{"id":28087,"date":"2015-11-16T14:48:59","date_gmt":"2015-11-16T14:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=28087"},"modified":"2015-11-16T14:48:59","modified_gmt":"2015-11-16T14:48:59","slug":"cardiff-character-stephanie-gawne-cabaret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2015\/11\/16\/cardiff-character-stephanie-gawne-cabaret\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Stephanie Gawne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Resembling a performer about to take the stage, Stephanie Gawne<\/a>\u00a0walks into the cafe perfectly poised. The way she gestures for her coffee and takes a seat \u2013 each movement gracefully flows into the next and it\u2019s hard to imagine her as anything but a dancer.<\/p>\n

From aerialist, burlesque and belly dancer to choreographer and now co-founder of the International Welsh Cabaret Festival <\/a>(IWCF), the 44 year old performer has played several roles on and off the stage for over 20 years. Trained in musical theatre at the Arts Education in London, she has been teaching belly dancing and cabaret for the better part of a decade in Cardiff.<\/p>\n

\"cabaret\"

Over the last eight years, what started as weekly cabaret classes at the Chapter Arts Centre<\/a> has grown into the Cardiff Cabaret Club<\/a>. \u201cWe organised the Welsh Burlesque Festival in 2013,\u201d says Gawne, \u201cand now, I am doing IWCF with Ceri Harris, another local performer. However, we needed to rebrand the festival as I changed my business from Cardiff Burlesque to the Cardiff Cabaret Club.\u201d<\/p>\n

A festival to start them all<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Taking place on 13 and 14 November at the Sherman Cymru<\/a>, the festival will be a scaled up version. Gawne envisions IWCF will become the flagship event with all the year\u2019s shows leading up to it. On Friday night, 12 upcoming acts from around the world will compete in the first Cwtch Awards. The winner will share the stage with Europe\u2019s finest at Saturday\u2019s Gala Night.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cArts organisations do not support us. We are completely self-funded and trying to grow it organically.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe line up was a wish list of acts we wanted to bring to Cardiff. Ranked number one in the UK, I am looking forward to seeing Aurora Galore<\/a>. Also, I can\u2019t wait to watch George Orange, Kiki Lovechild and Lady Francescca from Sweden,\u201d exclaims Gawne.<\/p>\n

Keeping the momentum going, she hopes to build the brand in Cardiff with another show next year. \u201cWith IWCF, we are trying to establish Cardiff\u2019s fringe culture which comes from the grassroots,\u201d says Gawne. \u201cArts organisations do not support us. We are completely self-funded and trying to grow it organically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie Gawne and the Cardiff Cabaret Club<\/p>\n