In a world full of male escape artists, Alexanderia the Great is one of the only females daring enough to try and go beyond Houdini. From setting world records on national TV, to performing one of a kind death defying escapes, you can count on Alexanderia the Great to do something extraordinary. Alex takes you through her training (free diving, power lifting and doing battle with all kinds of restraints in various dangerous situations). It is all in a day’s work for “A Modern Day Houdini” according to Fox News Channel. Alexanderia the Great holds 6 world records and is one of only two women ever to perform at the International Brotherhood of Convention and the first to do a death defying underwater escape.
See why The CBS Evening News called Alexanderia the Great "The Housewife Houdini", the Boston Phoenix said “Houdini is back and she is a female” and the Today Show said "This is not sleight of hand, this is real" and "this is dangerous" as everything Alexanderia the Great aka Donna Purnell does is simply breath taking.
To learn more about Alexanderia the Great and what it is like to be an escape artist check out her Today Show appearance.
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How did I get Started in Escapes (In Alex's Words):
I have always been interested in magic, especially escapes since I was a little girl. I was always trying to beat the boys in whatever they did. I always had the attitude, “anything you can do, I can do better". Whether it was rope climbing or breath holds in the pool, I was always competitive.
In high school, I saw an old Tony Curtis film where he portrayed the great Houdini. I was mesmerized. To see what the Master of Escape did to challenge himself exhilarated me. The way Houdini captivated audiences worldwide with his daring feats really inspired me. I immediately began trying to reenact some of his escapes. Of course if you know me you know that simply duplicating Harry escapes was not enough. I needed to surpass the master. So in my training, I have worked on increasing my strength, breath hold times and the ability to deal with more pain. Now for instance I can escape from twice as much weight as Houdini did in his underwater escapes.
My first practices began with simple rope escapes in my pool, which proved successful. I felt the need to move on to shackles and chains like the great Houdini but wanted to surmount his previous stunts. Ironically enough, I later found out that Houdini refused to use rope in underwater escapes as he said it was too unpredictable. Funny as, I love the challenge and ropes are still my favorite escapes to do. Just call me the Queen of Extreme.
Once I mastered escaping from rope underwater, I graduated to chains, then shackles. I am learning to master the art of lock picking. I just set a new world record for the fastest extreme straitjacket escape. My regulation strait jacket was secured by 50 feet of chain and 10 padlocks. I escaped in 2mins 37 secs. I am currently looking for sponsors to help me with my own death defying escape show.
Why do I do this?
Pushing the envelope & wowing audiences of all ages is what motivates me. I love the adrenaline rush I get when challenged to escape the impossible. Physically escaping the restraints is very therapeutic to me. It is an amazing feeling to escape when others think you cannot. Think about it.
Look around at the many links here. I hope to dazzle you with my feats of daring. Note: If you have any ideas of other escapes that you would like me to try, contact me as I am always up for a challenge.
CAUTION: I am a trained professional. Do not attempt these escapes yourself.
