overnight." — Redd
It didn't happen overnight. And that is a key thing to take note of. Because if you're reading this from inside the club wondering, “when is it my turn?” — the club is not your ceiling, and all the hard work you are putting in now will pay off.
Catch Redd on Tour — All 2026 Dates
Redd is performing in every show of the Usher & Chris Brown RnB Stadium Tour. If you're in any of these cities, you already know what to do!!
June 26, 2026 — Denver, CO — Empower Field
June 30, 2026 — Minneapolis, MN — US Bank Stadium
July 2, 2026 — Detroit, MI — Ford Field
July 3, 2026 — Detroit, MI — Ford Field
July 5, 2026 — Detroit, MI — Ford Field
July 7, 2026 — Cleveland, OH — Huntington Bank Field
July 10, 2026 — Washington, DC — Northwest Stadium
July 11, 2026 — Washington, DC — Northwest Stadium
July 13, 2026 — Washington, DC — Northwest Stadium
July 17, 2026 — Charlotte, NC — Bank of America Stadium
July 18, 2026 — Charlotte, NC — Bank of America Stadium
July 21, 2026 — St. Louis, MO — The Dome at Americas Center
July 25, 2026 — Nashville, TN — Nissan Stadium
July 28, 2026 — Birmingham, AL — Protective Stadium
July 29, 2026 — Birmingham, AL — Protective Stadium
August 1, 2026 — Syracuse, NY — JMA Wireless Dome
August 7, 2026 — New Jersey, NJ — MetLife Stadium
August 8, 2026 — New Jersey, NJ — MetLife Stadium
August 11, 2026 — Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium
August 12, 2026 — Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium
August 17, 2026 — Boston, MA — Gillette Stadium
August 21, 2026 — Chicago, IL — Soldier Field
August 22, 2026 — Chicago, IL — Soldier Field
August 28, 2026 — San Francisco, CA — Levi's Stadium
August 29, 2026 — San Francisco, CA — Levi's Stadium
September 1, 2026 — San Francisco, CA — Levi's Stadium
September 5, 2026 — Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium
September 6, 2026 — Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium
September 10, 2026 — Dallas, TX — AT&T Stadium
September 12, 2026 — Dallas, TX — AT&T Stadium
September 13, 2026 — Dallas, TX — AT&T Stadium
September 18, 2026 — Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium
September 25, 2026 — Los Angeles, CA — SoFi Stadium
September 26, 2026 — Los Angeles, CA — SoFi Stadium
September 29, 2026 — Glendale, AZ — State Farm Stadium
October 3, 2026 — El Paso, TX — Sun Bowl Stadium
October 5, 2026 — San Antonio, TX — Alamodome
October 9, 2026 — Houston, TX — NRG Stadium
October 10, 2026 — Houston, TX — NRG Stadium
November 7, 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium
November 8, 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium
November 10, 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium
November 11, 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium
November 15, 2026 — Los Angeles, CA — SoFi Stadium
November 20, 2026 — New Orleans, LA — Caesars Superdome
November 21, 2026 — New Orleans, LA — Caesars Superdome
November 24, 2026 — Houston, TX — NRG Stadium
December 3, 2026 — Miami, FL — Hard Rock Stadium
December 5, 2026 — Miami, FL — Hard Rock Stadium
December 11, 2026 — Tampa, FL — Raymond James Stadium
December 12, 2026 — Tampa, FL — Raymond James Stadium
Redd's Full Performance History
Before Usher there was Snoop Dogg (3x 👀), festivals, stages, and years of showing up and showing out. The work speaks for itself 🖤
Usher & Chris Brown — RnB Stadium Tour
Over 50 shows across the US | June – December 2026
Snoop Dogg
Selland Arena — Fresno, CA | May 19, 2022
Tacoma Dome — Tacoma, WA | December 17, 2022
iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre — West Palm Beach, FL | August 14, 2023
Jeremih
iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre — West Palm Beach, FL | August 20, 2023
Lizzy Jeff
Zen & Kush — Miami, FL | February 1, 2023
Zen & Kush — Portland, OR | February 18, 2023
Bumbershoot Festival
Pole Pavilion — Seattle, WA | August 30, 2025
Strip Clubs + Pole Performances Across the US
8+ years | 2016 – present
From the Strip Club to Your Phone: RLT
In 2024, Redd took everything she'd built in the club — the technique, the confidence, the years of performance craft — and built Redd Light Therapy: the first ever virtual pole studio fully owned, operated, and built by sex workers. Every aspect of RLT is SW-led, SW-run, and SW-informed.
Most pole studios focus on fitness (because it is palatable and socially acceptable). Alternatively, Redd Light Therapy (RLT) exists to honor the strippers who inspired and created pole dancing as we know it today. The sexy, the alluring, and the unapologetically sensual. The styles that are watered down and treated as shameful everywhere else.
Dance and sensuality are medicine, and Redd built RLT because she wanted everyone, everywhere to have access to that feeling — especially the babes who don't have a safe, SW-affirming space near them to explore their movement, their sensuality, and their magic. Virtual means no zip code can keep you out!
RLT is proof that the magic strippers have always had belongs everywhere — and Redd Light Therapy is where it lives — built by strippers, for every babe who's ready to claim it.
Welcome to Redd Light Therapy — the first ever virtual pole studio fully owned, operated, and built by sex workers. Built by strippers, for every babe who's ready to claim the magic inside 🌐❤️🔥
Train With Redd
Start free: Guides, resources, and beginner content — no commitment required!
Explore Free Resources
Ready to Train? New members get BOGO on the Redd Light Therapy App!
App Store | Play Store | Book + View Classes
Want More?
Check out Redds Youtube Playlist: Tour Diaries
Check out Redd + RLTs Youtube Channel
All Links
Social Links
Redds Instagram
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