Orpheus
Dark Connections Featured Member May 2004

Name/screen name: Orpheus

Age: 29

Orientation: Straight Dominant male

Marital status: Poly and looking

Do you currently have a sub or play partner: I have 2 currently and I am also looking for a pet and a male sub.

Occupation: Just to keep it simple... I make modern day weapons for a primitive society.

We understand that you are the creator of Cirque De’ Sade bdsm toys. How did this come about?
I started Cirque de’ Sade a few years ago because at the time I could not afford to buy floggers for myself. And on top of that, most of the floggers that I did see at the local sex shops and dungeons either all looked the same or where made poorly. There was no variety and I figured that if I was going to spend 300 to 400 dollars on a pair of flogger they should be exceptional. I wanted floggers that would separate me from the other stage performers, compliment my flogging style and not break down in a year like so many others my friends had.

Although we produce the highest quality “traditional” floggers on the market, our products are not for everyone. Most of our floggers, paddles, and knives are bought by pro and performance Doms and collectors. We offer items that are not found anywhere else like transparent paddles with ostrich skin padded cases and chained crocodile skin floggers. We like to say that our tools are for the Dom that has everything and still wants more.

As a straight male, how are you able to scene with male subs?
I get asked this question all the time and it’s very hard to explain because the pro performance lifestyle is so different from the standard SM lifestyle. I guess the best way to explain this is to say that we have very strict guidelines when playing in public and “no sex on stage” is the main one. So, when I do a scene with a male sub or Dom for that matter we both know that he is here not only as a prop in my little theater of pain, but to submit to me. And that’s what it’s really all about; dominance and submission. I feel that I am an alpha male and sexuality, ethnic group or gender does not relegate my dominance.

To me a sub's sexuality is irrelevant, he or she is an object or possession that I am to use at my discretion. I know that sounds a little mean but when I am on stage this is my mindset. The other factor is that as a performer I have to work with lots of people male or female. In my mind the safety of the sub is first and foremost then the scene. Preserving the integrity of the scene is very important due to the fact that there are so many people from all different lifestyles and back grounds watching and we want to entertain them all. But what really bothers me is that as long as I have been in this lifestyle I have never heard anyone ask a fem Dom this same question.

Has being a Person of Color helped or hindered your success? I feel that being a person of color has kind of hindered me because this is a Caucasian dominated lifestyle especially when you are a black performer in a Goth/industrial club where the whole look is dark hair and pale white skin. I don’t exactly blend if you know what I mean. So it’s really hard for me to get people to play with me because most of them want the whole fantasy. A lot of people don’t like to hear it but its true. It’s kind of like when you think of Kung Fu movies most people think of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan because that’s the fantasy. I mean how believable would a Kung fu movie be without Asians. It’s the same thing with SM.

When a person thinks SM they think European dungeons and castles or strict pasty-faced disciplinarians bending young school girls over their desk after class. The whole fantasy of SM is a completely euro male fantasy and it always has been. If you don’t believe me Ask any person of color that is not in the lifestyle to imagine what SM is, then after they have a clear picture in their head, ask them how many people of color are in it. I bet there is not a person of color in that entire fantasy. That’s why most of the SM movies on the market have little to no minorities in them.

Its because of this 100 year old ideal that makes it really hard for Black Doms to break into the fetish movie genre, and lets be honest if we cant see ourselves as being a part of the fetish fantasy then we really can’t expect anyone else to. That’s one the major reasons why I am a public player. I want not only Caucasians to see black males in a position of dominance in this lifestyle, I want people of color to know that there are people like you in the lifestyle; So that they have something to relate to.

I hate to say it but SM is the last bastion for white male dominance but I plan on changing that concept one stage at a time.

What do you like most about performing in front of an audience?
I like the rush I get from being watched. I think all performers do. It's hard to describe, but when I am on stage I feel free to do all the things that would be considered taboo and I think the fact that I am doing it in front of people makes it a little dirtier. I feel like a part of me is fucking and being fucked by the audience. Like Roxie Hart said, “And the audience loves me and I love them and they love me for loving them and I love them for loving me and we love each other and that’s cause none of us got enough love in our childhoods.”
It’s a symbiotic, psychosexual experience that defies explanation. The voyeurs watch while exhibitionists perform. We complete each other.

