About Us
Arcanum World Dance,
a queer, trans-owned studio
Arcanum World Dance, LLC is a world dance studio in Roger's Park, Chicago co-directed by Kamrah and Drake von Trapp, professional male belly dancers.
At Arcanum, we:
Provide high-quality dance education in multiple forms of non-Western dance
Foster a dance community that prioritizes underrepresented dance forms
Create a safe space for dancers who don't feel welcome in other dance studio environments
We not only embrace non-Western dance forms, but dancers who typically feel rejected from Western concert dance communities, such as:
Queer dancers
Transgender dancers
Neurodivergent dancers
Fat dancers
Dancers of color
Tattooed and pierced dancers
First, both of us are queer, transgender, and neurodivergent, which means that we are sensitive to the unique challenges and accommodations that are necessary for dancers like us.
As an example, we know that registering for classes can be stressful when your legal name and/or pronouns don’t match what you use in public. At Arcanum, you can rest assured that your name and pronouns will be respected and protected through behavioral policies. There will be space in your registration to provide that information.
Moreover, we believe that all bodies can move, look beautiful, and deserve celebrating just as they are, regardless of the weight, health status, or compliance with Western beauty standards.
We take a firm stance on fatphobia, and do not tolerate any fat-shaming behavior, toxic diet and “wellness” culture discourse, or advertise any dance class by using weight loss as a selling point.
Weight is not an indicator of health, and health is not an indicator of moral value, and frankly, none of that is anyone’s business but your own. This philosophy is also protected at Arcanum through behavioral policies.
And finally, both of us are trained (and continuously educate ourselves) on anti-racism, and just as bodies of any size, gender, and health status are embraced at Arcanum, that extends to dancers of color.
We recognize that, as white guys, we are not the arbiters of racial justice and equity. To ameliorate this, we will be working with a diversity coordinator to author a comprehensive anti-racism policy to hold us, our other instructors, and our students accountable. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and are always looking for ways to do better.
