I was born Devra Cheryl Yufe on October 29, 1958 in San Diego. My nick name is Dev. At age six I began ballet lessons, and attended a private Jewish school through the 7th grade.

At 12 I changed to public school and began to study dance more seriously. I attended the school of the San Diego Ballet Company under the directorship of Dame Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski of the Russian Ballet. During the summers I attended Isomata, Idyllwild school of Music and Performing Arts, training in ballet, modern dance with Bella Lewitsky and jazz with Jo Tremain. At 15 I danced as an apprentice with the San Diego Ballet, training with masters in ballet and performing in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Copellia... At 17 I received a CETA grant to work with The California Ballet Company under Maxine Mahon.

My mother, who was an aspiring pianist in her youth, supported me whole heartedly in my pursuits. As a child she took me to dance concerts, opera, and theatre and inspired me to learn to play the piano. I also took up the guitar and flute. Because of the time demands of dance and music I had to make a decision to focus on one pursuit. I chose dance.

At 19 I went to New York to continue to study ballet with Melissa Hayden and David Howard. I was accepted into the school of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and then returned to San Diego to dance with Three’s Company a modern dance troupe with Jean Isaacs, Betsy Roe and Patrick Nollet. I worked as a dance instructor for Del Ray Magnet dance program in public schools under Jack Tygett and The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.

At 22 I got married and moved to San Francisco. There I joined the San Francisco Opera Ballet Company and freelanced with many other local dance troupes. I was cast for the Jean Ann Ryan Productions “Sea Legs” my first jazz review on the Norwegian Caribbean Cruise ships. I returned to California and joined my husband in Los Angeles. I worked as a dance extra in movies and videos, taught dance, and took class in jazz and ballet continually.

After one year in L.A. the marriage ended and I took a job on the road with a revival show of old vaudeville called “The Best of Burlesque”. This show gave me the opportunity to perform in a wide variety of dance styles, from the Charleston to the Can-Can. I also learned the art of “strip tease” and choreographed and performed a solo comedic strip act. I was given the position of choreographer for the entire show.

After three and a half years on the road I settled in Florida and began acting. I studied the technique of Eric Morris, and performed in many stage plays. I was supporting myself dancing in the exotic style, the modern extension of burlesque. I joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and The American Guild of Musicians and Artists (AGMA).

Returning to San Diego again I received training and licensing in massage therapy. I also worked for Sea World in the children’s show at Shamu’s Happy Harbor. A fellow Sea World dancer led me to the Las Vegas Production of “Spellbound” a magic show with dancers in Texas.

Upon returning to Las Vegas I was then cast as a back up dancer for “La Cage,” a female impersonator review for their second show in the Caribbean. I lived on the island of Aruba for three and a half years performing nightly in the Jewel Box Review. I learned yet another form of entertainment! As dance captain I blocked the new drag queens (impersonators) into the dance numbers. One of the characters was “Michael Jackson” and it occurred to me that “I could do that” and it would be interesting to have a woman in the role. I worked on “Michael” in my spare time became a true MJ fan, and returned to the States with a new career on the horizon in 2000. I found Lips Restaurant in San Diego, a drag themed nightclub with nightly shows. In addition to working for corporate and special events I perform as Michael Jackson as a guest artist at Lips on Thursday night for Dining with The Divas. I’m a certified massage therapist, but have not yet been requested to give massage as MJ!

In my spare time I enjoy sewing and creating costumes, playing the djembe’ (an African drum), vegetarian cooking, metaphysics and spiritual studies, finding treasures in thrift stores and spending quality time with my feline companion Mr. Yin Yang (Yinnie) Binnie.