Burn Like The Son, Aerialists Turned Political!

Pole dancers have been described as many things, but politically active is not normally one of them. With a regimen change as substantial as our current situation, the world suddenly needs to be heard, and I think it is wonderful!!

I have been to other AERA Dance productions, and while they all are extremely creative and showcase some of the best aerial dancers in the world, Burn Like The Son, performed at the amazing House of Yes, came with a powerful political message: Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid!

The narrative opens up with a young dreamer, “The Son”, played by, pole dancer, Samuel Doblick, trying to find his true destiny. Through his early years he is tempted, inspired, and corrupted by the influences around him, which were beautifully portrayed by the chorus, consisting of Kyla Ernst - Alper, Brenna Bradbury, Elizabeth Munoz Castro, Tehera Nesfield, and Sylvana Tapia.

As time passed, “The Son” realized his love for power and decides he wanted to take over the world, smartly choreographed to Tear for Fears: “Everyone Wants to Rule the World.” One of the most memorable pieces in the show, is a satire of the charade of the latest election. Samuel runs out onto the stage in a Kool-Aid Man suit, while the music has turned to recordings of the terrifying statements Trump has said. Samuel pours his metaphoric Kool-Aid into the mouths of the chorus members and they return the favor by distributing Kool-Aid to the audience. At the end of the dance “The Son” emerges from the suit and is wearing Trump’s classic red power tie.

In addition to the amazing feats that the performers accomplished (Tehera is just a power house), Samuel’s raw emotion, and the artistic, playful, but powerful choreography (by Kelly Mclaughlin, Brigitte Madera, Elena Delgado, and Kyra Johannesen), the costume design and styling was very on point. The giant masks that kissed up to “The Son” were very creative, and I personally appreciated, that at the end, the suit that “The Son” was wearing was way too big for him.

The only disjunction I found was with the guest performer, Magnus Labbe. First, let me state, Magnus’s dancing is pure liquid perfection. He is clearly very well trained. However, while any opportunity to have Magnus perform should be strongly encouraged, it didn’t seem to mix with the rest of the theme. It was a little confusing to go from his quiet, beautiful, sensitive piece to a Kool-Aid Man breaking through a wall, even though, both pieces were very compelling.

Well, this political pole dancer can’t wait to see what AERA has coming up next, I have a feeling Trump will give them a lot of inspiration over the next four years…

To learn more about AERA and their upcoming shows, please check them out at their website: http://www.aeradance.org

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Athor: Kira Bucca, Editor in Chief of Jejune Magazine