Its perfect…

Does knowing you are being watched by an audience take away from the intimacy of a scene or does it intensify things? Sometimes being in a public place can have its drawbacks. Like when there is just too much noise going on or when people shout obscenities or intentionally do things to take away from the scene but for the most part that is rarity. I think that the other draw back is the fact that our hands are so tied when it comes to public play. It becomes hard to be really erotic or intimate with a sub because I don’t want to go to jail.

How do your private (at home) scenes differ from what you do on stage?
I think the only thing that really differs is that I am free to take my time with a sub and I have the ability to improvise more. If I see something in the kitchen I want I can just grab it. On stage I am confined to what I brought to the club. I think the other thing is that I can incorporate more hard items like butt plugs, dildos and vibrators. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same thing…

What do you do if something goes wrong with a live scene?
Recently a friend of mine was doing a scene with a sub that was strapped on to a Saint Andrews cross when the stage gave way. My friend broke his leg in two places and was still able to hold her in a safe position until help arrived. Although this is an ultra rare incident, I mentioned it to make this point, a Dom must have an absolute resolution to maintain the safety of any sub that he scenes with. I know that a lot of Doms feel that they have made that commitment and some have but there are a lot of Doms that have a lot of unsafe practices. I would recommend that every Dom spend a few dollars on a class that can teach you how to save the life of your sub. Every Dom expects excellence from their sub maybe we should expect the same from ourselves.

Again playing on stage we don’t use safe words do to the fact that most of the time we cant here the sub over the music so most of us use signals. A typical scene starts like this….

Ask if the sub has any medical problems that you should know about like recent surgeries, open wounds or soars, back problems, asthma etc…
Try to access whether the sub has been drinking and whether they are to drunk to perform. Even if they are not drunk if a sub has been drinking they can suffer from dehydration and pass out during a scene.
If every things cool then I tell them, “ for the next few minutes you belong to me is that understood” they should say yes “ if you have a problem and need to stop lift your right leg… if for any reason the scene becomes to intense or to painful but you don’t want to stop open you right hand and I will slow down an then check you. If you are ok and wish to continue shake your head yes, if you are not ok and want to stop shake your head no… do you understand everything that I have just told you?” the answer should be yes and the scene begins.
Most of the time this is enough to prevent most problems before they start. It’s like a visual red light, yellow light, green light. As a matter of a fact I use this method even when I play in private.

In the event of a major accident the procedure for me is: Stay calm. I like to remind myself that I am still in charge of the situation so that I don’t freak out in front of the sub. That may make things worse. Assess the situation… how did the sub get hurt? I think that this is the most important thing to do when anyone gets hurt during a scene because if you try and help an injured person the wrong way you may make things worse especially in a club environment; that’s the worst. Things become real hectic real fast. If the sub can respond to you, ask them if they are ok. If not ask what they think the problem is and deal with the problem accordingly. If the sub cannot respond, try to remember what was the last thing you did and do a worst-case scenario. I think that this is important for many reasons and the main one is in the event you have to call 911 you know what to tell them. Oh and tell them the truth, this is not the time to become bashful. This is the most important thing. If you have the slightest thought that your sub might need emergency medical attention call for help. Don’t hesitate. Remember its better to be safe than sorry. So that’s what I do in the event something goes wrong.

Give an example of something a sub would do that would require you to punish her and tell us how your punishments differ from your playtime scenes.
I use play as a reward so what I do is if a sub has displeased me then they don’t get to play…. And if that doesn’t work I’ll hike her skirt and spank the hell out of her.

You are a talented photographer. What is your favorite photograph and why? My favorite photo is called “Submissive”. It’s a picture that captures the subdued sensuality of submission. I believe that it shows a softer side of SM. I wanted the dark areas to reflect the un-known, while the over exposed area imply illumination or understanding if you will. Well that’s what It says to me. Do you have any photography tips for our readers who are interested in taking BDSM photos? I think the only tip I can give to people who want to take fetish images…is never settle. Don’t just take a picture thinking that you can just photo shop it later. That’s just cheating. Photography is a 3 way relation ship between you the model and your vision of perfection. And when all the pieces come together its magic. Just magic.

"Submissive" © Orpheus

What position do you most like to have your submissive in?
I like them to be situated between pain and anguish but I also like them to be standing with their back to me. My favorite is the ST. Andrews cross where the sub is attached with their arms and legs spread equally and restrained. I think that this is the best flogging position for me because it gives me full access to the butt and shoulders while making it harder to strike the kidney areas and lower back. It also means that people in the audience can see what’s going on.

Contact Orpheus at orpheusandindigo@yahoo.com