A Feast of Flight’s third annual pole dance production presents a twist on the classic “The Wizard of Oz”, as we follow Doug on a journey to complete transformation after running for number one spot in the Emerald City Drag Race. This July join Doug on a trip down the yellow brick road and meet all the weird and wonderful characters he runs into along the way.

From his encounters with the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion, to Glinda the Diva of Oz, the Wicked Witch and the Wizard; Doug experiences a new lease on life when he realises his true self, Doris. A Feast of Flight is a one of a kind extravaganza created and produced by The Pole Project (in Woodstock), presented in collaboration with instructors and students from numerous studios around the city: AIR Fitness Studio (in Bellville), Pole Dance Cape Town (in the CBD), Vertical Secrets (in Table View) and Wild Pole Flow Movement (in Bergvliet).

The first of its kind, A Feast of Flight 2017 was a contemporary play on Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland, where we followed Alistair down a rabbit hole of dubious choices and bad influences until he eventually slayed his "jabberwocky" demons. In 2018, we met the peculiar confectionary maven, Willy Wonka and his famous Oompa Loompas as we followed five competitors battling it out to be the new “face” of the brand.

This year’s show is set to be just as fabulous as years past and the storyline just as quirky. Director of A Feast of Flight and owner of The Pole Project, Kathy Lee, says; There’s no shortage of familiar classic stories and fairy tales to choose from when we start conceptualising a theme.

The trick is to choose a storyline that can be updated to be made more accessible and relevant to a modern-day audience, but that’s also fun and creative to keep the audience enthralled. This year, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ came to mind”. “Of course, every production has its challenges. Trying to bring a story to life through dance and costumes alone is not an easy task.

Then it’s trying to coordinate routines and intense practice sessions between five different studios and performers who are just everyday individuals with full-time jobs. I believe that it is our extreme passion and determination that allows us to produce such a professional production year after year”, Lee continues.

Of the growing contribution of studios from across the city Lee says, “A Feast of Flight was essentially created in order to promote and showcase the artistic and athletic side of pole dance, because not many people regard the art form as such. And it was an opportunity for our students to show off their strength and abilities in front of a captivated audience. However, the event has grown to such an extent that we now have a number of studios on board that share the same vision. The fact that we have other studios expressing an interest in taking part each year is a real testament to the ever-expanding pole dance community and to what we’ve created”.

A Feast of Flight: Doris and the Wizard of Oz will take place on Friday, 26 and Saturday, 27 July from 7pm at the Joseph Stone Auditorium, corner of Protea and Klipfontein Roads in Athlone. Tickets for the event cost R255 per person and can be bought via Quicket (https://qkt.io/doris). Drinks and snacks will be on sale at the event. There will be secure parking provided around the Stadium. The show contains adult themes and parental guidance is advised.

Follow the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/2231347646955118/ or follow The Pole Project on Facebook @The Pole Project, Twitter @thepoleproject and Instagram @thepoleproject.

For more information contact The Pole Project on 021 461 0215, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.thepoleproject.co.za.

Bhagwan Gave Me This Life The return of a HIT play, in Hindi.

Bhagwan Gave Me This Life was written and directed by well-known theatre veteran Vivian Moodley and is brilliantly performed by Pranesh Maharaj.

Billed as a Hindi play, it is performed in the unique Durban patois that developed from Hindi, with smatterings of English and isiZulu. Set in Inanda in 1981, the drama focusses on the life reflections of a widower Balram. “Vivian had a script in his hand that he wanted me to read. I lunged at it, to get back to him a day later and say that I'll do it. That's when he gave me the ultimate twist in this production: He wanted me to perform it in Bhojpuri (Nataalie Hindi). The Producers at the time were not convinced that a theatre piece in Hindi, in this day and time, would ever work. To be honest, I was not convinced either. Then Vivian and I got to carving this piece of art and four weeks later it was ready to open. That full house and standing ovation on the opening night is what gave us hope. Hope that this kind of serious theatre has a place in this country and in this world. We made some promises back then about taking the play around... well, we are back.” - Pranesh Maharaj. 

The sight of those wood and iron, or tin houses as they were known, evoke strong feelings for many people. The corrugated walls, wooden doors with patterned glass panels, sash windows and the verandas with lush coastal vegetation around them speak of a bygone era, although many of those same houses are still standing today. We find a disconsolate Balram, snoozing on an upholstered car seat, propped up against the wall. He is not sleeping peacefully – his dreams recall the tragic dramas of his life and when he awakens, it is to find himself still alive – and alone. Loneliness is the biggest enemy that elderly people have to overcome – and when they have had a life surrounded by family members and the community, it can be a hard pill to swallow. We watch Balram struggle as an ageing man, portrayed with great sensitivity and authenticity by the much younger Pranesh, go through some of the daily rituals that help his day pass. He prays by the shrine, fills the upturned wheel rim with water for the birds and takes a nip of cane spirits from a small bottle hidden in a safe box. There are other treasures in that box and the sight of them bring to mind memories of his youth. The anklets with bells and the silver headdress that were worn by his wife, recall his first meeting when he was a shy young man in the marriage market. With amazing skill and expertise, Pranesh paints the portraits of the eccentric aunts that acted as marriage brokers, as well as playing the entire family of characters who attend the wedding.

Pranesh play out the male and female roles with an adroit combination of hilarious lip syncing and the use of his own tuneful and powerful voice. Most impressive are the tabla-like rhythms that he extracts from an old paint tin in his pursuit of happiness.We are carried along on the wave of the story, a story that, says Vivian, is a composite picture of the community he grew up in and and inspiration that stem from various 'Indian' communities within the Greater Durban area. The tale of the two brothers, the woman abused by her alcoholic husband, the grandparents longing for a child – all are grist to the mill of the story teller. Pranesh shoulders all the roles, giving each their weight and value, teasing out the comedic lines and giving full range to the dramatic tragedy that serves as the denouement. The human condition can be described as the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent and innate to human beings and is not dependent on factors such as gender, race or class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, or awareness regarding the inescapability of death. 

While Bhagwan (God) gave me this Life is almost 90 % Hindi, it was possible to follow the characters and their ranging emotions due to Pranesh’ expert acting and musicianship – ask anyone who has watched the piece already. One of the objects of this very worthwhile project is to take pride in mother tongue and to preserve its use, so ‘culture specific’ is to the point, yet it contains much laughter and 'edge of the seat' drama. Following back to back successes with lengthy runs at various venues in 2014/15, the play has been revived. So Come watch it at the Durban North Conference Centre on 02, 03, 04 & 05 May 2019. Tickets are R150 per person at COMPUTICKET online or at Shoprite / Checkers.