Forget dusty myths, Pioneer Winter Collective, Miami’s reigning disruptors of dance, just unleashed “Apollo,” a queer explosion of movement and truth. Part of the fierce “Out (Loud) in the Tropics” series, this ain’t your grandma’s theater.
The epic, spellbinding recital took place at the Miami Theater from April 25-26. It was a special night filled with some of Miami’s best and most consistent storytellers.
Opening night, Friday, featured a very healthy turnout, jam-packed, dare we say a scene, a cool vibe filled with some of the city’s finest cultural ambassadors, creators, arts leaders, philanthropists and patrons. It was a sixty-minute performance, straight-forward, sizzling yet balanced, a multimedia retrospective.
“Apollo” dives headfirst into the heart of community, the echoes of the Missing Generation, and the vital act of remembering. The production profiles three queer elders embodying past Apollos, all battling, bonding, and grappling with what we inherit and what we leave behind.
Apollo, sweet Apollo, dear god of the sun, worship me — three men, (queer) but still sons, worship me, sweet Apollo, god of music, poetry, art, prophecy and light, worship me.
Pioneer Winter Collective’s Apollo
The play featured innovative visuals. They used a camera to project on stage events to a huge screen. Not unlike Broadway’s current hit Sunset Blvd, with Nicole Scherzinger. But in “Apollo” the visuals were not cinematic, but ethereal and artsy. It worked really well. Also, personal photos of the actors appeared, like a montage, further cementing the theme of legacy in this production that we learned took two years to produce.
“Apollo” also featured a prolonged structured poetic narrative, highly original storytelling, nuanced & personal. It was written by one of Miami’s best playwrights, Juan C. Sanchez, of Miami Motel Stories lore, the piece was empowering and evocative.
Dare we say this was an opus on legacy, but an exploration into legacy bordering on a magnum opus. To find something critical, there could have been a little more movement, a little more dance, but this takes nothing away from the overall aesthetics of thie piece.
Final Thoughts
Pioneer Winter himself, playing the Mentee Apollo, declared this a “very queer, self-birthing,” a testament to the power of endless reinvention.
Fellow performer Octavio Campos summed it up: “It’s about carrying on the legacy… We carry them in every breath.”
“Apollo” throws a vital mirror onto the stage, showcasing bodies of all ages and abilities. Winter’s mission? To shatter narrow definitions of dance and ensure every body is seen and celebrated.
It wasn’t just a performance. It shook like an intergenerational earthquake, demanding we confront who we honor, who we erase, and what a true hero even looks like.
Pioneer Winter Collective premiered “Apollo” at Miami Theater Center on April 25-26.
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Acknowledgements
This article’s published with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
