Hello, Glaistig here...
(aka Flammoria, Drázsica, Samantha)

I suppose I am relatively new to fire... I think I have led a sheltered life! We have a rather small fire arts community in the Phoenix/Tempe Arizona area and some of us have formed a group called Fyrae (<a href="www.fyrae.com">www.fyrae.com</a>).

We have been together for about a year and a half, and are learning and growing.

Priviledged to be in all of your company,
Glais

John! Nice to see you back at it! I've been missing you sweetie!
And Samantha, we really need to stop meeting like this! ;)

Anyway, I'm Pele. Indiginous creature of Western New York. Know to do some of the stupidist crap for the thrill of a paying audience, starting with but certainly not limited to, fire arts of all kinds though specializing in Close Proximity Fire. I have degrees in Theater Arts, Education and Literature and have been performing in various genres for round about a decade. I work as a mod on Home of Poi, as an assistant on The Burn Syndicate and as a consultant and writer on Sideshow Central. I also do time as a costume designer/creator for various performers globally and will be looking forward to debuting my new theatrical sideshow next year. Ummm...yeah...that's all! ;)
Cheers and Regards,
P~

OK, here goes.

Greg, (alias Neur0mancer or Parad0x), been playing with fire for about 3 years.

My background is in various martial arts, especially the Filipino stick/machete fighting styles. My main fire tools are torches rather than poi - a bit slower, but you can do some different things with them, and the stickfighting techniques translate nicely into torch routines. I also love breathing fire, and would like to play more with poi as time goes on.

I started learning from the leader of a group called DragonTrybe in Texas, but unfortunately I had to leave the state before I got the chance to perform with them. Currently not part of any organized group here in Massachusetts, though I've met people from Anthelion and some other non-affiliated players. I just got in touch with Phoenix Swords, a performance troupe that does fire and blade performances out here... this sounds very promising!

Greg

Hey all, I'm Sean. Learned to stilt years ago and kind of moved into playing with fire. Currently in the DC area and have taught a lot of people how to spin, and a few how to stilt. My biggest shtick is spinning or eating fire while the stilts are on fire. I've been to BM several times, but wasn't able to make it last year due to finances. Very active in the BM community around here.

Is anyone else out there playing on stilts?

Hey, I'm Kiki.

Dry part:
I've always played with fire, but my background is first in programming, then in computer graphics [but from the programming/theory side -- I wrote a ray tracer in college, for instance, and did research in VR before it was lame. :) ]

More-to-the-point part:
I built my first water fountain on fire early in 1999, and made a large-ish one for Burning Man the same year. In 2001, Larry Harvey actually asked me to build one for Burning Man, and I built Egeria in 2002 for the Keyhole [in front of Center Camp.]

I find large-scale sculpture to satisfy both my artistic side, as well as the programming/problem-solving side. I *love* the engineering challenges of working in large-scale.

burningideas.com/firefall

I've so far been making this up as we go along. We have a perfect safety record so far, but are currently working towards a more formal safety routine, and want to build a good solid safety plan and check list.

Safety looks like it would be a good new topic here.

Kiki

Hey, all-
I'm Matt, I've been poi-ing for about seven months, half of that with fire. I've been practicing mostly on my own so far (I mean, apart from safety people), and while I've learned a lot, why go it alone when there are so many of us around here?
I think it's a great idea to form a guild that (among other things) would help spread information about fire performance, especially when it comes to safety. I've gotten a lot of valuable info off the net, for example, but even allowing for differences in opinion, consistency is sometimes lacking. One person's standard practice can be another's DON'T EVER DO THIS! Anyway, this could turn into another thread (or ten)- so I'll stop here. Hi.

Hello all, I'm Mike Templeton,
or as many of you know me, Temple.

I learned to eat fire in 1992,
after teaching a magician to juggle
at a swordfighting event in H.B., CA.

After apprenticing with him for a period of 9 months, we created (with another juggler who also learned in the same period) Pyrophilia Productions, and put Pyrophilia.com on the web circa 1994. Currently, as we have all moved onto other projects, that URL will get you Shock Value.

