Anger at ‘Drag act for BABIES’: Half-naked man in thigh-high boots performs bondage routine for toddlers and parents at ‘sensory event’
- Footage from the CabaBabaRave event sparked outrage
- Video showed a dancer dressed in bondage clothes performing for little babies
Footage has emerged of dancers dressed in bondage clothes and thongs performing handstands for babies and parents at an “absolutely repulsive” event.
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 dressed in bondage attire performing acrobatic sequences on belts dangling from the ceiling as babies and their parents watched.
The video, believed to have been shot at an event at the Honor Oak Pub in South East London’s Lewisham, also shows another act performing a handstand on a chair while wearing nothing but stilettos and a thong.
The show was labeled “absolutely repulsive” and “sickening” after the footage went viral on social media.
But the organizers defended it, insisting it was carefully put together and suggesting the babies wouldn’t understand what was being staged.
Footage showed a dancer dressed in bondage attire performing acrobatic sequences on belts dangling from the ceiling, while babies and their parents watched
Another act did a handstand on a chair wearing nothing but stilettos and a thong
Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington even joined the debate by tweeting, “I lost quite a few followers because I said a half-naked man in thigh-high boots dancing in a highly sexualized manner shouldn’t be performing in front of babies and it tells me everything what I need to know about where society is headed. How do you disagree with me here????’
Another critic said: ‘Absolutely sickening. What kind of parent would take their child there?’
A third added, “Why would anyone feel it appropriate to take their children to one of these events?”
One commenter said, “More concerned that the parents think that sort of thing is appropriate and brought their babies there in the first place.”
The video is said to have been made at an event at the Honor Oak Pub in South East London (pictured)
CabaBabaRave brands itself as a ‘little slice of afternoon delight’ that alternates cabaret with ‘captivating baby sensory moments’ before ‘ending in a rave’
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????’
Advertisements for the show in a pub describe how the cabaret was created by two mothers who ‘wanted to be constantly entertained while holding a baby in one hand and a pint in the other’.
The promo for a Christmas show at the Fox and Firkin, Lewisham adds: ‘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’.
CabaBabaRave has a sold-out show at The Vaults in Waterloo, South East London, on March 11, with further events scheduled to take place until the end of May.
The organizers of the event said in a statement: “Just to let our followers know: We have set our profile to private for a while. We’ve been the victim of a pretty horrific trolling attack… and it just keeps coming.
“As moms with young toddlers and one of us heavily pregnant, this has become more stressful than we can handle right now. These trolls specifically have a problem with drag performers and non-binary performers performing for children.. which is extremely sad as those who have been to our event will know how much joy, love and happiness our shows bring.
“As cabaret professionals, all of our shows are curated specifically for the advertised audience. Shows for the very young – are aimed more at the parents – new mothers on maternity leave – providing a much needed “night in during the day”. Shows for slightly older children (0-5 years) feature performers carefully selected with family-friendly performances and costumes in mind.
“We have noticed that people are sharing certain images and videos from one of our events that is curated especially for the very young babies and parents…not for “kids of all ages” as implied.
“Cinemas across the country have weekly “parent and baby shows” featuring films of all ratings. young babies are incapable of grasping the plot of a convoluted thought-provoking film… or commenting on the latest exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
“Cabaret is a fantastic medium for showcasing a diverse and inclusive range of performing talent – a cabaret without drag, trans and non-binary performers is not a true representation of the art form and its incredible history.”
