‘Baby drag act’ cancels upcoming shows after backlash but insists it was for parents not children
A sold-out baby sensory show featuring half-naked drag, burlesque and “BDSM” acts with “dirty” names has been canceled following backlash from parents and even celebrities angry at the “highly sexualized” event involving babies.
Critics, including Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, had been accused of transphobia when they called Caba Baba Rave morally wrong.
But it was revealed today that a sold-out show in London’s Waterloo, on Saturday, March 11, has been canceled due to the backlash.
Clips and promo shots for Caba Baba Rave showed a drag performer, who has a drag name that is a pun on anal sex, doing a handstand on a chair in a leopard print thong and gloves.
Another performer, who has a similar rude name, can be seen in a bondage style outfit performing acrobatics from a swing suspended from the ceiling. One photo showed a topless woman with rainbow hearts on her nipples wearing only a red thong and holding a toddler in the air.
In an email to those who purchased a £23.50 ticket, organizers Gemma Daubney, 38, and Liz West, 37, said: ‘We just wanted to say a huge thank you for purchasing a ticket to one of our upcoming events. Your support means everything to us.
A topless woman lifts a todder in the air at a CabaBabaRave event earlier this year
Caba Baba Rave’s next stop was in Waterloo on March 11, but it has now been cancelled
Parents who go to the sold-out rave get their money back. But the group insists they won’t be gone forever
Online ‘trolling’ and blaming the media – without touching on the many critical parents, they continued: ‘Unfortunately we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the upcoming show.
“We think taking a little breather for our mental health is the right thing to do. We’re not a big company set up for this kind of attack – just two moms trying to spread some joy and love.
After confirming that everyone will be refunded, the organizers said: ‘Not goodbye forever – but for now’.
The daring acts were part of the CabaBabaRave organized by mums Ms Daubney, 38, and Ms West, 37, who describe themselves as ex-artists.
CabaBabaRave’s show brands itself as a “little slice of afternoon delight” that alternates cabaret with “captivating baby sensory moments” before “ending in a rave.”
Footage showed a dancer known as Benloader Circus dressed in bondage gear as he performed acrobatic sequences on belts dangling from the ceiling as babies and their parents watched.
The video also shows another act performing a handstand on a chair while wearing nothing but stilettos and a thong at The Flair Ground, near Waterloo in south east London.
The show, which is part of the VAULT festival, was labeled “absolutely repulsive” and “sickening” after the footage went viral on social media.
Ben Loader circus is a performer who studied at the National Center for Circus Arts, specializing in aerial rope.
Miss Lucinda B. Hind describes herself as an ‘actress, wife, star and lover!’, combining her training in various elements of the arts such as theatre, circus and contortion to put on a show.
Describing the now-cancelled event, the group said, “We wanted to create the kind of event that we as mothers would want to go to ourselves. You can only listen to the f****** Wheels on the Bus so many times.
“We wanted to give parents the experience of a ‘big night out in London’.
Women and babies interact with a drag performer at an event that promises “engaging baby sensory moments” for parents who shared, “You can only listen to the f****** Wheels on the Bus” so many times
The latest controversy comes after months of protests over events like Drag Queen Story Time, where drag queens sit and read stories to children.
But the show was labeled “repulsive” and “sickening” after the footage went viral on social media, fueled by users suggesting the cabaret show was suitable for children.
Mrs. Abbington, the former partner of actor Martin Freeman. was one of the critics, tweeting, “I’m really open-minded, but no.
“This is bulls**t. Not for damn babies.
“And if you think so, there’s something fundamentally wrong with you.”
She was then accused of transphobia.
She said: “I lost quite a few followers saying that a half-naked man in thigh-high boots dancing in a highly sexualized manner shouldn’t perform for babies and it tells me everything I need to know about what society is like. column. How do you disagree with me here????’
One commenter added, “More concerned that the parents think that sort of thing is appropriate and brought their babies there in the first place.”
One Twitter user expressed disbelief, saying, “What parent (if we can call them that) in their right mind would subject EVERY child to this.
‘What damage is done to these young minds; parents are there to protect children from this kind of behavior. Why is this allowed to continue????’