Following my heart to SF, I was introduced to the BM community in 1997, and continue to help shape the community by teaching fire safety for the SF fire conclave. Many "standard practices" came into being from sharing the insights I learned from Fullerton FD's Fire Chief while working with Pyrophilia on civic and corporate events.

While I prefer to use fire as a seasoning and not my primary performance vehicle at this point in my career, I still feel an affinity with it and teach selected students.

I have performed fire eating, breathing, fire juggling,
torch and staff spinning, fire devil stick
and partial body burns. I've studied physical theatre, physics, acrobatics, improv (theatresports style),
and a smattering of dance styles
(belly, modern, salsa, swing, tango)

If only I knew tap, I'd be Fred Astaire on fire.
"I'm singing in the flames... just singin' in the flames"

I currently perform contact juggling and stiltwalking
for corporate and private clients while redeveloping
my street act and working on my physical comedy- Foolish Love. I organize acts for private parties, and MC on occasion.

I've taken my skills on tour for large scale corporate events, and travelled to Japan to perform an amusement park. I've pulled a fire permit for fire breathing in SF's Parc 55 Radisson Hotel. And the Cirque du Flambe has allowed me to juggle lit pyro as well as throwing a bowling ball, knife and torch on 3' stilts. In return I consented to spinning poi, a rarity for me. I shared a stage with Juicy Danger at BM in '97. Blah, blah, blah...

I'm always striving to do something new with the skills I've built rather than rely on technical skills, which I focused on for many years. Using circus skills to touch hearts is more important to me than being "that guy who...".
I guess I'm turning into more of an actor in that way.

A bit of advice from my 10 years burning:

If you want to be good- work on your technique every day. Do everything you do 50x a day (russian juggler training)

If you want to be great, do that AND work on your heart- how to share it with an audience- every day as well. Study something wildly different than anything else you do and try to integrate it. This will ruin everything you thought you were, and make you so much more.

Develop presence along with a routine.

My pet peeve- keyrings as connectors on poi.
I gladly yank the chains off the wick
of any poi in my vicinity with keyrings.
If you use them, please replace them with locking rings,
as keyrings are not designed to withstand force-
they're designed to hold keys,
and to spread easier than a $2 ho' for that purpose!

Enough about me, go burn something.

Hi everyone! I'm Talia (aka Joule) with Fire Fabulon in Detroit, MI. I've been spinning for about 4 years. Learned in Calgary, Canada and took it on the road to SE Asia. Met some wonderful fire friends there. Met more great peeps in Detroit where I now live. Always looking to meet more fire inspired performers! Good to see this forum!

Namaste
Talia

Greetings beings of fire.

I hail from the northland of earth and have travelled far to meet the southland of fire. I come with a knowledge of wood, stone, and metal craft. I also have the golden thread of network science in my consciousness.

I am a Technologist by trade and a dancer in all other endeavors. I started spinning poi in September, Fire in October and performed for the first time in November. I am gaining skill quickly. I am about to wind down the poi and move on to fire toys and more theatrical performance.

I am currently building some special toys that I'll tell everyone about soon.

I have background in martial arts, aerial dance, contact improv, yoga and theater.

Although it's only been 2 months, I find my contemporaries are somewhat rare. Everyone is either far more skilled than I or far less.

I'm enjoying the path and realizing it's rare and underground nature. I like seeing the art come into being. Schools and temples poping up here and there. Fire performances springing up in the oddest places (from political fundraisers and corporate events to raves and birthday parties) I'm honored to add my force to the wave of fire. In years to come it may become as recognized as ballet.

Right now I'm reveling in the age when it is not.

_sydd aduin

Greetings all, I just joined this Tribe!

