Performers (Main Company)
Dawn Xiana Moon (Founder/Director)
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.
