Book The Great Medicine Show
Fire performers and fire dancers for events
Fire breathing, fire fans, poi, staff, fire belly dance and fire aerial, performed to a live DJ set by a crew that has lit up festival main stages and Austin warehouses for years.
What a Great Medicine Show fire set looks like
The music drops, the lights go down, and the fire comes out on the beat. Our fire performers do not work to a phone speaker. They work to a live DJ set of original bass music, so every fire set builds and lands with the track. That is what makes a fire show feel like a show and not a demonstration.
A set can include:
- Fire breathing: a column of flame into the night sky, the moment everyone films.
- Fire fans and fire poi: fast, close and loud, the heart of most fire sets.
- Fire staff and fire hoop: big circles of light that read from the back of a festival field.
- Fire belly dance: our belly dancers work with fire too, which almost nobody else offers.
- Fire aerial: an aerialist working with flame, for the moment you want gasps.
How the night is timed
Most outdoor events get three 15 minute fire sets across the evening, inside a DJ set of 2 to 4 hours. That spacing keeps the energy climbing and gives each fire set its own moment instead of burning everything in the first hour. Indoors the fire sets are shorter, or we switch to the LED version below.
Indoor events: the LED version
Ballrooms, hotels and many venues do not allow live flame. For those rooms we perform the same choreography with LED poi, LED staffs and LED fans, plus glowing LED wings. The DJ, the dancers and the roaming performers do not change, so the show keeps its shape.
Fire permits and planning
Fire needs planning, and we plan it with you. Book at least two weeks ahead for any show with fire; in Austin the fire permit is filed 14 days before the event. Four weeks is better. Tell us the venue early and we will work out with you and the venue where the fire happens and when.
Where our fire has been
Our fire performers have played Unison Festival in Colorado, PlayThink in Kentucky, High Vibe Fest in California and the Alchemical Bass Symphony at Indra's Awarehouse in Austin, a night that brought circus arts and fire to a bass music bill. See the full show archive.
Who books fire with us
Festivals that want a main stage moment. Corporate events that want an opening nobody forgets; see corporate entertainment. Private parties, weddings and retreats, especially outdoors in the Texas Hill Country. If you are in Austin, there is no travel to add.
At a glance
| Based in | Austin, Texas. Touring the US, with shows in Mexico and Canada |
|---|---|
| Cast | From 1 (a DJ set) to 12 performers (the full production) |
| Disciplines | DJ and producer, fire performers, belly dancers, sword and veil work, LED and winged dancers, aerial, roaming costumed performers, sound bowls and storytelling |
| Set lengths | A DJ set of 2 to 4 hours across the evening, with three 15 minute fire sets outdoors (shorter indoors) |
| Sound | We plug into the venue's or AV company's sound system |
| Indoors | The same show with LED poi, staffs and fans in place of live flame |
| Notice | Four weeks preferred. At least two weeks for any show with fire |
| Travel | The quote is the creative fee. Flights, lodging and ground transport are billed separately at cost |
Questions planners ask
How much notice do you need for a fire show?
At least two weeks, because the fire permit is filed 14 days ahead in Austin. Four weeks is better, especially for corporate events and festivals.
Can fire dancers perform indoors?
Usually not with live flame, so indoors we perform the same set with LED poi, staffs, fans and wings. Some venues allow fire with approval; tell us the venue and we will ask.
How long is a fire set?
Fifteen minutes is the usual outdoor fire set, three of them across an evening with a DJ set of 2 to 4 hours. Indoors the sets are shorter.
Do you perform fire without the DJ?
We can, but the show is built to the music. Fire set to a live DJ is what we are known for.
Do you travel outside Austin?
Yes, for festivals, corporate events and private shows across the US. The quote is the creative fee and travel is billed separately at cost.