By Sophia Whittemore
AsAmNews Staff Writer
Fire. Dance. And… Wookies?
Dawn Xiana Moon created bellydancing troupe Raks Geek whose mission is giving People Of Color and LGBT+ artists the spotlight in the theater. The group consists of primarily Asian American cast members.
Dawn started her dance career with swing dancing, but left it behind to form Raks Geek, choreographing geek-inspired, fire-spinning performances. Members include:
Lee Na-Moo, a Hmong belly dancer who toured Europe and the west coast and also danced with modern Joel Hall dancers.
Michi Trota, lead fire spinner and Hugo Award winner for work on the Uncanny Magazine.
Kamrah, first trans masculine belly dancer.
Gaea Lady, an amazing fire spinner/ burlesque performer who is in the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
The Raks Geek group does everything pop culture inspired, from having Wonder Woman performances, a dancing Tardis, and even a Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid tale with a dark twist.
“It’s not rocket science to get diverse people into the theater and dance scene. Directors just need to make concentrated efforts in finding POC and LGBT+ people so they feel welcome and accepted.” Dawn adds, “also, we need people supporting POC/LGBT+ artists monetarily. Buy CDs, buy their books, and help keep these artists, especially indie artists, in business.”
CHECK OUT MORE OF RAKS GEEK AT:
Twitter: @RaksGeek
Facebook.com/RaksGeek
Website
Note from the editor: An earlier version of this story misidentified Lee Na-Moo’s ethnicity and misspelled Raks Geek
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