Fire breathing, belly dancing, burlesque … showstopping Rachel Reid, or Jazida as she is better known, has many tricks up her sleeve. Jazida brings the biggest international and homegrown alternative performers to Canberra in her burlesque variety nights, Decadence and Debauchery; the latest instalment hits Belconnen Arts Centre on Saturday 10 December.
Born in Saudi Arabia to Filipino and English missionary parents, Jazida moved a lot while growing up. She says the family spent the majority of her childhood in Cambodia, where the poverty was all encompassing; not only were there no roads, there were no cars. The family home was split into two floors with the bottom floor used as a drop-in centre where her mother and father would teach locals English for free.
“That sense of community, upskilling people, and building connections with others is really ingrained in me. Maybe that’s part of why I’m so driven in the way I am,” she smiles.
While it isn’t the bible or English, she is helping people learn. Jazida is passionate about the way arts can transform a life and completely change who someone is; something she knows from firsthand experience. It all began after she left her parents to attend university in Albury Wodonga.
“I was like, well, this is a small country town, therefore, it will be less of a culture shock. What I didn’t realise is, small towns in Australia are not as exposed to people of colour or different people. So, yeah, it was a bad decision.”
After finishing her degree, Rachel packed her bags and headed to Canberra. Not long after arriving, she enrolled in belly dancing classes and started performing in restaurants, stopping when she had her children as the schedule was too hard to maintain.
She went on the hunt for something new and found it in burlesque classes, which she believes were actually more cabaret than burlesque – but that is where things started to change. Meeting a producer who suggested she enter a local competition, she thought why not give it a go. Much to her surprise, she won Burlesque Idol in 2015.
This prompted a wave of interstate performance bookings and, wanting to bring some of her new friends to the capital, Jazida began producing small variety nights. People of all abilities hit the stage and participated in upskilling workshops. The shows quickly grew in popularity, and soon 300 people were attending Jazida’s event.
“I looked up during the competition … and I realised that more than 50 per cent of the people I was seeing on that stage were either trans or nonbinary,” she says.
It was at this moment Jazida realised she was doing more than hosting variety nights; she was creating a safe place for people to express themselves freely. She took a leap of faith and quit her public service job, refinanced her house, and set up her alternative arts hub, Flazeda.
The space at the hub is limited to a 70-person capacity. Flazeda tends to host their intimate shows there like the monthly Burlesque Brunch and all-ability variety show, Bangarang, with the funds raised going towards a different charity. They also run scholarship and mentorship programs as they don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t access the arts.
“We want to ensure that everybody is represented on the stages, we’re trying to remove the barriers so we’re hearing all of the stories within our culture that deserve to be told,” Jazida says.
Flazeda’s premier night is still Decadence and Debauchery; this time the interstate performers are welcomed by Adelaide’s Victoria Falconer as emcee. The performers showcase a wide array of talents including an aerial songstress, and a burlesque swing couple, while local performers eat fire, dancers float in martini glasses or mesmerise with fans.
Jazida says the night promises to be a magnetic, magnificent extravaganza.
“All art is good art. Funded or unfunded genres are actually just as valid and have just as much to say; they’re just as interesting,” she says.
Live Stream Dream Team ensures people who can’t attend the event in person can enjoy it from the comfort of their own homes; head to the Flazeda hub website for more details.
The day after the show, the performers share their secrets in a number of workshops. Learn how to defy gravity in an aerial workshop, swing your partner with Kelly Ann Doll and the tasteless gentleman, or take a masterclass in cabaret with Vicki Falconer.
Decadence and Debauchery at Belconnen Arts Centre, Saturday 10 December 8pm. Find out more about Flazeda at flazedahub.com
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