History of Fire - Stage 6 Productions - Fire Performance for the Urban Masses

Home

Crew

Events Calendar

Burning Man 2008

Contact


	History of Fire


	The Fire...

	Fire is a powerful element. It s discovery alone changed human life forever. Through out time fire has played a significant role in the history of man kind. Dating back to the prehistoric cave man, who s quest to dominate and utilize fire has molded our very way of life. Human beings have always been fascinated by fire. Using it for everything from cooking our food, to heating our homes. Also, since the dawn of civilization, cultures have used fire as a form of artistic expression. Performers have a deep understanding for the flame and know that by no means do they ever have total control over it. We are simply allowed to manipulate its captivating ability, and know that at any point we become too confident in our ability it can and will turn on us. And that fact alone, the danger and mysteries of this element is what attributes to the attraction of this unique art form. For artists, fire can be both a subject matter and a tool that supplies the implements and raw materials used to create their art, or a means by which the art itself is created. The various tools used by the fire performance community borrow from a variety of sources. many have martial sources like swords, staves, poi, and whips, where some seem specifically designed for the fire community. The use of these tools are limited only by the imaginations of their users. Some tools lend themselves to rhythmic swinging and twirling, others to martial kata, and others to more subtle use.

	Some of the more common tools are:

		Poi - A pair of roughly arm-length chains with handles attached to one end, and bundle of wicking material on the other.

		Staff - A rod of wood or metal, with wicking material applied to one, or both ends. Staves are generally used in pairs or individually, though many performers are now experimenting with three or more staves.

		Fire Hoop - Hula hoop with spokes and wicking material attached.

		Nunchaku - Nunchaku with wicking material, usually at either end.

		Fire stick - Like a traditional devil stick, with wicks on both ends of the center stick.

		Fire Meteor - A long length of chain or rope with wicks, or small bowls of liquid fuel, attached to both ends.

		Torch - A short club or torch, with a wick on one end, and swung like Indian clubs or tossed end-over-end like juggling clubs.

		Fire Sword - either a real sword modified for fire, or one specifically built for the purpose of fire shows.

		Fire-Knives - Short staves with blades attached to the ends and wicking material applied to the blade. Fire knives are the traditional Polynesian fire implement and have been in use since the 1940s.

		Fire Rope Dart - A wick, sometimes wrapped around a steel spike, at the end of a rope or chain ranging from 6-15 feet long, with a ring or other handle on the opposite end.

		Chi Ball - 2 rings or handles with a wick attached between them by a thin wire.

		Fans - A large metal fan with one or more wicks attached to the edges.

		Finger Wands - Short torches attached to individual fingers.

		Palm Torches - Small torches with a flat base meant to be held upright in the palm of the hand.

		Fire Whips - Lengths of braided Kevlar tapered to make a bullwhip, usually with a metal handle about 12 inches long

		Fire Breathers - Among all of the fire arts, Fire breathing is one of the most captivating of them all. It ranks as the most dangerous of all the fire performance arts. In the scale of all performance arts, it ranks third, under glass eating and sword swallowing in the list of most dangerous.

		Fire breathers are artists- their blood, sweat, and tears go into making every performance their best, or they could literally go up in flames! Primarily practiced years ago, it still pops up in the odd festival or carnival, and always met with curiosity and excitement. Our Fire Breathers are among some of the world's best, and have also been involved in World Record setting projects, such as The Oceans of Fire Project, held each year at the Burning Man event.