I have been working with fire for almost 8 years, combining fire spinning technique with modern dance and contact dance inspired choreography. Although fire dancing is not my main performance vehicle anymore, I still do it once in a while such as with Cirque Phoenix (the only professional circus in Vancouver, BC) I do alot of stilt dancing and am currently training in aerial tissue and wall dancing.

hi, My name is Mathew, but i like to be called Matty. i have had a fetish with things that burn for longer than i can remember. from the first moments that i discovered that a candle will leave cool smoke swirlies on my closet ceiling to now....I have been an ametuer swordsman for some time now, and i just had a couple of kevlar wrapped swords hammered out of train springs made just for me....:)I also have the distinct honor of having watched my own house that i built with my own two hands burn to the ground one fatefull night(i still dont know why i woke up just in time)but that is another story. I am of the chaotic magical spiritualist sort(any other definition would be too confining) a bonafide badass carpenter,bitchin snowboarder, ametuer swordsman, ametuer photographer, and burdgeoning filmaker. I have so many questions, and would love to make friends with others of my persuasion. I am currently living in seattle, but i feel the calling south HARD, so i will be making a move south as soon as i sell my house(i built it AGAIN)......so uh.....hi everybody:)

Hidee, I'm Q (or Qathi, sounds like Kathi), not the big guy from NY. (I’m cheating, some of this I wrote last year, and lives on my website)

I'm active in the fire community as a fire dancer, choreographer, and costume designer. I spent one year with Animated Fusion, then four years with Pyrosutra. I'm a member of the Northwest Fire Conclave sometimes I work with Jennifer Steele as Pyro Go-Go. Recently recruited to the Cirque de Flambe to throw some shit around and see what I can do with that many people.

I’ve been in the conclave every year since 00, my first year to bman. I think I’m an adequate fire dancer, and stage personality. I’m so rough and tumble in other parts of my life that I keep injuring major things like my shoulders and my hip, which takes me out of good practice for a while.

… ah, what else. I sew and make fire friendly costumes, also burlesque (I do dance) and tribal belly dancing (I don’t dance) costumes, as well as fashion apparel. I have the most fun with accessories and art quilts. I’m working as a barista since there are no jobs for web producers anymore. I love snowboarding and big ass fast fucking motorcycles,
I studied art history, design and mass mind manipulation. I like kitties, I’m in love, my secret power is master of disguise, the other, if I could have a major and a minor secret power, would be dog whisperer. I love snowboarding and big ass, beefcake, fast fucking motorcycles. I read a lot, Presently I’m reading “Dogma and Morals” the Masons book, I feel so naughty reading it, also Neal Stephenson, Quicksilver the theme is both geeky, and philosophical.

While this all might make me sound very interesting – I’m not, I’m over being interesting. If I could get away with it, I’d watch talk shows all day long.

I am a little behind in my introductions to my tribes, but, better late than never...
Greetings, my name is Kandice Bishop and I became one with the flame over 3 years ago. I had been hula hooping for about half a year when my friend Tedward came up to me at a Moontribe gathering and asked if I wanted to try a fire hoop. Sure- I would love to...tie hair back, dip in fuel, proceed to spin, HOOKED FOR LIFE!!! And I never looked back! Fire has transformed my life in so many positive ways. It is my sacred ritual, my ceremony, my excersice, my meditation, my extacy, my dance, my LIFE! As my passion for the flame grew larger, so did my life's quest. I am a founding member of Hearthfire- the LA chapter of the NAFAA (National Fire Arts Association). Our goals are to create a fire community that prides itself for fire safety precautions. My commitment to fire arts and safety moves me and I have been priveledged to take part in projects that better the relationship between fire artist and fire department. I have participated in numerous presentations and demonstrations for the fire departments in my area- LA City, LA County, Orange County, San Diego, and SAFFE (Safety Advisory for Fire and Effects in Entertainment). With the hopes that the fire department will better understand fire arts, artists, what we do, and how we do it. This is the best way, that I've found thus far, that I can contribute to the future of Fire Arts and our community as a whole. As we all know- fire burns. So, one must respect the flame. I acknowledge fire as my teacher and respect it like nothing else in my life. So, i am happy to join a tribe of like-minded fire artists that are on a path to create a safe and happy future for our passion. Power to the fire people- we will transform the world!

