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Page Sixteen
LIGHTING TORCHES
There are many different ways to ignite stage fire-eating torches. Some performers prefer to keep some sort of fire, large or small, burning onstage throughout the show. Others only light their torches as needed. The trigger-type sparkers made and sold for lighting campstoves and camp lanterns are extremely handy. These usually have some sort of ring or hole on the end of the handle part. You can buy a spring-loaded chain with a belt-clip, called a "key-back" or similar name. These are for carrying keys on your belt, of course, but if you connect the key ring to the sparker, you can rest assured that you will never be caught without a means of lighting your torches. Just grab the sparker hanging from your belt, spark it on a torch, and let go. The sparker returns to your belt leaving your hands free immediately. No need to feel around making sure it's in your pocket or wherever, and you can fully concentrate on the torches themselves.
The Ronson Aim-N-FlameŽ and cheaper imitations are good too, but lack any way of connecting them to a retriever. They can be pocketed or laid on a table when not needed. I have personally had the frustrations of these things not lighting onstage, even though they worked fine in backstage setup. When they fail you onstage, you are left to stand there like a fool, repeatedly pulling the trigger on the blamed thing while the audience chuckles. They do seem to empathize with your predicament, which leads me to believe that most people do have trouble with these lighters themselves...
Many performers like to have a candle as their torch-lighting source. No need to go into detail here on the many sizes, shapes, colors, and varieties of candles. Just remember that outdoors even a large heavy-duty candle may not stay burning throughout your show.
You should always have some alternate means of ignition. It gets pretty embarrassing for a big-shot fire-eater to be reduced to asking the audience if anyone has a match or lighter. They will sometimes thing it is a gag, and sometimes you may actually get no offers of a light! For a bit of audience-participation, you can deliberately ask an audience member (make sure it's an adult) to light your first torch for you. That way they are impressed by the sudden big flame and heat radiating off it. But be extremely careful any time you light a torch in or near the audience. Get it back onstage as quickly and safely as possible. If you like the idea of having a spectator light one of your torches, the safest way is to have them step up to the front of the stage. The moment the torch lights, pull it back and away from the audience member, and politely thank them and ask them to return to their seat.
Sporting-goods and camping supply stores carry a clever little item that consists of a rod of pure magnesium with a smaller rod of flint glued on. You scrape this flint with a small piece of steel bar or hacksaw blade, and a good strong stream of sparks is issued. This is great for renaissance fairs and theme events where matches and lighters would be "non-period" and out of place. The sparks thrown from one of these are more than enough to light a fuel-soaked torch. The magnesium part is for lighting campfires in damp or windy conditions. You'd scrape off a small pile of magnesium shavings and then direct the sparks onto this pile. The magnesium filings burn hot enough to ignite damp kindling. As a torch lighter, there is no need for this magnesium part, since the flint spark alone is more than enough to ignite a fuel-soaked torch.
TRAILING A TORCH
"Trailing" refers to wiping a burning torch on a part of your body, arm, leg, or hand, leaving a trail of burning fuel on your skin. It's how the "flame dancers" in the adult night clubs make their reputation (see the italicized paragraph within Tips Page 2).
There is just something erotic about seeing (and feeling) a torch run over the skin and the trail of fire it leaves. If you have hair on your arm or leg or part of the body the torch touches, the first couple times that hair is going to burn. It takes a couple of passes before the hair is completely burned off. Many performers prefer to shave the area before doing this. I myself, just incorporate it into the act. ("...Whoops! I hate when that happens!") When the audience sees (and maybe smells) your hair on fire, there is much less chance of their trying THAT one at home. The more hair you have, the longer it's going to take to burn, and the more chance of burning your skin. Unless you want the effect of burning hair, and don't mind if it causes your skin to get burned as well, it may be better and safer to shave before the show. You needn't shave your whole body. -Just the area where you know you'll be "trailing" the torch.
For this to work properly, don't shake off the torch quite as much as you would if you were going to "mouth" it. You want it to leave a bit of fuel on whatever it touches, but at the same time, it should not drip. Be gentle with this torch. If it's wet enough to trail, it's wet enough to throw flaming droplets when swung. Throw kisses, jokes, or insults at the audience, but please don't throw fire at them!
Good timing is important for effective trailing. It is possible to just run a fairly dry torch along your skin and leave a small flame that goes out in a matter of a few seconds. This is mainly fumes and almost no actual fuel. But the most effective and thrilling way to do the trailing is by having the torch wet enough that it actually leaves a wet line of fuel. You'll be able to see this line through the flames, though the audience won't. Now the timing factor comes into play. Practice will tell you about how long you can bear the heat of this flame on your skin. Everyone is different in this aspect. But the moment it becomes unbearable to you is the moment you casually wipe your free hand through the flames, relieving yourself of the need to scream or swear onstage. Done with a straight face or sensuous smile, and never wincing, this can be a very effective presentation, whether in a night club or a church. When you run your hand through the flame, extinguishing it, it should NOT appear to the audience that you can't take any more. To them it should appear that you have lain it down, and now you are taking it up. -Nothing more, nothing less. You can do this once, or repeat it several times. If you choose to repeat it, it's advisable to do the second trail on a slightly different section of skin. Give the first area a chance to cool down. Unlike your palms, some parts of your body such as stomach or arms -and especially the underside of the arm- are much more sensitive and cannot tolerate repeated contacts with fire in a short timespan. This also adds some variety to the performance.
THE "RAPTURE" (See Photo Page two)
This is an unusual effect that I actually discovered by accident years ago. Some people said they liked that part and wanted to see it again. Up to that point, I was not even aware I was doing it. I call it the "rapture" because a photo of it resembles the biblical depiction of the Holy Spirit in the form of a flame over one's head. Although the name is mine, the performance of this effect, or something very similar to it, has been described to me by others on occasion.
In actual practice, the effect is a sudden burst of fire rising up from a torch or other flame which has apparently just been extinguished in the mouth. This takes place when I have two torches at once in my mouth. I have never really tried it with one torch, but I suppose it would work the same. What happens is, I cross the two torches and insert in my mouth. Biting the shafts just above (or behind?) the heads so that the heads are completely within my mouth, I let go with my hands and move them away. Maintaining no breath movement, I hold these torches for several seconds to allow a nice colorful flame to rise from my mouth. I then begin to draw in (NOT inhale!) on the air and fumes, causing the flame to appear to have died. Then I let out a single puff, similar to the way a smoker would blow smoke rings. The flaming fumes rise up and dissipate, and the effect is over. Occasionally, it takes more than that single puff to emit the flames and cause the torches to go out. Sometimes too, the torches may be a bit too heavy on fuel, or a breeze is blowing wrong, and I cannot get the flame to rise up and away. In this case I am forced to remove the torches, take a deep breath, and try again. Remember, the entire time your head is back with the torches held in your mouth, you cannot inhale. Taking a good size breath just before putting them in helps. But if you have problems getting the fire out, you're going to HAVE to stop to take another breath. I personally know what it feels like to accidentally inhale with a flaming torch in your mouth. I DO NOT look forward to doing that again!
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