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Miral Kotb is ready to bring iLuminate to the Las Vegas Strip.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The intersection of art and technology is where Miral Kotb lives and operates, and the combination of her two passions brought her to Las Vegas this year. Kotb is the creator of a brand-new and strikingly unique show called “iLuminate Presents: Happy Hour,” set to open at the Planet Hollywood Resort this spring, and while the coronavirus pandemic sidelined it for now, she can’t wait to launch it when the time is right.
On the latest episode of the Sun on the Strip podcast, Kotb shares the inspiration behind iLuminate, the dance group that wears specially built, light-covered suits that add unbelievable dimensions of excitement to the performance. The group has been seen on “America’s Got Talent” as well as in countless music videos, award show performances and live concert events.
“Back when mobile app development was really taking off I was pursuing a freelance career and I went to one of the first worldwide developer conferences Apple had, and they were talking about how wireless chips were so small now, they could be in everyday appliances and toys,” Kotb says. “I was just thinking, wow, what if you were able to do something where technology was wearable on a dancer while performing live? It started as an iPhone app and turned into a full technology system.”
The system has come a long way from its simple beginnings and is now a bit of a phenomenon. But it hasn’t been an easy road for Kotb. She’s a two-time cancer survivor, and during her second battle with leukemia, she was forced to quarantine with family in Texas for nine months.
She shared the inspiration that got her through those tough times with a new video campaign called Shine Your Light, designed to help anyone and everyone deal with the difficult circumstances caused by the coronavirus crisis.
“No matter how much pain I was in, I still have a fond memory of that time because I never had the opportunity to spend so much time with family, to just be in their same space,” Kotb says. “It’s so simple but it’s so healing, to be with the ones you love and have the freedom to be together.
“Now we almost have permission to just be together and I think we should embrace that while we can. There will come a time when we’re getting busy again and life goes back to ‘normal,’ and we’re going to miss that time where we could wake up and just talk to the people we love without having to do this and that, always on the go. We will get stronger from this, but in the meantime, appreciate the space you have and embrace it.”
Listen to this and more on the Sun on the Strip, also available at Apple Podcasts.
