Raks Geek: Geeky Chicago Bellydance and Fire - Bellydancing Wookiee

Geek + Bellydance + Fire

"Set phasers to stunning." - The Daily Mail (UK)

Chicago Reader's "Best Dance Troupe" (runner-up)

Raks Geek is the premiere bellydance, flow arts, and fire company by geeks for geeks. We're based in Chicago, Illinois, but we've made waves nationally and internationally on MSN, WGN-TV, The Daily Mail, WCIU, and the Chicago Tribune through our commitment to blend a high degree of artistic and technical mastery with fun, creativity, and our favorite themes from nerd culture. Formed in 2012, our dancers and firespinners have performed everywhere from Germany to Argentina and dance for hundreds of people every week, but they're also lifelong geeks who bring a love and expertise in science fiction, video games, technology, research science, and comics. We were featured on UK Channel 4 TV's "50 Funniest Moments of the Year" and listed as a Timeout Chicago Critics' Pick.

Upcoming Theatrical Productions

Raks Inferno: An Intimate Speakeasy

Friday, July 10 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

Experience the intimate cabaret named "Best of Chicago" by the Chicago Reader! Featuring burlesque performers, circus artists, fusion bellydancers, and more who have performed around the world. "When sexy meets dangerous, it’s badass.”

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers. We won't cosplay in this one, but we will amaze you with badass bellydance, burlesque, and more!

Featuring:

Gaea Lady, Burlesque Hall of Fame winner ranked internationally in the "Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists"
Jean Wildest, who's toured the US as a circus and burlesque soloist
Shalaka Kulkarni, international performer who merges classical Indian dance forms Bharatnatyam and Kathak with contemporary dance
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

SALE: Get 20% off tickets! Use code FEARLESS. Ends Mon. 6/22.

Get Your Tickets »

Raks Inferno: Secret Burlesque + Fire Club

Friday, Aug. 7 at 7pm

Secret Location (Andersonville)
Chicago, IL 60640
Tickets: $58 (no door sales)
Ages 21+

Join us for an underground experience with drinks, eats, burlesque, and FIRE!

Enjoy a seasonal menu of gourmet light bites (vegetarian-friendly), spirit-free cocktails, and dessert crafted by Dawn Xiana Moon and Gaea Lady, plus firespinning and burlesque. Cash bar with cocktail, wine, and beer pairings.

Limited Capacity: Only 35 tickets available. We usually sell out!

Tickets on sale soon!

Raks Geek: Geek + Bellydance + Fire - Newport Theater: Nerd Bellydance + Burlesque Performance

Raks Geek: A Sci-Fi + Fantasy Speakeasy

Friday, Sept. 11 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

Experience cosplay, burlesque, and wonder with queer nerds in an intimate speakeasy. We pay tribute to fandoms from Star Wars to Nintendo, Doctor Who to Marvel with artists who have performed around the world.

Featuring:

Lee Na-Moo, who's toured Europe with Bellydance Evolution
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers!

Tickets on sale soon!

Raks Inferno: Halloween Cirque Burlesque

Friday, Oct. 9 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

This Halloween experience the intimate cabaret named "Best of Chicago" by the Chicago Reader! Featuring burlesque performers, circus artists, fusion bellydancers, pole dancers, and more who have performed around the world. "When sexy meets dangerous, it’s badass.”

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers. We won't cosplay in this one, but we will amaze you with badass bellydance, burlesque, and more!

Featuring:

Gaea Lady, Burlesque Hall of Fame winner ranked internationally in the "Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists"
Lee Na-Moo, who's toured Europe with Bellydance Evolution
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

Tickets on sale soon!

As Seen In:

Performers (Main Company)

Dawn Xiana Moon (Founder/Director)

Dawn Xiana Moon - Raks Geek Director, Bellydancer + Firespinner

Dawn Xiana Moon (she/her) has appeared on Britain's Got Talent and was named Chicago's "Best Stage Performer" (twice), "Best Choreographer" (twice), and "Best Dancer" (twice) by the Chicago Reader. She has performed in London, Toronto, and Washington, DC and taught at major bellydance festivals across the US; WGN-TV called her "spectacular!" In addition to her work as a dancer and fire performer, Dawn is a singer-songwriter who's sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls; she's performed in 10 states and released two albums, fusing elements from traditional Chinese music with folk, pop, and jazz. She was named runner up for "Best Singer-Songwriter" (twice) and "Best International/World Music Act" by the Chicago Reader. When she's not making art, you can find her in civic tech helping Medicaid serve people better (like this site? She made it) or publishing essays and cultural commentary in places like TechCrunch and Uncanny Magazine. Conversations with her may cover the following topics: the differences between the Lord of the Rings films and books, how incredibly relevant Babylon 5 feels 30 years after it originally aired, and the importance of good art.

Gaea Lady

Gaea Lady (she/her) is an enchantress by nature, a force that will make you feel the earth move. She fuels her passion for life into performance art, mentorship, silk veils, fire dancing, hoops, bellydance, and burlesque. Deeply trusting her unique magic, Gaea seeks to inspire creative authentic expression in all she encounters. Ranked internationally in the top 50 "Most Influential Burlesque Artists of 2018 & 2019," Gaea has performed, taught, and headlined all over the world, notably at the Burlesque Hall of Fame 2016 where she won "Best Debut" and "Most Classic," and headlined across Italy. She is the creator of the Pussy Magic Burlesque Program, and co-leads Ignite Fire Keeper Retreats, such as "Ignite Your Inner Flame," all over the world. Gaea also geeks out about food, Star Wars, Octavia Butler, sci-fi, fantasy, and mythology, especially loving the projected realities sci-fi and fantasy. Being Leia and a Jedi has been a dream of hers ever since she first saw Episode IV at the age of five. Galadriel was her inspiration to see the depth in reality as empowered magic, which she still does every day.

