Leslie Segar

{{Infobox person

| name = Leslie Segar

| other_names = Big Lez

| occupation = Dancer, choreographer, actress, producer, radio host

| website = {{URL|https://www.lesliesegar.com/}}

}}

Leslie Segar also known as "Big Lez", is a dancer, choreographer, actress, radio and television personality, and fitness specialist. She is known as a host of Rap City and as the dancer in the opening credits of Living Single.

Early life and education

Segar is from Jackson Heights, Queens. As a young teen she was a gymnast.{{Cite web |last=Riddick |first=Ajak |title=Born to Flip |url=https://www.lesliesegar.com/#videos |website=Hannah Magazine}} She has a bachelor's degree in physiology and sport medicine from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Gil L. |title=Body Rock, Source Magazine |url=https://www.lesliesegar.com/#videos}}{{Cite web |last=Stories |first=Local |title=Meet Trailblazer Leslie Segar - Voyage LA Magazine {{!}} LA City Guide |url=http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-trailblazer-leslie-segar/ |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=voyagela.com |date=25 March 2019 |language=en-US}}

Career

Segar has worked as a dancer, choreographer, on-air radio and television personality, producer, fitness specialist, and actress,{{Cite web |title=Hip hop artists and activists unite to promote peace |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/entertainment/2022/03/10/hip-hop-artists-and-activists-unite-to-promote-peace |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=spectrumnews1.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Danyel |date=2021-10-20 |title=Classic Black Girl TV Hosts With the Most |url=https://www.theringer.com/2021/10/20/22736673/classic-black-girl-tv-hosts-with-most |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=The Ringer |language=en}} and is noted for her athletic style{{Cite news |last=Samuels |first=Anita M. |date=1995-04-23 |title=MAKING IT WORK; The Back Flip in Hip-Hop |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/23/nyregion/making-it-work-the-back-flip-in-hip-hop.html |access-date=2022-03-25 |issn=0362-4331}} and ability to backflip. Her first audition was for the production of Club XXII, a Hip Hop twist of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night produced by Randy Weiner and Rob Hanning and starring Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte, and Wyclef Jean. She has danced with LL Cool J, Bobby Brown, Salt n' Pepa, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Michael K. Williams,{{Cite magazine |last=Leight |first=Elias |date=2021-10-07 |title=When Michael K. Williams Ruled New York's Dance Floors |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/michael-k-williams-dancer-tribute-1237299/ |access-date=2022-03-25 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} and was a dancer in the opening credits of Living Single.{{Cite web |title=Is It Just Me, or Is BuzzFeed's Headline About Big Lez Mad Disrespectful? |url=https://www.theroot.com/is-it-just-me-or-is-buzzfeeds-headline-about-big-lez-m-1823739986 |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=The Root |date=13 March 2018 |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |title=Quiz: Name that theme song |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/entertainment/tv-theme-songs-quiz/ |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=www.cnn.com}}{{Cite web |last=Cochrane |first=Naima |date=2019-03-10 |title=Music Sermon: Groove Me – The Women Behind The Early '90s Dance Legacy |url=https://www.vibe.com/features/editorial/music-sermon-groove-women-dance-90s-638904/ |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=VIBE.com |language=en-US}} She is most known for her time on Rap City{{Cite web |last=Allah |first=Sha Be |date=11 August 2020 |title=Today in Hip-Hop History: Syndicated Hip Hop Video Show 'Rap City' Premiered on BET 31 Years Ago |url=https://thesource.com/2020/08/11/today-in-hip-hop-history-syndicated-hip-hop-video-show-rap-city-premiered-on-bet-31-years-ago/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214001207/https://thesource.com/2020/08/11/today-in-hip-hop-history-syndicated-hip-hop-video-show-rap-city-premiered-on-bet-31-years-ago/ |archive-date=14 December 2021 |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=The Source}} from 1994 to 1999. Segar has choreographed for Sean Combs on Mary J. Blige's first album.

In 2019, she co-hosted a weekly internet radio show Tha Spin Room.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-15 |title=Leslie 'Big Lez' Segar is a jane-of-all-trades {{!}} Post News Group |url=https://www.postnewsgroup.com/leslie-big-lez-segar-is-a-jane-of-all-trades/ |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=www.postnewsgroup.com |language=en-US}}

Personal life

As of 2020, Segar was living in Los Angeles.{{Cite web |last=Gant |first=Essence |title=We Found The Girl Who Danced To "Living Single's" Theme Song And Sis Looks Good As Hell |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/essencegant/girl-dancing-living-single-theme-song |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513135527/https://www.buzzfeed.com/essencegant/girl-dancing-living-single-theme-song |archive-date=2021-05-13 |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=BuzzFeed |date=12 March 2018 |language=en}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
1991 \| House Party 2 \| Dancer \|
1992 \| Malcolm X \| Dancer \|
1993 \| Who's the Man? \| Sheneequa \|
1995 \| New Jersey Drive \| Angry Resident \|
rowspan=2\| 1997 \| Hav Plenty \| Jane \|
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn \| Herself \|
1999 \| The Breaks \| Janealle \|
2001 \| 3 A.M. \| Newstand Woman \|
2005 \| The Fabric of a Man \| Gayle \| Video
2008 \| 142 John Street \| Latrice Warren \| Short
2022 \| A Miracle Before Christmas \| Valerie Jenkins \|
2024 \| Trope \| Tracey \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

1991

| House Party 2

| Dancer

1992

| Malcolm X

| Dancer

1993