Immersive and unique cabaret experience set for Mississauga tapas bar

There are myriad ways in which aging is unkind and one minor but niggling unkindness that the 30+ crowd can face is the shrinkage of interesting nightlife options. 

As traditional nightclubs become less enticing, casual pub and dinner-and-movie nights become de rigueur and while there’s nothing wrong with either, some people inching towards or beyond middle age want something, well, a little different.

Especially in the suburbs. 

Now, people looking for something to do that combines art, culture, music, food, drinks and sitting (never sleep on the appeal of resting your feet) can take in an immersive, sexy and dance-forward experience that’s coming to an on-trend Mississauga cocktail and tapas bar for a limited time only: Baila Conmigo. 

The sensual Latin fusion cabaret explores what creator Stefanie Eby (a dancer herself) calls “the layers of love.”

Invite Only creator Stefanie Eby

“Outside of traditional theatre and dinner nights, there’s not much else serving the couples of the world once you get to [a certain age],” Eby, founder and director of Eby Entertainment Inc. and the Invite Only brand that’s hosting Baila Conmigo, tells INsauga.com.

Eby says the production, slated to take place at Canvas Art Bar (80 Lakeshore Rd. E.) in Port Credit on Aug. 28, fills a gap for people who might feel a bit too old for traditional dance clubs, but still want something adult-oriented (not to be confused with sexual) and unique. She also says the show, built by local artists and designed with couples in mind (although singles and groups of friends are welcome), offers guests something more “elevated.” 

“We’ve grown up in a society where there’s been a lot of hush-hush around exploration of sensuality and relationships and what intimacy looks like,” Eby says, adding that the show explores the various stages of love.

“We can subtly educate couples about what love and intimacy can look like, and sensuality doesn’t have to be a bad thing.” 

Unabashedly romantic, the show depicts, through dance, “the healing journey toward self-love, the magnetic pull of attraction [and] the art of sustaining love with another.” Set across two floors (an LED indoor space and a rooftop patio), the show aims to combine movement, music and storytelling.

It also includes a wide array of dance styles, such as salsa, bachata, jazz funk, burlesque, pole arts, musical theatre, and contemporary dance.

The immersive show may be brand new, but this isn’t Eby’s first rodeo. 

In 2023, Eby hosted the immersive Essence of a Woman in Vaughan and later that same year, hosted A Night of Play at a Toronto speakeasy. 

“Essence of a Woman was the first time I broke ground with the concept and talked just about the beauty of women,” she says. “It came from a feminine lens and it set the tone and vibe of the brand.” 

For Eby, Invite Only, described as a burlesque-inspired supper and show series, offers dancers–usually given less limelight than singers and musicians in artistic productions–a chance to take, quite literally, centre stage. It also provides work for local talent, with Baila Conmigo set to feature performances from former Toronto Raptors dancer Mohogany Brown, vocalist Mia Bella and DJ Bia, Canada’s first Brazilian Funk female DJ. 

After taking 2024 off to decide where to take Invite Only as it grows and evolves, Eby says she’s moving forward on creating a recognizable brand that will be seen as a place for people to “experience something new and high-calibre in arts and entertainment.” 

“There’s a lot out there for the singles market and early 20s demographic. When you get closer to your 30s, you like nightlife, but maybe you’re not interested in going to a nightclub with a crowd. If you’re in a relationship, you want late-night entertainment still,” she says. 

She’s also tackling the challenge of making pole dancing and burlesque–typically associated with more risque productions–accessible and appealing to everyday audiences. Ultimately, Invite Only productions can be “shade one” on the 50 Shades spectrum. 

“You have to bring it together in a very intentional and carefully curated way so the public finds it digestible. A ‘safe space’ for ‘shade one.’ Let’s talk about relationships and what that coveted safe space looks like for a woman,” she says. “I start the conversation and then it’s up to the couple how far it goes for them.” 

She also says burlesque entertainment and dancing involving poles or aerial feats can be dismissed as bawdy or lewd, when they are also art forms that require great talent and skill. 

“The craft of pole dancing is associated with extreme scenarios unless it’s in circus work. No one knows the skill that’s needed to do pole or aerial hoops or silks, so it’s [judged],” she says.

“I want to bring those styles of dance and performance into the show and look at them through a different lens. One of my biggest goals is that with pole requiring skin to be shown, how do you make it Black Swan on pole as opposed to what people associate with pole dancing? How do we take everything in a negative light and flip it back on its head and say this is about perspective?”

Ultimately, the goal is to elevate more sensual art forms while also inviting women to tell stories most often told by men.

“How can you look at sensuality as spiritual and sacred and beautiful instead of grotesque and gutteral? We’re told a lot through a man’s lens or gaze and it’s hard for women to reclaim their power,” she says.

That said, she hopes men will also enjoy the production. 

“Men are welcome in these spaces and they can be educated for the better in them. Everything is tasteful, cheeky but classy–it should feel safe and exciting. It still carries the Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe effect. They don’t have to show it all to get you involved. It’s daring and risque, but it’s not risky.” 

With the show just weeks away, Eby is candid about how challenging it can be to assemble a grand-scale production from scratch when almost all of the organizational legwork falls on just one person.

“There are so many moving parts, and you’re constantly trying to figure out how to have everything fall into place. It’s a one-woman show behind the scenes, which makes it challenging. I have done dance production and show production work, and I’ve been a dancer for more than 25 years, so I’ve been blessed with the education I’ve had,” she says. 

As for what else attendees can expect, Eby says guests can enjoy two complimentary drinks courtesy of Hornitos Tequila, passed appetizers courtesy of Canvas and over an hour of immersive entertainment. 

With just 120 seats available, tickets can be purchased for $150 per person or $250 per couple. 

Eby emphasizes that guests can truly expect an immersive experience. 

“Sometimes we’ll invite a guest into the show, and performers will perform all over the venue–above tables, on bars, etc. Guests won’t feel out of their comfort zone, but they’ll feel the personal touch they don’t get from watching something from afar,” she says. 

“The performers are real people. They’re human, relatable, you can make eye contact with them so you feel seen and you see them.”

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