Going Beyond Houdini Slideshow

Hey all,
Having amazing summer weather here in New England in March.  Go figure. Things are heating up ofr shows too.  Did a show at a the Griffin Museum on Sunday for an amazing photographer Meg Birnbaum.  I am one of her subjects in her newest exhibit person/persona.  It is getting rave reviews and it was some much fun to do a talk and perform at the Griffin Museum. My agent MacKay Entertainment is hard at work doing bookings for me this summer.  I am also really excited to be performing in Orlando in August right outside of Disney World at Mer-Palooza The Mermaid Event of the year.  I will be doing a death defying underwater escape and am in training now to hopefully be successful.  More about that one in one of my next postings.

Here is a short slideshow of some of my escapes. You get to see pics of my Underwater Leap of Faith (where I am restrained in more than twice what Houdini was in his leaps).  I also show pics of my Extreme Strait Jacket (where I set a world record getting out of a regulation strait jacket secured with 50 feet of 1/4 inch chain and 10 padlocks in 2 mins 37 secs on national tv). You see pics of an escape I call Airless (chained up with tons of chain wrapping my arms around my body like a strait jacket but all in steel chains and 9 padlocksbut the kicker is my head is wrapped in plastic wrap so I cannot breathe.  Kind of an escape or suffocate kinda thing.  Very intense.)  Last but certainly not least I show my combo Milk Can/Water Torture Cell that I call The Underwater Cell (UC) done in bullet proof  tank in full view -no curtain).  Check it out and leave a comment.
Alex

Going Beyond Houdini Slideshow: Alexanderia’s trip from New York City, New York, United States to 3 cities Boston, Cambridge and Salem was created by TripAdvisor. See another United States slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Trying to Transform Escapology One Escape at a Time

Harry Houdini & Alexanderia the Great escape artists meet

I have been doing escapes since I was a kid.  They started out as challenges.  How long can you hold your breath.  Can you get out of rope, chains, shackles, cuffs etc.  Then as I began to get better it I wanted to see was how could I challenge myself even more.  Can you get out of this in a certain amount of time or even more dangerous offerings like underwater.  It has grown since then.

Alexanderia the Great aka Donna Purnell a Modern Day Houdini

As I began to get more serious about these challenges, I began to do some research.  I admired Harry Houdini, who was the first magician to do escapes in such a grand scale.   Harry was an accidental escape artist.  He did escape stunts as a way to promote his magic show.  He was first known as the King of Cards and then the King of Handcuffs.  He began doing bridge jumps (underwater escapes) in town for free to announce and promote his show.  Without TV or the internet, Harry needed to do something to demonstrate why someone should go to his show. It was escapes that made Harry famous and so others began to copy him.

Houdini King of Cards Alexanderia the Great blog

Harry Houdini King of handcuffs Alexanderia the Great blog

Copycat escape artists began to pop up as soon as Harry became famous for such escapes.  They would try and steal his act.  Harry hated imitators.  Harry did all he could to stop them. He even copy wrote his Water Torture Cell escape he called Upside Down originally by putting it in a play. He did the escape in the play just so he could copy write it. He closed the play after only one performance.  In that way, he had a way to sue others for trying to copy what was in the play.

Houdini imitator Carl Mysto Alexanderia the Great blog

Sadly these days, escape artists do Harry Houdini's escape exactly as he did them. Houdini died in 1926 almost 90 years ago.  Houdini was the best and so few have been willing to attempt to go beyond what has been done.  In my research and training I, Alexanderia the Great, have been trying to go beyond those escapes.  I have been trying to add to his escapes or update them.  Trying to add more restraints (more chains, shackles, padlocks, cuffs) or combine them to do them in ways that have not been done.  I am trying to remove the curtains literally.  I do my escapes in full view, no curtains, so all can see just what it is like to try and escape such restraints.  In this blog, I will begin to show you what it is like to try and be a Modern Day Houdini.  I did not give myself this label.  To compare yourself to Houdini is not something one should do themselves.  I let my reputation speak for itself.  It is the media who has given me such labels as, Houdini Mom, the Housewife Houdini, The Hockey Mom Houdini and a Modern Day Houdini.  I am proud of the comparisons but there was only one Houdini.  To be mention in the same breath is such an honor. I do my escapes hopefully in a way that would make Harry Houdini proud. To copy Houdini would be to cheapen what he did.  I look to go beyond and hope Harry is smiling now.

PS In my next few blog posts, I will try and give you updates on my training and explain how I try and do my escape differently.  I will post pictures and links to escapes so please stay tuned and invite others to add me.
Fox News, The CBS Evening News and NBC's The Today show all have done feature stories on me and called me "A Modern Day Houdini". A women who tries to go beyond Houdini in her death defying escapes. Go to my Facebook page below and LIKE it to learn more. Share with friends who you think would like as well. 
Thanks
Alex
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexanderia-the-Great/161727907258487
Web site http://www.alexanderiathegreat.com/
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/Alexanderiathegreat
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/Alexanderia_EA
Blog http://alexanderiathegreat.blogspot.com

Training Days

Ok so I should know when you get invited to perform for the Original Houdini Seance on October 31 and you decide to do a water escape, you might have to deal with cold right but snow?  Hey, I know training in New England to expect anything but snow before Halloween?  Really?  So here I am going over prep for the show and I wake up snow.  Three inches of the white stuff. I really had no choice.  I had to go in and practice.  Why?   Few things in life are truly life or death but being  locked and shackled underwater is.  I work with the shackles and locks as much as possible to try and limit any mistakes.  Now that said things happen.  Locks jam so I have to prepare all the time or the unthinkable can happen.  So there I was Sunday morning, while all the other wives and moms were making coffee or getting a little extra sleep, I was literally getting "tanked".  What a bad mom (lol).  

