Feel the Burn

Posted on October 18, 2008 – 7:08 PM | by OldManFoster

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Ah, Autumn in Sacramento; an often welcome end from the hot months of summer. The sun sets a little earlier giving way to mild evenings bathed in yellow moonlight. It is no wonder that October is the quintessentialmonth for fire dancing in Sacramento! What better way to complete the perfect evenings of Autumn than with a tribal-esque tango with fire?

Fire dancing takes playing with fire to a whole new level: it is a performance art that involves dancing (often to music) while manipulating objects on fire. While fire dancing has ancient tribal origins, it was relatively obscure in the modern age until the late 1990s. Many attribute the influx of fire dancing to the popularity of Burning Man, an annual event held in the Nevada desert that prides it self on radical self-expression. Fire dancing is one of the many forms of self-expression at Burning Man, and given that there are tens of thousands of attendees each year, that opened up fire dancing to a larger audience. Regardless of what actually did bring Fire Dancing to the masses, thank goodness it made its way to Sacramento!

There are several fire dancing troupes in the Sacramento area.  One of these troupes is Unmata, a group made up of five members and headed by Amy Sigil who has been a belly dancer for 12 years and a fire dancer for seven. Almost any kind of dance can be incorporated with fire but the main types Sigil chooses are belly dancing (probably the most common), hula, and hip-hop. Sigil, a very technical dancer, was looking for a way to heat up her routine. “For me,” she said, “fire is just another prop for my dancing.” 

Sequoia of Obsidian Butterfly, another troupe in Sacramento, views fire dancing as more spiritual than technical. “Fire dancing is the sacred spirit working through creative self-expression,” she says.  Sequoia learned the basics of fire dancing from a man she saw practicing poi, a form of juggling native to the Maori in New Zealand, in Golden Gate Park. Fascinated, she asked him to teach her. The few hours he spent teaching her that day began an exploration that has lasted eight years so far.

Like Sigil, Sequoia incorporates belly dancing into her fire dancing. Additionally, she incorporates interpretive dance, ballet, and theatrical dance. She went on to explain, however, that fire dancing has really become a type of dance unto itself. “There’s a precious dance that’s evolved out of it,” she said.

Fire dancing troupes are fairly diverse with the tools they incorporate into their performance. Sigil may choose fire jump ropes, hula hoops, fire bowls, or poi balls. And if you’re really good (or really bad!), you might even get to see the dancers work their magic with a sizzling, hot fire whip. Sequoia and her dancers may use burning tridents, angel wings, or unique meditation symbols.

So do these fire dancing troupes take precautions to ensure that those who play with fire do not get burned? They sure do! “People see fire dancers and think it’s really beautiful and easy, but it takes a lot of practice and skill and being in the right mindset,” Sequoia explained. It also takes fire extinguishers, hoses, fire safety technicians, and wet blankets. Wet blankets meaning wet linens used to extinguish fire.

Sequoia commented on the growing popularity of fire dancing in Sacramento, saying, “It’s definitely an evolving community.”

Sigil furthered that idea by noting, “I really feel that Sacramento has a giant community of fire performers.”  She also lamented the lack of venues at which to perform fire dancing. So what is the solution to help this smoking performance art spread like wildfire in Sacramento? Sigil suggests inviting fire dancers to perform at private parties. Another solution is to join the growing crowds and observe fire dancing for yourself. And what better way to spend the month of October than under the night sky watching the seemingly dangerous, yet delicate art of fire dancing!

Both Unmata and Obsidian Butterfly can be seen at the eighth annual Blood Moon Regal on the evenings of October 24th and 25th at the Brazilian Arts Center on 2427 17th Street for $10.  Obsidian Butterfly will also be doing their very own show on Halloween night in Midtown with tickets ranging from $10- 15 (details to follow on their web site). Additionally, every second Saturday, Unmata may be seen fire dancing outside their studio on 1624 K Street at 7 PM free of charge! So come check out these local events and feel the burn!

For more information on these groups and details on their upcoming appearances, please visit:
obsidianbutterfly.tribe.net
www.unmata.com