Cake Cabaret on Danforth Avenue celebrates performance, creativity and community
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
Club culture is an essential part of Toronto’s nightlife – often associated with regions closer to the inner city. Since their establishment in France in the 1880s, the lavish and eclectic influence of cabaret clubs has slowly made its way overseas and flooded into our city streets, offering patrons an amalgamation of music, dance, song, even drama at times.
Late last month, on Dec. 27, the sibling owners of dance and fitness club The Pink Studio (Grant Van Rensburg and Natalie Borch) unveiled their sister business Cake Cabaret at 627 Danforth Ave., just west of Pape Avenue.
“We wanted this home for burlesque. We wanted this cool place that we’ve both seen in cities like London, Montreal, New York. And I’m like ‘Toronto is cool. Why don’t we have this in Toronto?’” said Natalie.
The new club venue invites visitors to feel empowered and to enjoy a wide range of live music and shows, tailored classes, exquisite drinks, and of course, cake.
“Essentially, we’re a bar that serves dessert,” said Natalie. “We also have our signature drink ‘the Pink Royale’ which is a glass of prosecco with a shot of Chambord.”
In a tongue-in-cheek comment to Beach Metro Community News, Natalie described the club’s services as “Serving cake with a side of cake.”
In addition to providing food, drinks, live entertainment and classes, the venue can also be booked for private events and parties. The Moulin Rouge inspired setting features seating for a 220-person capacity, two floors of ground and balcony seating, two champagne and cocktail bars, and a performing stage at the centre of it all.
Described on the website as “a place where we celebrate performance and community,” the club’s inspiration stems from the overarching goal of fostering inclusivity within the community.
“Inclusivity is the pillar of Pink Studio, and now Cake Cabaret too,” said Natalie. “It’s always important for me to create an environment where everyone feels safe, especially when you have dancers who are performing something vulnerable like burlesque.”
With their latest business venture, Natalie and Grant intend to transform the idea of a club setting into something more festive and universal.
“Cake isn’t about an all-night club space. It’s about returning to joy – for everyone – at a time when we need to centre celebration and sparkle in this city,” said Grant said in an email to Beach Metro Community News.
For adults who love clubbing but enjoy their beauty sleep, Cake Cabaret will be hosting monthly club nights starting with a grand opening party on Saturday, Jan. 25, that Natalie calls “grownup clubbing.”
“I want to be home by midnight. I don’t want the club getting good by midnight,” said Natalie. “This is going to be our newest East York nightclub that’s closed at 11.”
In the future, Natalie and Grant hope their venue will also serve the community as a mid-sized performance venue used for rentals, travelling shows, and local talent.
As a sister business to The Pink Studio (located at 2053 Danforth Ave.), Cake Cabaret serves as an extension of the company’s brand. Although the conjoined businesses are individual in their services, both are unified in their mission to create a safe space that inspires confidence and body-acceptance.
“After 20 years in performing arts, and a small business owner for the past seven years, I’ve been inspired to bring something different to Toronto. A space where performers of all bodies, genders, and identities can shine, and we can spotlight all the incredible Canadian talent,” said Natalie.
Natalie has lived across the Toronto’s East End; from the Beach and Danforth to East York where she currently resides.
Growing up connected to the entertainment industry, Natalie said she experienced the discriminative nature often associated with the world of performative dance. She said this lack of acceptance, coupled with her contradicting love of care-free self-expression, influenced her and her brother’s decision to start a dance studio of their own – one that would welcome all visitors without any prejudice.
“It was very competitive and cutthroat and not always supportive,” said Natalie on the The Pink Studio website. “I decided to open The Pink Studio Toronto because I wanted to create a place that you could dance that was very supportive and non-judgmental, and non-competitive.”
After several years of running fitness and dance classes at The Pink Studio, Natalie and Grant discovered that many visitors expressed a keen interest in the performing arts. That inspired them to implement their plans for Cake Cabaret.
“Cake Cabaret has been my dream in the making for decades. I’m so thrilled to open in the East End, with a vibrant community I’ve watched come back to life post-COVID,” said Natalie. “We want the Pink Studio community to feel like this is an extension of that space.”
From now until Saturday, Feb. 1, visitors to Cake Cabaret can catch the debut production of Sweet Dreams which is a night of burlesque, dance, and theatrics
For more information on Cake Cabaret, and on ticket prices for Sweet Dreams, please go to https://www.cakecabaret.ca/shows
