Fresh from a stint down South for Art Basel Miami Beach, Puerto Rican puppet troupe Poncili Creacion, the team behind Ballenarca, made a stop at the Winter Park Library this afternoon with the help of Orlando puppet moguls Ibex Puppetry. The show was a weirdly wonderful combination of Puerto Rican folk art, grass-roots guerrilla-style performance art and a little dash of Pee-wee Herman. Needless to say, we loved it.

 

Photos by Brendan O’Connor
The big Bertha of Ballernarca. A mobile stage/storage device. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
The whale checking us out. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
Our host for the afternoon, who we will call “Weird Tiki Face” Credit: Brendan O'Connor
We loved this dog/fish hybrid thing. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
Everyone else liked the dog/fish too. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
Dog/fish pulled down the curtain to reveal what we could only assume was a Puerto Rican Food Not Bombs member. Pay no attention. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
This hand/arm-eel thing came out of a witch’s mouth that melted when two people in black beat her up and reached inside of her. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
This guy had udders. Just saying. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
Ballernarca’s crowd favorite, the “totem-pede,” at least that’s what we called it. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
“Totem-pede” in all of her naked glory. Credit: Brendan O'Connor
A modest crowd for such a cool event. Credit: Brendan O'Connor