I unfortunately didn't get the pleasure of seeing the Zumanity show, but when I heard there was a male pas de deux, I had to see!
Firstly, I must say The sheer athleticism of these two men, Johan Silverhult King and Patrick King, is simply amazing!
For five minutes I watched as pair have an emotional and physical stand off; battle each other, caress, push away, lust, control, accept, deny, cuddle. So beautiful and the way the bodies move so intimately together....Any idea how intimate and thrilling it is to leave your life in someone's hands and hope they don't drop you? As a former gymnast, I find all of them highly erotic, sensual, yet and powerful!
And then there's that kiss. A lusty, pain-staking long awaited kiss, that lingers, and brings this beautiful and rollercoaster of a love story full circle. A story that can really be only told through them, because its a story of their own person relationship--The two men have been married for over 25 years now!!
I wanted to learn more, so I research a bit and came across an article.
In an interview with Steve Friess, from the November 11, 2003 cover issue story from The Advocate, the men describe their personal trials, and how they ended up dancing with Zumanity...
"We never thought of it as being a gay dance," Patrick insists...Adds Johan: "To us, it's just a relationship. It has always been a human story, whether it's men or women or a man and a woman."
The dance that led the Kings to Vegas started after the move to Italy as a way to create something together after years of Johan merely following Patrick's direction. It wasn't intended for mass audiences, but word spread among friends and the couple went on to perform a 45-minute version at Rome's World Pride celebration in 2000. That same year, they auditioned for Cirque du Soleil recruiters scouting in Italy.
The Kings heard nothing until August 2002, when Cirque -- with Zumanity in mind -- invited them to perform a 12-minute version of the dance on a yacht off St. Tropez for an elaborate private party thrown by Cirque founder Guy Laliberte. "They asked for something sensual, provocative and athletic, so by the end we were naked," Patrick recalls. "We had Ivana Trump with her jaw hanging to the floor." That being precisely the effect Cirque hoped for from Zumanity, the couple were signed within weeks to become a part a slice of the variety show!
Awesome!!
I think there is something incredibly brave about this piece and the story behind it is admirable, beautiful, jaw-dropping, and inspiring! I truly hope that I may have the pleasure to inspire as they have! If you want to check them out more here are their websites:
Photo: Walter Zamojski