Hi I am Kali.. I learned poi at burningman 00 and have rediscovered my true pyro self. I spin with Fire Arts Collective in the Bay area. We are known for our fire jump rope and performed it at decompression this year. I am a crazed fire toy maker and am working on some new stuff that you'll see on the playa. Right now I play with poi, fans, fingers, fire jacket, personal fire jump rope, fire cube, and I dive roll thru a burning hoop like the animal I am. My goal is to learn fire whip this year as Spaghetti Western will return to the playa this year and every good cowgirl needs to know how to fire whip..

Hey John! Was great meeting and talking with you at Fire Garden last year;)
I am moving from Milwaukee down south soooooon!
Isa

Hi everyone!

I am Sensoriel, a fire dancer/fire eater in Baltimore, Md. I am also the shin for the Balt./D.C. burners for the inner circle at Burning Man.

I have a degree in Art and Tech from the Art Institute of Chicago, where I concentrated in Robotic Sculpture and Installation. I am a sculptor and performer and my main preference for playing with fire is with torches, since it is more intimate with the fire and my movements are less limited. I learned to eat fire by teaching a fire breather friend to walk on stilts. Unfortunately I am a little rusty on those now, though! Then at Black Rock City that year I played with one hell of a hot fire dancer and utterly fell head over heals in love with my burgeaoning skill! I hear we were pretty hot!!

I have always had a pechant to be a one person freak show since I was a little girl. I started off doing the Polar Bear Club when I was 8 and was the youngest person. I joined a pantomime troupe later that year, then moved onto clowning where I learned to walk a tightrope. I have done the bed of nails, as well as many other strange tricks!

I am a huge fan and stickler for fire safety even to the point where I will not breathe fire because of the ingestion of fuel. What I do is bad enough for me!!

I am also one of the organizers for Playa del Fuego, which is a festival in the Burning Man spirit which we hold in Delaware twice a year. At the festival I am the designer and builder of the pony effigy which gets burned on the main fire stack. Check us out and come if you can, we hold it in Delaware twice a year.
www.playadelfuego.org

Love and laughter to all,
Sensoriel

Brightest blessings fire spirits!

I am jaden rose * la rosa del fuego
la zorra * la estrella * la tigress

I was first introduced to fire dancing in Santa Cruz…oh,… wow, about six years ago in 1998, when a few of my friends were getting into fire/circus arts. I now live in SF & I’ve found new friends & loved ones to learn from and play with – mi tigre, Bomtribe, Los Sueños del Fuego, and many other friendly firedancers. I had been training in martial arts since I was 16 and naturally pick up the fire staff as my first toy. My martial arts training also inspires me to choreograph stage combat and do a lot of groundwork & rolling. But my love of fire has also led me to become little Ms. Variety: I’ve picked poi/ropes, wands/fire eating/body burns, a little wu-shu chain, double staff and now fire-hoop. I love mixing it up, because learning one trick on one toy often helps me to learn the same or a similar trick on another toy.

Much like my martial arts and yoga practice, I really love spiritually devoting myself to a physical practice: showing up for practice no matter how tired I am, trying again and again until I get that new trick down, keeping up with the routine w/ full smile on my face even though I just hurt myself really badly. I love the community of people I’ve met and become friends with at practices, performances, events and campouts – so many people are so willing to share/teach their skills, talents & toys with you. I love all the co-creation that circles around fire arts: choreographing tricks and routines with mi tigre, friends & fellowships; coming up with props, costumes & makeup for performances; creating toys & accessories with mi tigre (watching/helping him make us new toys, accenting his work with my beadwork, making leather pouches for our wands, and fury cheetah cover slips for our wicks & the like). I also really love fire art photography and learning to produce desired effects as the photographer & as the model.

Ultimately, I love dancing with fire, because it represents the divine destruction that produces fresh canvas for healing, growth and new creation for that which produces light, must endure burning…

blessings, la rosa.

I'm mostly a camera fuck/photographer, but Organizizer let me in anyhow. I've a only done a tiny tad of fire performing.

I'm aiming for collaborations that take fire photography further towards political, conceptual, or spiritual.
Traditional shots of spinning flame can be beautiful, but I want more. I'll post a new post about this soon.

