Orlando Fringe Meets Pole Dance With AQUILA

AQUILA: Pole Dance X Prometheus Bound is produced by Project no.19 Performance Company at the Orlando International Fringe Festival on select dates: May 14, 6:05pm ($6 tickets); May 17, 12:00pm; May 21, 6:25pm; May 23, 8:05pm; May 24, 8:55pm.

"It's not just about sex and flirtation," explains Max Pinsky, the director and producer of AQUILA: Pole Dance X Prometheus Bound this May at Orlando Fringe, "...pole dance is an art form just like any other genre of dance. It's storytelling, just with a 9-foot tall dance partner."

The show features Pole Sport Organization 2024 gold medalist dancer Sakura in the title role of the tortured titan Prometheus. If that name sounds familiar, you are correct in believing that this performance is based on the very figure from Greek mythology. The role is also voiced by favorite local actor Yinelly Marie Pastrana (from Lightup Shoebox's Silence, last year), alongside the onstage chorus of memories (Lainie Bennett, Rachel Elise Hunter, Katherine Reiss, and Hayley Sanz) who both commiserate and conflagrate Prometheus' punishment for bringing fire to humans.

The pole is not meant to be metaphorical in this context. The premise of the show centers around Prometheus being chained to the top of the Caucasus mountains for Zeus' eagle Aquila to feed on each day. In this production, Sakura will be chained to the pole onstage, contorting their body in fits of strength much like their mythological counterpart.

The source of the story, that is Prometheus Bound, dates back over 2,000 years ago to Ancient Greece, and its author is widely disputed. "What's so great about this story is that it is so intimately tied to the creation myths. We may not know who the exact original author is, but the influence of Prometheus is global and, in a way, part of the collective human memory." This idea of a global context for this play has found its way into the rehearsal room for the cast and director. "Through this process, the cast and I have had so many great conversations about themes of power and knowledge, which have taken us into territories like parenthood, religion, and education."

These themes are delivered, in part, by the chorus of Prometheus' memories. However, this Greek chorus is far from harmonious. Pinsky collaborates with friend and local martial artist Kimmie Tran-who was most recently seen as a martial arts performer in Universal Orlando's Mega Movie Parade-to choreograph bō staff and hand-to-hand fights during the performance.

Pinsky assures, "This is definitely not the Greek tragedy that put you to sleep in school. From the emotional acting to the music to the pole dancing to the fight choreography, you will have no choice but to be entertained when you see AQUILA...I guarantee it."

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