Raqs n' Roll
Live music ~ Bellydance ~ Burlesque ~ Fire-eating
~As featured in TimeOut Chicago and Windy City Live~
May 5 & 12, 2012
9pm
Livewire Lounge
3394 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL
Two different shows!
No cover charge!
($10 suggested donation)
Shajara (producer/bellydance)
Shajara is a fusion bellydancer who has studied dance in both the U.S. and Spain. Formerly a member of the Girlie-Q ensemble, she is currently an independent performer who has appeared in venues such as Mayne Stage, Exit, Greenhouse Theater, and Uncommon Ground, among others. Ever-evolving her interests, studies, and styles in bellydance, she currently focuses on rock fusion and Latin/flamenco fusion.
Raqs n' Roll debuted in September 2011 under the co-production of Shajara and world music maestra Andrea Else. With the enthusiasm of audience members and performers alike, we are celebrating our third run of the show in May 2012.
Raqs n' Roll debuted in September 2011 under the co-production of Shajara and world music maestra Andrea Else. With the enthusiasm of audience members and performers alike, we are celebrating our third run of the show in May 2012.
Lisa LoGrasso (vocals)
Lisa LoGrasso is the lead vocalist of the Chicago-based progressive metal band Beneath the Stares. She has appeared with her band in venues around the midwest, recently opening for Opeth
and Katatonia in Milwaukee, and was featured on the Femme Metal Records 2011 Melody and Malice Compilation with Arch Enemy, Kittie, and Lacuna Coil. The band's first full-length album, Controlling the Chaos, was released in October of 2011. Lisa's powerful, melodic vocals create truly memorable and compelling performances.
and Katatonia in Milwaukee, and was featured on the Femme Metal Records 2011 Melody and Malice Compilation with Arch Enemy, Kittie, and Lacuna Coil. The band's first full-length album, Controlling the Chaos, was released in October of 2011. Lisa's powerful, melodic vocals create truly memorable and compelling performances.
Renee Nanzer (vocals/hoop-dancing)
Renee Nanzer sings, plays piano and guitar, and studies various dance and performance styles from all over the world. She primarily teaches and studies at the Old Town School of Folk Music. She performs all over the midwest region in various capacities, such as folk singer/songwriter and hula hoop dancer/fire dancer. Thoroughly intrigued by the burlesque and bellydance scenes, she is thrilled to collaborate and stretch her vocal chords for Raqs n' Roll.
Buster Jax (acoustic percussion)
Buster Jax hails from Chicago. He has been actively drumming in the Chicago and LA music scene for years, lending his strong 'less-is-more' style of drumming to a varied array of bands and recording projects. Buster was most recently involved with both Six Degrees of Separation and Badge.
Jon Levitt (electronic percussion)
Jon Levitt is a freelance drummer based out of Chicago. He cut his teeth in the pit orchestra circuit of the suburbs and city, playing
shows as varied from West Side Story to the Rocky Horror Show, as well as playing venues such as the storied Bill's Blues and the Chicago Theater. While versatility keeps him working, his career goal is to be the "world's fastest drummer ...to set up".
shows as varied from West Side Story to the Rocky Horror Show, as well as playing venues such as the storied Bill's Blues and the Chicago Theater. While versatility keeps him working, his career goal is to be the "world's fastest drummer ...to set up".
Ryan Reilly (guitar)
Ryan Reilly is the lead and rhythm guitarist of Chicago-based rock band Sutured Psyche. Formed in 2009, the band has played in venues including Double Door, the Elbo Room, and more. Ryan's adept and dynamic performances are true to what the rock music experience is all about.
James McNaughton (bass)
James McNaughton is a bass player from Chicago. He has performed in a variety of local bands, most recently Reaction which is completing their second CD due for release in Spring of 2012. He is currently working on a solo recording project which intends to explore the possibilities of four-string bass as lead, accompaniment, and rhythm in song.
Cruel Valentine (burlesque)
"Chicago's Own Community Chest," Cruel Valentine has spent the past several years singing, acting and dancing her way across the
nation. She is a producer and teacher of the art of burlesque and has also recently partnered with Sauda Namir to form the online store Suadela Intimates, your go-to for custom pasties and other titillating burlesque accessories.
nation. She is a producer and teacher of the art of burlesque and has also recently partnered with Sauda Namir to form the online store Suadela Intimates, your go-to for custom pasties and other titillating burlesque accessories.
Phaedra Darwish (bellydance)
Having a more traditional background in ballet, tap, and jazz, Phaedra Darwish fell into bellydance after studying different types of ethnic dance from bachata to Bollywood here in Chicago, and was mesmerized by it. Since beginning this journey, she has studied with many of the foremost Raqs Sharki masters, such as Tito, Yousry Sharif, and Mahmoud Reda. She now regularly performs and teaches workshops and classes in Chicago at Vaudezilla Productions, Goodgyrrl Studios, and Ravenswood Fitness, hoping to spread enthusiasm for the dance as more and more people get acquainted with its health benefits and enchanted by its beauty. She is a recipient of the 2012 Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Grant for Ethnic and Folk Arts.