Fire shots I've taken at Burning Man:
www.juliancash.com/view/fir...ndex.html

Part of my project at Burning Man this year:
www.supersnail.com/concept

Old shots I've taken that play with painting with light:
supersnail.com/firefly/2index.html

Here's me playing with fire long ago...
juliancash.com/view/jc_bi...itfire.html

Here's a nude of me tied to a burning cross with two dozen M-80's as a crown of thorns....
Sorry. That wasn't funny, was it?
I very very much believe in safty!

That makes me think though...
Have you ever used gunpowder of any sort in a fire performance (in a safe way)?

-julian

Just realized Inever posted an Intro.
Im GiGi-D L'Amour Ihave been working with fire for a year after the inspiration of the Gods... ok I like tosay fire stalked me. I basicly met most of the fire performers in AZ over the period of a year and everyone would say you need to do this... finaly I was dared to do it and told Iprobably wouldn't be willing to practice enough. That pissed me off I started spinning 45 min a day untill I was ready to meet my dare.. lite up by the playa. I did. Since then I have adventured intoeating, body work and double poi. I currently spin with Wizardz of AZ and domy own local projects under Syzygy. I have the great honnor of learning under Flam chen primarly and there help and wisdom has been pricless. I am also blessed with a very rich and united fire community out here, we support eachother help eachother but mostof all we laugh. Theres nothing like being heckeled by your co-fire geeks to make you keep it real.
fire- because water jus isn't very bright

hi everybody! is it too late for an intro? i'm relatively new with this whole tribe thing...

this is the skunk. i live in nyc again now, after a stint in hotlanta for about 8 months. i been doing poi for about 4 years, and recently gotten into a little staff. the new york city fire scene is about as old as my spinning i would say, started by a couple of "burners" from austin who brought some tool building knowhow and taught us a few tricks...thanx brian and lola! i used to be in a group called 1337, but that has kinda dissolved since...

anyway i like making fire toys, metal working, making music, art, flash/web design, technology, making web videos, etc. i have been making/editing fire vids for a couple years and sharing them on HOP, if you are interested take a gander ovah hiaa danzfunk.com/fire/ (you'll need divx and xvid codecs to watch the avi files, or download mplayer if you're on a crapintosh)

up to this point i have been sort of shying away from performing for pay, fire spinning has always been more of a meditational sort of thing for me. i am always searching for that moment when the circumstances are right and the music is pumpin, and you don't have time to think about your next move, that moment when the dancer disappears and becomes the dance...which is kinda hard to find when you're in a "gig" type setting. being currently unemployed, however, has me sort of at a crossroads, should i run away and join the circus?

i think this tribe should prove to be an invaluable tool and source of information for people like me trying to figure out what it actually takes to be fire performing for a living, so great work and thank you, john, and i look forward to learning about all sorts of stuff that will help me make my decision, and one day, maybe we'll have a union, and we can all be lazy and surly and still get pizayed!

anywayz...grep up on the flash plugin and check my website, it's not quite done yet, and not all about fire, but enjoy anyway
danzfunk.com

good virtu-meetin y'all, hope to see you guys around! i'll be at firefly in vermont this weekend...

skunk

Greets. I'm Marco, and I've been playing with burning things for about eleven years now. I'm one of the "oooold schoolie" firedancers. I was in the performance group of !TCHKUNG! in Seattle, and my educational background is in Rep Theatre and Technical Theatre. Before becoming involved in the fire-arts I was a stage actor and rennaissance-festival performer.

A list of accomplishments includes: Creator & director of Ignis Mundi, an international performance troupe. Produced "Immaculate Combustion" for Bumbershoot's 25th anniversary. Lots and Lots and Lots of solo work. A dance-fire duet, solo work, and a fire-clown duet in Earth Circus. Coordinator-director of Circo Futuro, Cancun's first postmodern performance company. Director of Cirque Du Nuit, Mexico. And most recently, I am the secondary soloist for Cirque Du Soleil's "O" in Las Vegas.

(Sorry Voldal, I developed a flying fire number 2 years ago, we should compare notes!)

Currently, I find myself traveling A LOT between Mexico, Las Vegas, and the Bay Area, doing work and getting in touch with other freaks like you.