LA DAME BLANCHE with DJ QueenDuin

Friday, July 19, 2024 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 8:00 PM

All Ages

Standing

$25 Advance, $30 Day of Show

This is a standing show with an open floor. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our .

For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.

With her always expanding and singular mix of hip hop, female empowerment, dancehall, and catchy beats, singer, flautist, and percussionist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez, aka LA DAME BLANCHE, delivers a powerful and compelling sound that summons the spirits. We are HUGE fans of LDB and already counting the days to this hot summer Friday night! Be prepared to dance!

The smoke of an inaugural cigar prior to setting foot on set, a glass of rum left backstage, necklaces, white flowers, a pristine turban: for her appearances on stage, La Dame Blanche feeds the energy of the spirits of Santeria, her Afro-Cuban religion. In real life, away from the limelight, this singer, flautist and percussionist is Yaite Ramos Rodriguez... A mischievous response during a conversation reveals her character: a slender and diaphanous figure, a legend who haunts nocturnal roads and the imagination of children all over the world. You have to believe the jokes and the evidence. Witty and charming, Yaite tames La Dame Blanche. Everything comes together. “There is Santeria spirit with a similar appearance. In the depth of her fortune-telling cards she deciphers good omens on behalf of that spirit. Yaite surrounds herself with supernatural forces, vibes and powers. She scrupulously observes her little shrine and says: “I don’t speak often: you need to know you have to hide the weapons you will fight with.”
Before unfurling her costume Yaite has travelled a long and sometimes hard road. Everything starts in Cuba where she was born, in the heart of an awe inspiring musical cauldron on which reigns the figure of her father, Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos, an exceptional trombonist who is also the artistic director of the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club. Family parties are gatherings of extraordinary musicians, the cream of Cuban music, to the sounds of thousands of songs and drums. Those celebrations feed the soul of the little girl but often leave her on the sidelines, intimidated and shy. She says: “My beautiful female cousins would divinely sing latin jazz and boleros. I was not as naturally talented as they were! I had to accomplish myself in a different way...” Yaite therefore took other paths: learns how to play the classical flute at the conservatoire, and dreams of herself standing in front of a black pulpit wearing a demure dress. Later on she takes her first steps in the cabarets of Cuba.Then love strikes and takes her to Paris, the city of lights, the city of every sound. She says: “In my country of Cuba, popular music was focused primarily on tradition: the sound, la rumba, the batá drums, etc. In Paris, all borders being open, there was a melting-pot of rhythms and melodies!” There Yaite sings in the all-girl salsa band Rumbana, joins the Grand Orchestre du Splendid, becomes back-up singer with Sergent Garcia and live singer for El Hijo de la Cumbia... Those experiences added to her emancipation from the family heritage to develop her own language, that of La Dame Blanche. She says, smiling: “It is the result of my frustrations, of my unfulfilled adventures.” Out of her hip hop flow, the basis of her language, spring rage, energy, the taste of revenge, the cry of emergency. That root of her signature style, played out while remaining feminine and from the tips of claws, gets entangled with merry and wild offshoots of reggae, dancehall, cumbia, moombathon etc. Finally, on that sonic jungle organised in her image lands the agile, celestial and anchored threnodies of her flute, with classical accents and sometimes Indian colours. Since her first “tinkerings”, Marc “Babylotion” Damblé, the project’s producer, declares himself in love. Others prick up their ears. La Dame Blanche hits home, releases “Piratas”, her first LP in 2014.

Since making a triumphant return to the stage, after two pandemic years, La Dame Blanche has been unstoppable. She embarked on highly successful tours in the United States, including a set during Festival de Las Calaveras here at The Cedar last November. In recent months, La Dame Blanche has not only been captivating audiences with her live performances but also making waves in the music industry through exciting collaborations. She has collaborated with acclaimed artists such as trans rapper from Puerto Rico Villano Antillano, Sol Pereyra and Juli Laso from Argentina, La Perla (seen at our 2023 GLOBAL ROOTS FESTIVAL) and Dawer X Damper from Colombia, Novalima from Peru, Chico Trujillo from Chile, and Nakury from Costa Rica. These collaborations have pushed the boundaries of her artistic expression and further solidified her position as a global musical powerhouse. Adding to the excitement, La Dame Blanche's highly anticipated fifth studio album “Atómica” was released in December 2023, under the esteemed label Nacional Records.

To learn more about La Dame Blanche:

• Visit her website here

DJ QueenDuin, whose real name is Vanessa Duina Hernandez, is a queer Mexican-American DJ, host and vocalist. She was born and raised in the Twin Cities. Her music spans a range of genres, including house, disco, pop, hip-hop, reggaeton, cumbia, salsa, merengue, and more. She has held residencies at Fliphone events and The Saloon in downtown Minneapolis. She’s performed all over the twin cities including The Armory, First Ave, MN State Fair and The Walker Art Center. QueenDuin has had the privilege of opening for artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen. She’s hosted her own radio show on KRSM. She’s DJ’ed and organized over 100 weddings and private events. She curates/hosts various of her own parties including “Noche Chingona,” and queer/latin dance nights.

To learn more about DJ QueenDuin:

• Visit her Instagram page here

Host or Publisher The Cedar Cultural Center