More next time on the Houdini Seance escape and catching up on this amazing year.  As always spread the work about me as I would love to do a show for you.

Extremely Yours

Alex

The Queen of Extreme and a "Moderrn Day Houdini"

I just found this really cool picture of the seance I will be at tonight.  Can't wait to perform my tribute to the master of escapes Harry Houdini on the anniversary of his death 85 years ago.  I am doing a water escape in his honor and as you can see in the earlier posting one that tries to go beyond what Harry did.  I have never performed on Halloween so I hope I am not tempting fate here.  And of course things seem to be not going well as the tank was to be filled with warm water.  With all the power outages we have had the service that was to fill with water has no power. It looks like I might have to do the escape in tap water which around here ranges in the mid 40's gulp!  

A bit here on what I might be dealing with.

Hypothermia is a physical condition that occurs when the body’s core temperature falls below a normal 98.6° F (37° C) to 95° F (35° C) or cooler. Think of hypothermia as the opposite of heat stroke. Cold water dangerously accelerates the onset and progression of hypothermia since body heat can be lost 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air. Hypothermia affects the body's core – the brain, heart, lungs, and other vital organs. Even a mild case of hypothermia diminishes a victim’s physical and mental abilities, thus increasing the risk of accidents. Severe hypothermia may result in unconsciousness and possibly death. 

What is the torso reflex?
The torso reflex (also known as the gasp reflex or inhalation response) is a physiological reaction – an involuntarily gasp – that happens when a person suddenly enters cold water. The reflexive sucking in of air is a way for the body to rapidly increase oxygen intake into the lungs as a means of increasing survival.
Some reported drowning victims don't die as a result of poor swimming skills or the effects of hypothermia, but from the torso reflex. Occasionally the torso reflex causes victims to inhale water. A person can also die from cardiac arrest brought on by sudden entry into cold water.

Ok that Torso Reflex thing doesn't sound good.  It is not what I need when I am forced underwater in a bulletproof tank with my chains shackled and the tank padlocked shut. 

Performing for Houdini?

Tonight I have the honor of performing at the Official Houdini Seance  I will attempt to honor Harry in a way befitting the master of escape on the 85th anniversary of his death.  I will perform my full version of the classic Houdini Milk Can escape.  Mine involves not a can but a clear Lexan (bullet proof) tank.  I do mine without a curtain so all can see my escape.  Harry used to say "Failure means a drowning death".  If I am successful in my escape called The Underwater Cell (UC) than I get a chance to go to the table to connect with the Great Houdini in the seance.  Of course, if I am not successful, I may actually meet Harry before any of them do on "the other side".  Here's hoping I get to the table.

    

Catching Up

This is Alexanderia the Great on Today on NBC.  This is me with Amy Robach from the Today Show.  I was on a couple of weeks ago. Ok I know I have managed to "escape" from my duties here in updating you.  For that am I sorry.  Maybe I could use the excuse that I have been "tied up" but that would be way to corny right?  It has been a crazy year.  The media I have received has been simply amazing.  I am so grateful to all.  So let me try and recap.  When last I posted we had just done the New England Cable News (NECN) shoot ( a CNN affiliate).  Ally Donnelly was the lead reporter who also found my story was so sweet.  She could not have been nicer.  The shoot was such fun.  She was the first media person to try on any of my restraints actually putting on my strait jacket.  The look on her face when she got it on was priceless.  The was back in January.  From there it starts to become a blur.  What I will try and do in this post is list what has happened by way of media since January.  I will follow up in the coming weeks to fill in the details of the shoots and look to the future and what is next for me.

February

• The Boston Globe puts me on the cover of their G magazine ans says my escapes are"edge of your seat stuff"
• Greater Boston with Emily Rooney (on Boston's PBS channel 2) does a feature and in studio interview and says "she can get out of practically everything"
• The CBS Evening News does a feature piece as Steve Hartman makes me his Assignment America story.  He calls me the "Housewife Houdini" and calls my story "inspirational"

March

• Itricks.com a magic web site which writes on all magic news does a nice story on me as an escape artist.  They feel that CBS only focused on my story and did not do justice on the level of escapes and how dangerous they are. 

April

• Fox 25 Morning News does a story on me and invites me in studio to do an interview and an escape live. 

May

• Ivanhoe Productions comes and does a feature piece on me for their web site Smart Women.

June

• Jordan Rich radio show on WBZ Boston.  We spent an hour talking and did an escape live in studio 

July

• A story on my Houlton Fair show in Maine
• Local press on my charity event for the Mason Pool in Roxbury where I did my Underwater Leap Faith 

August

• My Smart Women story runs on over 300 news stations across the country
• Yahoo Studios comes to do a feature story on me for their award winning series Second Act.

September

• Fresh off my Yahoo story Amy Roboch sees it and show the rest of the Today Show crew.  They call and do a feature story on me and fly me down to appear live.

October

• Style Boston WCVB TV (ABC Affiliate) will be doing a story on me to air on Oct 30th.
• The original Houdini Seance contacts me to perform and be at the table when they try and connect with Harry Houdini on Halloween on the 85th anniversary of his death.

Ok so we have lots to talk about as I need to caught you up.  A wild ride and I think it might get wilder.  Stay tuned.

Extremely Yours

Alex

http://www.alexanderiathegreat.com

PS if you want to see any of the pieces go to my web site and clip on the links.

Mackay Entertainment: Alexanderia the Great

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