Michi Trota

Michi Trota (she/her) has been spinning fire for over a decade and is a lifelong geek and foodie. She's a five-time Hugo Award winner, British Fantasy Award winner, and the first Filipina to win a Hugo Award. Michi is the former Editor-in-Chief of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), former Senior Editor of Prism, and also co-editor of the WisCon Chronicles Vol. 12 with Isabel Schechter (Aqueduct Press). She's written restaurant profiles and food articles for Chicago Magazine, and was the exhibit text writer for Worlds Beyond Here: Expanding the Universe of APA Science Fiction at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, WA. She’s been featured in publications like the 2016 Chicago Reader People Issue, Chicago Tribune, and The Guardian, and has spoken at the Adler Planetarium, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and on NPR. Michi is past president of the Chicago Nerd Social Club Board of Organizers, a former organizer and board member of the Chicago Full Moon Jam, and lives with her spouse and their two cats in Chicago.

Lee Na-Moo

Internationally known, Lee Na-Moo (he/him) combines bellydance with contemporary dance, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and several Asian styles. He won the 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" in 2019. Lee was a longtime member of Read My Hips and is a member of Joel Hall Dancers, a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. He is also an avid video gamer and a lover of all things geek.

Dahlia Fatale

Dahlia Fatale (she/her) is an award-winning burlesque performer, contortionist, and instructor. Her performances combine the smoothness of a lifetime of classical dance training with the tease of slow burn burlesque and the bizarre and superhuman stylings of contortion. In 2019 she was awarded the title of Best Debut at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender. In Chicago, she co-produces the metal burlesque show Sextape! A Metal Mixtape alongside Helena Handbasket and works with a variety of clients to curate entertainment private and corporate events. Dahlia is also well known for her abilities as an instructor: She has taught in New Orleans, St. Louis, and more, and teaches weekly classes in Chicago at Velvet and Chrome as well as online. When she's not bending herself or others, Dahlia is an absolute horror nerd with interest in film (ask her opinions about Linnea Quigley), video games (Silent Hill and Little Nightmares as personal faves) and comics (Marvel, but also Roman Dirge). She also enjoys playing with sharp objects, rocking out to all kinds of metal, and occasionally re-playing Paper Mario.

Never seen a sexy Wookiee bellydance? This can be remedied.

- MSN.com

Upcoming Productions

Raks Inferno: An Intimate Speakeasy

Friday, July 10 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers. We won't cosplay in this one, but we will amaze you with badass bellydance, burlesque, and more!

Featuring:

Gaea Lady, Burlesque Hall of Fame winner ranked internationally in the "Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists"
Jean Wildest, who's toured the US as a circus and burlesque soloist
Shalaka Kulkarni, international performer who merges classical Indian dance forms Bharatnatyam and Kathak with contemporary dance
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

SALE: Get 20% off tickets! Use code FEARLESS. Ends Mon. 6/22.

Get Your Tickets »

Raks Inferno: Secret Burlesque + Fire Club

Friday, Aug. 7 at 7pm

Secret Location (Andersonville)
Chicago, IL 60640
Tickets: $58 (no door sales)
Ages 21+

Join us for an underground experience with drinks, eats, burlesque, and FIRE!

Limited Capacity: Only 35 tickets available. We usually sell out!

Tickets on sale soon!

Raks Geek: A Sci-Fi + Fantasy Speakeasy

Friday, Sept. 11 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

Featuring:

Lee Na-Moo, who's toured Europe with Bellydance Evolution
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers!

Tickets on sale soon!

Raks Inferno: Halloween Cirque Burlesque

Friday, Oct. 9 at 7pm

Newport Theater
956 W Newport Ave. | Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets: $29-$39
Ages 18+

Enjoy a specialty cocktail and meet the performers. We won't cosplay in this one, but we will amaze you with badass bellydance, burlesque, and more!

Featuring:

Gaea Lady, Burlesque Hall of Fame winner ranked internationally in the "Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists"
Lee Na-Moo, who's toured Europe with Bellydance Evolution
Dawn Xiana Moon, who has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and danced on Britain's Got Talent
and more!

Tickets on sale soon!

Other Performances

Raks Geek at Fan Expo Chicago

Saturday, August 15 at TBA

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, IL
Free with Con Pass

Bellydancing Wookiee and Friends: We're bringing a full Star Wars show to Chicago's longest-running fan convention!

Learn More »

Raks Geek has performed at venues including Navy Pier, University of Chicago, Gen Con, DisCon (Worldcon - Washington, DC), Wizard World Chicago, Sidewalk Festival of Performing Arts, Oak Lawn Public Library, Chicago TARDIS, Chicago Parks District, Kenosha Public Library, Chicon (Worldcon - Chicago), and Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

Our performers have also delighted audiences at the London Palladium (UK), Field Museum, Untitled, Tribal Fest (Sebastopol, CA), Metro, Alhambra Palace, University of Illinois - Chicago, International Festival of Oriental Dance (Spain), Atomic Lollipop (Canada), Chicago Full Moon Fire Jam, Envision Festival (Costa Rica), Bellydance Evolution (Germany), and more as soloists and with other performance companies.