Robert Frost stands amid the hustle and sleaze of South Beach’s Washington Avenue on a steamy Saturday night surveying the crowd entering his “Twisted Circus” party, and he’s quite pleased with what he sees. Everyone’s coming out for this event tonight … Goths, evil clowns, sideshow freaks, master/slave couples, and loads of girls in their freakishly sensual attire. There’s just something truly alluring about a woman in matching handcuffs and dog collar.
Robert operates Submission South Beach, the production company responsible for some of South Beach’s most far-out events during the past three years, yet he gives much of the credit for his success to his team members. “It’s not about me, Submission is a theme, a whole group of people, and when the group does good, I do good. My whole team, from the door, to the security, to the DJs, the performers and dancers … it’s a total team effort,” he says.
Where did Frost get the idea for such an outrageous event? “Twisted Circus was our first theme party three years ago. I wanted something totally different, something outside the box, totally original … there’s really no other fetish parties doing it the way we do it. It appeals to anyone in the Gothic movement and the industrial movement as far as the music … get dressed-up and let loose.”
Submission South Beach also produces a smaller sister party called “Black Sheep Society” which Frost describes as “more Gothic-driven with no performers.”
Inside the club, the party is roaring to life as Vita DeVoid, “the Queen Mother at Tampa’s Thee VaudeVillains Burlesque Company,” begins her strip tease and fire show.
Says sexy go-go dancer TikiDoll Sakura, “Everyone here dresses up, they go all out…there’s no judgement, everyone just gets crazy and has fun.” Asked what sort of people Twisted Circus would appeal to, she says “There’s all different kinds of people here, whoever is willing get dressed-up and not really care what people think.”
Well-known South Florida performer Carla X, wearing her latest evil clown costume and special “Grinder Bra,” says of Twisted Circus, “It’s hard to describe to someone that’s not used to it … it’s like a whole other world, like a sexy fairy tale, very magical, something you’ve only seen in your imagination. It would appeal to anyone who’s not afraid to try something different …” She laughs and adds “… and someone who’s not afraid of clowns.”
Tonight’s Twisted Circus is also a birthday celebration for performer Sean “WildChild” — a moniker that suits the boy perfectly, as we later found out when he took the stage. Sean is the design genius behind the Miami costume and entertainment company, WildChildWorld.
As Twisted Circus rolls into the wee hours of the morning, people are still coming in from Washington Avenue and starring wide-eyed at what they see … dancers in grinder bras shooting sparks from their nipples … girls in see-thru body suits strapped to whipping posts … and of course, all those pesky evil clowns Carla X warned us about. Twisted Circus is definitely an eye-opening event.