NorthFIRE Circus has a Fiery Blog

NorthFIRE Circus is a loose confederation of street performers and gymnasts who skillfully entertain crowds by fearlessly juggling fiery things, hula-hooping inside flaming rings, and dancing with fire. They wear burning crowns and wriggle in red hot hoops, in perfect synchronicity, to wow crowds at social gatherings across the province. This crew puts forth an unforgettable show and their triumphs are immortalized in countless spectator videos and fan posts in social media. With such an exciting business it only make sense that NorthFIRE Circus would also have an intriguing blog. Their content looks at their performers’ daily lives and gives little glimpses behind the scenes at live shows.

NorthFIRE Circus blog begins with Kiki saying Hello World in an action-packed open at the Toronto Harbourfront Center. We see a day in the life of Isabella Hoops at work entertaining youngsters by leading them in twirling dance routines. She introduces herself and the NorthFIRE blog by saying this is ‘where we profile our people, and showcase the places we’ve been, and detail our best performances. You can help us by reading our blog posts and commenting, and liking, and sharing our content on social media.’

Northfire’s blog is aimed at readers of all ages and has many entries on elements related to the circus, with insights into creating costumed characters and special instructions regarding hula hooping. Playing with hula hoops offers many benefits for children because it helps develop gross motor skills, balance, body awareness, muscular coordination, and rhythm. Apart from its physical benefits, hooping is great fun for kids and their teachers.

Northfire’s blog details their most recent appearances in film and television. One entry visits an Indy film production to document the crew setting up for a live show outside the Redwood Theatre on Gerrard Ave at Woodbine. The venue became well known for hosting small concerts outside during the pandemic. The Northfire troupe appeared there for an arts series called Music at a Distance and people paid what they could and donated online. In the summer of 2021, the troupe performed The Witches in Theatre on Fire, a dance sequence lit entirely by firepots and handheld sources.

Described as a collaborative fusion of aerial circus and fire dance, the show was set to Jonah K’s electronic music and enhanced by visuals from artist Jax A Muse. We are exploring the relationship between aerial and fire dance and how the sounds of music can bring us together, the NorthFIRE website explains; the Witches reflects feminism by drawing parallels to modern female empowerment and by reclaiming the word ‘Witch.’  NorthFIRE Circus was in Owen Sound in early August 2021 where they performed a show themed Chaos to Calm, which reflected the emotional roller coaster people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The blog displays lots of terrific photography submitted by professionals and passionate social media users who are their followers.

Another post debuts Pyroterra and details new LED light technology which had at that point, just been released in North America. Their new ‘light toys’ are ultra-bright LED hula hoops and other circus juggling equipment which gives performers the ability to customize animation to include corporate logos, company brands and other innovative messaging. The author continues; Since NorthFIRE Circus has started using this technology, we’ve been thrilled by our audiences reactions. We can’t help but smile as we spin the Pyroterra Poi, and faces turn in our direction and people are mesmerized by what they see. Some of our favourite performances are at weddings where we get to customize the LED lights with the bride and grooms’ names. ‘How is she doing that?’ ‘What is that?’ are typical comments that we hear. Ask us about Pyroterra Poi because we are eager to share this new technology with all spectators.

An illuminating blog post explores The History of Fire Dancing as a social exercise throughout history. Fire dancing is ancient form of self expression and an integral part of many cultures’ oldest historical records. It appears in African myths and in Asian and European cave paintings and in the ritual lore of all seven continents. In South America, the ancient Aztecs performed services to the fire god Xiuhtecuhtli, and this fire dance is still performed in Mexico today. French Polynesia, Antiqua, Cuba, Saint Lucia and Bali all have fire dancing as part of their culture and tradition. In Bali, fire dancing was originally used in a trance like ritual called the Sanghyang which was offered as protection to against evil witches.

In addition to showcasing their career highlights, Northfire Circus blog also chronicles some low points and adverse weather conditions where the show-must-go-on despite less than ideal circumstances. Maggie Haze did a fire show in February at the Tiny Seedlings winter festival in Stouffville in minus seven degrees Celsius weather with a gusty wind that seemed heaven-bent on blowing out her flames.

Maggie dazzled onlookers at the front of the stage where there was no escaping the wind. Sudden gusts extinguished her firepot and blew out her fiery crown, but all her other toys stayed lit. Her black cloth balls which she calls fiery things on strings were bedazzling, and the wicks on her hula hoops also burned without interruption. It was marvelous to see her gyrate to keep three burning rings orbiting her body.  She captured and held everyone’s eyes and nobody was cold anymore. We were enthralled.