Fire Dancing began hundreds of years ago as a ritualistic practice. Over centuries, captivated onlookers watched the superhuman ability of performers to control the most destructive force in nature. To bend it to their will in ways that would leave the average person scarred and singed gave indigenous people belief in otherworldly powers. Its flicker and flashes in the night brought glimpses of the supernatural. The roar of the fire fighting for life whipped through the wind like a call from beyond that only a select few could hear.
A local group assembles every Monday night in front of the Arlene Francis Center in Railroad Square, open to all.
One of the first members of this group was Santa Rosa Junior College welding and automotive major Adam La France. He started spinning fire three years ago.
“I got my start at Burning Man with a couple of friends,” La France said. “We tried to spin in parks, but got into trouble when the police and fire department got called.”
Needing a large concrete place to spin safely, they chose Arlene Francis Center’s parking lot. Through word of mouth they combined with the North Bay Fire Collective and grew from there.
Regular attendees include SRJC students. Computer science major Jeremy Criquet first saw fire spinners at raves. He found himself drawn like a moth to the flame of their mesmerizing dance. He eventually picked up a set of Poi, New Zealand tethered weights used to build wrist flexibility, and began dancing. He’s been practicing his craft for four years now.
German major Valerie Soldate introduced it to her cousin Kelly Loranger. They found fire dancing the next step in developing their previous loves into something more extreme and unique.
“We both loved to dance in high school. Fire dancing gave us an outlet to continue developing our talents. The fire is just an added bonus,” Loranger said.
Soldate stumbled upon the art by chance.
“I saw them out here one night as I happened to randomly walk by,” Soldate said. “It’s an expensive hobby, but in an example of the sense of community between fire spinners, many of my new friends let me borrow their gear before I bought my own. I had to get the fans, even though they’re welded and cost more.”
Unlike other physical arts, fire dancing doesn’t require formal education. Most spinners learn from each other, teach themselves, or use DVD and online resources, but academia recently joined the fire dancing community.
Former SRJC students Joseph Estines and Dominic Triola took courses on Poi at Humbolt State University. Professor Jeremiah Johnston created the first Cal-State Poi class in the system and his students had nothing but good things to say.
“It was a defining moment in my life,” Estines said. “I had spent so many raves tripping my face off on E, just staring at fire spinners. My super dilated pupils have creamed over their performances so many times I had to give it a shot when I saw it on our course schedule.”
A year’s dedication improved Estines’ artistry.
“My orbitals and patterns are getting solid and I’ve been confident enough to start performing at parties and raves, which is great, ‘cause fire spinners get the [Girls]. I mean it. Fire spinning gets you the [Girls].”
Triola, his best friend and roommate shares the same love for Poi but for some more meaningful reasons.
“Poi has changed my life,” Triola said. “It’s a wonderful hobby because not only does it give some exercise, but it also creates that me time. Its very meditative, I can get lost in the moment.”
Triola credits fire dancing for his quitting cigarettes.
“It’s a performance art and it’s given my life purpose,” Triola said. “Fire is just an added bonus that helps your crowd get sucked into the experience.”