Playing with fire: Local fire dancer shares a few tips of his scorching trade
Professional fire dancer, Kevin Voster from Nirvana, says the hobby can be a dangerous, if one is not careful.
POLOKWANE – He spoke to the REVIEW about his extraordinary venture, which he calls a hobby and career. “Fire dancing is fun, it is art and involves the manipulation of fire as part of entertaining the audience. I started small with a group of friends in Flora Park, where we used to entertain clients and their guests at weddings and parties. This is until I moved to Pretoria where I am now entertaining larger crowds and working with big names in the music and entertainment industry,” he explained.
Kevin has opened for musicians such as the Parlotones and Martin Bester whom he says opened doors and afforded him opportunities to grow as a fire dancer. See him in action below.
He gave REVIEW a few pointers of what a fire dancer must be weary of and always keep in mind before and when they start dancing with fire professionally.
These include:
1. One must have and posses certain skills in order to be a great fire dancer, explained Kevin. One must be able to juggle, baton twirle, poi spin, and other forms of object manipulation. It also includes skills such as fire breathing, fire eating, and body burning; sometimes called fakir skills.
2. You need to be comfortable around fire enough to play with fire.
3. Never play with fire or go on stage while intoxicated, whether it is by medicine or any other form of drugs.
4. Check to see that the equipment you use to fire twirl, is free from damage. This includes loose screws, frayed wick, deteriorating grips or other obvious defects.
5. Only perform tricks during your performance that you are comfortable with and confident to do – ones that you have practiced before you go on stage.
6. Be mindful and weary of dangers such as overhanging tree branches, curtains or any other clothes or dry grass or plants that can easily catch fire.
7. Beware of wind direction and how strong the wind is. This may result in the fire deviating from its course and travel in wrong direction.
9. Make sure you have a lot of space around you for movement while you are fire dancing or spinning.
10. Never use fuel you are unfamiliar with.
Read more about Kevin Voster’s fire dancing journey in next week’s Bonus Review newspaper.