Millie May (burlesque)
Millie May is an independent burlesque performer who appears regularly on stage around Chicago, including Debonairs No Tell Motel,
The 1901 Gallery, Late Bar, Kiss Kiss Cabaret, and more. Millie's performances are quirky, campy, and vivacious. Shimmies and tassels and twirls, oh my!!
The 1901 Gallery, Late Bar, Kiss Kiss Cabaret, and more. Millie's performances are quirky, campy, and vivacious. Shimmies and tassels and twirls, oh my!!
Bella Bathory (burlesque)
Bella Bathory has studied the art of burlesque with the likes of Michelle L'amour, Red Hot Annie, and Cruel Valentine. She can be seen dancing around Chicago at venues like the 1901 Gallery, Lucky Number Grill, and Lizards Liquid Lounge. She is hot from Las Vegas and is here to heat up the Windy City.
Mae the Bellydancer (bellydance)
Mae the Bellydancer is a gothic and tribal fusion dancer in Chicago who has been dancing since 1991 and teaching since 2004. Performing tribal fusion to gothic and hard rock music, Mae
has performed with many pro variety shows and co-produces her own fantastical events such as The Glint and Knock Knock Hot
Spot. 2008 Midwest Bellydance Challenge 2nd Place 'Tribal Fusion'
Award-Winner, Mae is a popular performer in the hafla circuit across the US. Mae's graceful and theatrical performances captivate and bewitch audiences. (Shajara is honored to count Mae as one of her instructors! She's a fabulous and creative teacher). Mae also teaches regular classes at Arabesque Studio and is the producer of her pro-troupe The Black Silk Road and her student troupe Down Hips Down.
has performed with many pro variety shows and co-produces her own fantastical events such as The Glint and Knock Knock Hot
Spot. 2008 Midwest Bellydance Challenge 2nd Place 'Tribal Fusion'
Award-Winner, Mae is a popular performer in the hafla circuit across the US. Mae's graceful and theatrical performances captivate and bewitch audiences. (Shajara is honored to count Mae as one of her instructors! She's a fabulous and creative teacher). Mae also teaches regular classes at Arabesque Studio and is the producer of her pro-troupe The Black Silk Road and her student troupe Down Hips Down.
Josephine Shaker (burlesque)
As a former member of Madame Gigi's Outrageous French Can-Can Troupe, this alluring Ohioan took to the stage at an early age. She entered the Chicago burlesque scene after packing her bags on a whim and embarking on a perilous journey...through Indiana.
Josephine Shaker can be seen in a variety of venues in Chicago (The Music Box Theater, Lincoln Tap Room, The Foundation Room at The House of Blues, The Mayne Stage Theater, and more) and has traveled to St. Louis, MO for The Show-Me Burlesque Festival 2011 and Rochester, MN for The Midnight Muse Revue.
Josephine Shaker can be seen in a variety of venues in Chicago (The Music Box Theater, Lincoln Tap Room, The Foundation Room at The House of Blues, The Mayne Stage Theater, and more) and has traveled to St. Louis, MO for The Show-Me Burlesque Festival 2011 and Rochester, MN for The Midnight Muse Revue.
Tom Hill (fire-eating)
Tom Hill is a sideshow, aerial, acrobatic, and escape artist. He performs regularly in variety shows around Chicago including Festival of Flesh, Ties & Tassels, and Sin, and produces his own show, The Carnival of Curiousity and Chaos.
Viva La Muerte (burlesque)
Viva La Muerte is a heavy metal neo-burlesque performer and producer of Hot & Heavy Burlesque. Viva creates strong character based routines that are both engaging and surprising. Her specialties are heavy metal and horror movie inspired burlesque acts with extra flair and theatricality. In her nearly five years on the scene as a burlesque performer, she has taken audiences on a wild ride with her creative no holds barred performances. In 2009, Viva burst into the national scene, and has performed in more than a dozen burlesque festivals, most recently including the Toronto Burlesque Festival, the New York Burlesque Festival, and the Texas Burlesque Festival, where she won the award for ‘Most Original’ the second year in a row. Viva has also made appearances on television, including the Season 6 America’s Got Talent Audition All Star in 2011.
Titty Perkins (burlesque)
Titty Perkins is a Chicago burlesque sensation. Cuter than a cupcake (with a cherry on top!), she is a former member of the Girlie-Q ensemble and a graduate of Ms. Bea Haven's School for Wayward Girls. Titty adds her extensive knowledge about costume construction and decoration in each and every one of her acts. She also combines
a wide range of dance elements and artistic knowledge to make memorable and exciting performances.
a wide range of dance elements and artistic knowledge to make memorable and exciting performances.
Mia D. Vine (burlesque)
Mia D. Vine's very first burlesque performance was in November 2010 at Lincoln Tap Room in Chicago. She became a proud member of Vaudezilla in the beginning of 2011 and has never looked back! Since then she has proved herself as an unstoppable force in the community, performing burlesque 59 times in 2011. Mia D. Vine is not just a cute face, but a truly fearless vision.
