THEY WEAR BLACK.
This firebreather was part of Controlled Burn’s Compression performance in downtown Reno.
They’re illuminated by city
street lights. Their pupils shrink, focused on the mesmerizing flame at their fingertips. They do not speak, but suddenly crack fuel-covered burning whips, swing blazing canes and fire balls on chains. Tracers of firelight linger in the smoky air. Sparks fly and bounce on the asphalt. Orange-blue stripes of ignited fuel on the ground stroke their dancing feet. Among the battery of fuel cans, extinguishers and heat a member of the clan stands intensely watching and holding an outstretched blanket like an unmanned cape, ready to smother any flame that might catch hold. They are all encircled by a rope that is taped to the ground. At that line stands the audience who shall not cross it for fear of fire.
Sparks’ policies toward fire art aren’t cool, say members of Controlled Burn
R A E F E R I F OF
N ON K KO S S A A L L P LP IIL R R Y Y K K Y B BY
“Amazing,” says Shelly George, booking agent for fire art performing group Controlled Burn. “There is a sound that the fire makes as it is swinging by my head: Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. And it just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. I never get tired of hearing it. As soon as I light up, there is a big smile on my face.” Putting smiles on faces is the art of fire play: from swinging fire around to lighting massive gas-powered flame throwers that suck the life out of the air and can heat faces a half block away. Last month, Controlled Burn lit up for a fundraiser right across the street from the downtown Reno Fire Station. The firefighters stayed inside while fire was played right outside their door. The only alarm being set off by Controlled Burn seems to be the alarm on audiences’ faces. They have performed for thousands, from venues like Aces Ballpark to a collaboration with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra; they’ve performed in Truckee, San Francisco, Nevada City, David Walley’s Resort, Northstar, Squaw Valley Ski Resort, and the mother of all performances is Compression where thousands come to watch the display annually in Reno’s City Plaza. Flame effects trainers from Reno travel to New York, Detroit, New Orleans, Oahu and Toronto to teach others how to fearlessly play with fire. Las Vegas is building a permanent fire stage now and the new owners of the Morris Hotel in downtown Reno plan to. Reno is clearly a beating heart helping to fan the flames of a world-wide fire renaissance. The Reno Fire Department reports that it issues 25 to 30 fire performance permits each year. Their right to perform is even chiseled in state law. But there is one cold spot on the Nevada map for fire performances, one place whose
“FEAR OF FIRE” continued on page
OPINION
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NEWS
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GREEN
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FEATURE STORY
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ARTS&CULTURE
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ART OF THE STATE
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FOODFINDS
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FILM
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MUSICBEAT
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NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
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THIS WEEK
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MISCELLANY
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AUGUST 1, 2013
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14
RN&R
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