Our Story
Gaea Lady and Kiki Mason co-created the Ignite Fire Keepers in 2019
and it’s evolving every moment.
Gaea Lady
Pussy Magic Priestess, Fire Keeper, Silk Creatrix, Kitchen Witch
An enchantress by nature; she integrates a lifetime of experience into her intentional style which reaches globally. Gaea loves to play, dance, laugh, and embody the unseen into being through performance art ritual, unique handmade costuming, the flow arts, and human connection.
As a teacher, Gaea seeks to share knowledge and empower others, forging connections and igniting inspiration. Gaea seeks to bring light into the world to awaken others to their innate magic.
Gaea is the 2025 Queen of the Tease & is ranked internationally in the top 50 burlesque performers. She is an award winner & 6-time invitee to the Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Las Vegas Weekender. She is a certified Temple Body Artist. She currently dances around the globe, traveling in her van & sailboat with Laine Bones.
She lives her life as art.
Integrating dance, art, visuals, costuming, concept, fire, silk fabrics, temple dance, hoops, and deeply-seated intention, her inspiring performances mesmerize and unite all who witness in shared sensory experience.
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Gaea fell in love deeply and swiftly with Fire in 2009 when she saw Pyrotechniq dancing with fire at the underground party “Resonate” in Chicago. Two weeks later, her friend April placed blazing fire fans in her hands at an open ‘Combustion Thursday’ fire practice. She was hooked. Now, she is honored to bring fire into being on stages all over the world. She specializes in hoops, fans, torches, double staff, and ritual performance.
Using her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she creates performances & experiential retreats fusing depth into reality through living her life as art. She deeply believes that sharing her love of performance, fire, silk, flow toys, food, herbs, and life bring us together to experience the daily magic in a way that radically transforms this paradigm.
Ranked internationally in the top 50 of the “most influential burlesque artists” for the past years, Gaea has performed all over the globe: notably at the Burlesque Hall of Fame 2016 where she won “Best Debut” and “Most Classic”; at the 2017 & 2018 “Icons & Allstars” show; in the “Movers, Shakers, and Innovators” Showcase with the Vertical Sideshow in 2017; and in competition for the Queen of Burlesque in 2019. Gaea headlined Carnivale de Sensuale (Denver), Spellbound Burlesque (Phoenix), Private Exhibition (Indianapolis), Texas Star Burlesque, & shows in Rome, Torino, & Treviso, Italy. She graces festival stages with feature performances & instruction: including Show Me (St. Louis), Minneapolis Burlesque Festival, Envision (Costa Rica), Electric Forest (Michigan), BurlyCon (Seattle), Symbiosis (California), Oregon Eclipse (Oregon), Burningman (Nevada), and Bhakti Fest (California). In her home base of Chicago, Gaea performs regularly at: Unbridled at Untitled, the Vertical Sideshow, the Drifter, the House of Blues, Raks Geek, the Darling, Alhambra Palace, and more.
Gaea brings the electric passion of her performances to her teaching, which she has been practicing in all forms of dance since the age of 16. She aims to inspire students to express their innate magic through embodiment, presence, and technique. Traveling across the world, she has taught at BurlyCon, the New York School of Burlesque, New Orleans School of Burlesque, Studio L’amour, Minneapolis Burlesque Festival, Detroit School of Burlesque, Danyasa in Costa Rica, and in Denver, Reno, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Italy, St. Croix USVI, San Francisco Bay Area, Ohio, & St. Louis. Currently she co-produces Ignite Fire Keeper retreats with Kiki Mason: Ignite Your Inner Flame Retreat, Shine Your Light Retreat, and Fire Alchemy Gathering. This trio of embodied transformational fire dancing retreats offers a way to deepen your joyful experience of life through fire.
Gaea is a certified Temple Body Artist through Sofiah Thom, and contributes both movement & meals to the Initiation.
Gaea is also a vegetarian chef, and she travels the globe to teach and nourish with her kitchen witchery at movement and wellness retreats. Gaea frequently facilitates & cooks for the Temple Body Arts retreats in Costa Rica with Sofiah Thom & is a certified Temple Body Artist.
Kiki Mason
A life in flow…
Kiki Mason is a certified Temple Body Artist, occupational therapist, sound practitioner and mindful movement guide, Kiki infuses mind-body-spirit offerings for groups and individuals desiring to live an abundantly joyful and sacred life. With over 15 years in clinical therapeutic & bodywork, alongside her extensive intuitive movement and flow-based practices, Kiki’s uniquely playful and grounded style creates sacred space for clients to explore how to live life as a ceremony, guided by their own innate wisdom.
While Kiki no longer hosts Fire Keeper Retreats, she is soaking up the good vibes in her St Croix home at the Caribbean Sea.