Japan Adventures

Yesterday there was all sorts of excitement. In the morning,Darrelland I decided to take it easy and take the train to town for some milk and gloves and a Smart Media card. We rode to the Daito station, home of Jusco, our favorite shopping mall, and the train doors didn't open. We waited patiently, and then the train took off and headed for the next station. Aack! 

When we got off at the next stop and showed the conductor our tickets he glared at us and told us to WAIT, probably intending that we should get on the next train headed back and not miss our freakin' stop this time. The next train was in 50 minutes, and it was an outdoor station (and freezing and windy).. ugh. We decided instead to walk back to the Daito station.. it couldn't be THAT far.

So much for a relaxing, "take it easy" day..

But it truly wasn't that far. We made it back in about an hour, at approximately the same time as the train, with lots of exploring along the way.

After our shopping misadventures, we came in to the park to do our shows, and at our first big show, Fukai our fire safety told us the second big show (at the Palace) was cancelled that night.

You see, our wicks are BIG. They use a lot of fuel. We conserve as best we can, but we have still been going through 2 1/2 cans of white gas every day. Huis ten Bosch is providing our fuel and they underestimated the amount we'd use. It's been a solid week of holidays over here, and every business but ours is closed, it seems. So, Huis ten Bosch hasn't been able to find us any more fuel. The last couple days we've been scaling back the shows a bit and squeeeeezing every last drop possible out of our wicks before lighting them, to make it last. There was even a note on the fuel can today that said "This is the last can! Please make it last through one big show and two mini shows today. More fuel should arrive tomorrow".

So we squeezed and stretched and saved about 1/3 of the can for the two mini shows, and then decided to go out for coffee with our unexpected time off. We headed back to the dressing room and then got a call from our manager - "Where are you?? Your Palace show starts in 8 minutes!"

Turns out the left hand wasn't talking to the right hand.. they'd stashed away some more fuel at the Palace and the audience was gathered, expecting a show.

By this time Sequoia had gone home for the night, and it was Shaina's day off.. so Darrell and I grabbed our stuff and hauled ass for the Palace (3/4 mile away). We got there, soaked our tools in record time, and pulled off our 4-person show with just the two of us, starting only 6 minutes behind schedule.

Luckily the stage at the palace is small, so we were able to fill it fairly well. I don't know if the audience could tell that we were missing half the troupe. :)

There's a quick-change after the palace show, and we were already running behind, so we grabbed our stuff and RAN back to the van, which pealed out and took us to the fire canal, where we soaked and were ready to go for the mini shows with 3 minutes to spare. (One thing I LOVE about the Japanese - they are as ridiculously punctual as I am!)

Nothing like the unexpected to kick your adrenaline back into gear. :)

Japan - Day 4

Today was a lighter show day - only 5 shows instead of 7.   We are very much appreciating the break, and took advantage of the shorter work day to have an epic shopping trip (hot plate!  yes!  no more microwaved fish!) and to go see a delightful magic show (fire illusionist FTW).  Also I got a wonderful massage, wherein they shiatsu-ed the tightness away and then encased my legs in the fabulous Leg Massage Machine, which squeezed and squeezed and squeezed until I was in absolute heaven.  These cobblestone streets do take their toll on the ol' feet.

Tomorrow we will (hopefully) get our loaner bikes, which will give us a bit more freedom to explore.  We've got a heavier show schedule for the weekend but then it lightens up again for the weekdays, and we'll also start getting to take days off fairly soon.  I think we're all a bit wiped out and in need of a rest, but our show keeps getting better and better.

It's an interesting phenomenon.. as our show gets tighter, we seem to get more dissatisfied with it.  New interactions emerge, we get more laughs and more applause, and we really start to notice all the bits that don't work as well as they could.  We'll absolutely ROCK a piece of one show, and if it's back to "normal" at the next show we feel like failures.

We're also feeling the effects of oh-so-many shows and starting to get a lot of singed hair and mini burns, especially on our hands.  When the weather is really cold outside, that also takes its toll.  I'm impressed with everyone's resilience and grateful that our bodies work so very well -- in spite of minor things like burns and illness and below-freezing weather we are still jumping around, doing acrobatics and playing with fire.  My troupe members RULE!

This first week is the most demanding of the whole run.  Soon we'll settle into a comfortable routine and have a little time to relax, enjoy, and explore.  For now it's all about getting through the weekend.. and I have absolute faith that we're gonna rock it.

Fire Pixie in New Zealand April 11-30, 2012

Fire Pixie is traveling to New Zealand and we are ALL kinds of excited.  It's a trip for both business and pleasure.. we will be visiting some friends, making connections for clothing sales, and doing as much fire dancing as we can handle.

We will be based in Wellington but traveling all around the country.  We've got one performance lined up at a fantastic private party, and would love to bring our firey firey fire show to more Kiwis.  So let's do this!

Fire Pixie is a professionally run fire dance troupe which performs at a wide variety of venues in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. We present different styles of fire performance, from tribal, hand-drum driven shows to beautiful flamenco-style dance to polynesian luau fire shows - whatever fits the mood of your party.

We are extremely safety-conscious and insured for up to $2M.  Our show has been featured all over the globe - we have wowed audiences in Japan, Bermuda, Brazil, Hawaii, Thailand and Jamaica as well as all over the USA.  We're high-end and professional, but giving very low rates for shows in New Zealand - we really want to perform for you!

If you'd like to book us for a show, or are curious about whether we'd be right for your party please fill out our rate request form or contact us at 510.367.4517.