Raks Inferno

Description

Founded by Dawn Xiana Moon, Raks Inferno (a Raks Geek project) showcases the talents of world fusion dancers, circus artists, and object manipulators who are each stars in their own right: They've performed everywhere from the UK to Argentina and dance for hundreds of people every week.

Company members include Kamrah, who has taught and performed at Tribal Fest (the largest fusion bellydance festival in the world); Lee Na-Moo, winner of the 2010 Chicago Oriental Dance Competition, member of modern/contemporary company Joel Hall Dancers, and touring cast with Bellydance Evolution; Gaea Lady, who won "Best Debut" and "Most Classic" at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2016 and is ranked internationally in the Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists (2018, 2019); Michi Trota, Hugo Award winner and former board member of the Chicago Full Moon Fire Jams; and director Dawn Xiana Moon, who was named "Best Stage Performer" (2019, 2020) and "Best Dancer" (2019) by the Chicago Reader and recently appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

Work Sample

https://www.dropbox.com/s/re69c70d9dmfkb6/Dawn%20-%20Lullaby%20from%20the%20Apocalypse%20fire%20fans.mp4?dl=0

Lullaby from the Apocalypse. Dance by Dawn Xiana Moon. Music written and performed by Dawn Xiana Moon.

This piece pairs fire fans with a modern American form of bellydance that combines the folk dances of the Middle East with flamenco, Bharatanatyam, hip hop, ballet, modern, jazz, and more. The fire dancing is entirely improvised.

Nostalgia, choreographed and performed by Lee Na-Moo.

Nostalgia features a modern fusion of traditional Middle Eastern dance with ballet and contemporary dance.

Internationally known, Lee Na-Moo combines bellydance with contemporary dance, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and several Asian styles. He won the 2010 Chicago Oriental Dance Competition, which brought him to audiences in Argentina, and was invited to teach and perform at the 7th International Oriental Festival in Spain. He has also toured with Bellydance Evolution in Morocco, Germany, and the Czech Republic as a teacher and performer and was nominated by the Chicago Reader as "Best Choreographer" this year. Lee was a longtime member of Read My Hips and is a member of Joel Hall Dancers, a contemporary dance company based in Chicago.

Music: Dark City + NIN + Saw + Lost Boys. Choreographed and performed by Kamrah, Lee Na-Moo, and Dawn Xiana Moon.

This trio features a modern American form of bellydance that combines the folk dances of the Middle East with flamenco, Bharatanatyam, hip hop, ballet, modern, jazz, and more. 

These works are small samples of our performances in world fusion dance, circus, and fire.

Our dancers primarily fuse a modern American form of bellydance with the folk dances of the Middle East with flamenco, Bharatanatyam, hip hop, ballet, modern, jazz, and more.

Our circus and fire artists come from a diverse background of movement traditions - everything from martial arts to traditional circus, burlesque to object manipulation based on indigenous traditions. 

History

Founded by Dawn Xiana Moon, Raks Inferno (a Raks Geek project) showcases the talents of world fusion dancers, circus artists, and object manipulators who are each stars in their own right: They've performed everywhere from the UK to Argentina and dance for hundreds of people every week, and have earned accolades from UK Channel 4 TV, Chicago Tribune, WGN-TV, and more.

Company members include Kamrah, who has taught and performed at Tribal Fest (the largest fusion bellydance festival in the world); Lee Na-Moo, winner of the 2010 Chicago Oriental Dance Competition, member of modern/contemporary company Joel Hall Dancers, and touring cast with Bellydance Evolution; Gaea Lady, who won "Best Debut" and "Most Classic" at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2016 and is ranked internationally in the Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists (2018, 2019); Michi Trota, Hugo Award winner and former board member of the Chicago Full Moon Fire Jams; and director Dawn Xiana Moon, who was named "Best Stage Performer" (2019, 2020) and "Best Dancer" (2019) by the Chicago Reader and recently appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

Artistic Vision

As an immigrant from a colonized, multicultural, and multiethnic country, who moved at a young age to a blue-collar Detroit suburb where almost everyone was white, I've always been drawn to fusion styles in art.

Because what is "authenticity" for someone like me?

I was born in Singapore, a country with four national languages and a rich mixture of Chinese, British, Thai, Indian, Japanese, and Malaysian influences. My parents spoke English at home as native speakers; I never learned the dialects of my grandparents, much less formal Mandarin.

Growing up as a child of diaspora, disconnected from sourceland culture, I never learned about traditional Asian art forms; I had to research them as an adult.

So. I'm a dancer who mixes with influences from a host of dance forms, including hip hop, ballet, modern, flamenco, jazz, various Indian dances, and the folk dances of the Middle East, often adding a dash of fandom and geek culture, on a bedrock of formal theatre training.

Fusion bellydance. Sometimes with literal fire. In my hands. Or on my tongue.

I'm also the Founder/Director of Raks Inferno. This year, the group celebrates its 10th birthday as a company that’s primarily Asian American and LGBTQ+, whose members have performed around the world. As people intimately familiar with issues like racism and xenophobia, consciously use our artistic talents and platform to fight for social justice.

- Dawn Xiana Moon

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

We regularly perform at libraries and other family-friendly venues ranging from Oak Lawn Public Library to DisCon (Worldcon) in Washington, DC. Our performances can be tailored to adults only or children as young as eight.

Founder Dawn Xiana Moon has also taught regular movement classes for students with Downs Syndrome and autism. Kamrah, one of our dancers, is themselves autistic and has taught dance at large events around the US.