To hear Jill Lockhart tell it, standing in front of raucous crowds spinning flaming fans around her head is little more than “just another skill in (her) toolbelt.”
After all, Lockhart has a heavy dance and performance background. She participated in theater in college and high school.
However, occasionally she has a chance to take it all in.
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“We do forget sometimes how cool it is,” she said. “You get lost in it a little bit and just let your movements take over.”
Lockhart will be part of this year’s Immerse Festival in downtown Orlando with her troupe, Fahrenheit Foxes.
Members of the group first met as part of one of Orlando’s most well-known performance groups Phantasmagoria.
Although Lockhart enjoys the performance element, she said it becomes second nature, even if the wow factor is off the charts for first timers in the crowd.
Fahrenheit Foxes will feature three performers on Friday and four on Saturday for Immerse, a three-day arts festival set to take over 10 city blocks, including a good stretch of Orange Avenue.
A thick Kevlar fabric soaked in fuel is wrapped around metal points on each of the fans.
Once ignited, it creates a flame that Lockhart whips around, creating a spectacle that should stop pedestrians in their tracks this weekend.
“It’s really athletic,” said Lockhart, who owns a Crossfit Gym in Orlando. “The style I do is a lot of dance along with the fire fans. It’s a great way to keep in shape.”
Mary “Amora Fire” Reichel has been a fire artist for more than 20 years.
Her career spans decades, having traveled with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, first as a clown and then as a fire performer.
However, during the troupe’s downtime, she asked a fire artist about the skill.
“The first time, I was a big chicken,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy!’ But then I got over the fear and the comfort of being an entertainer took over.”
Now, she performs several feats with fire, including inhaling the flame, holding it in her mouth and spraying liquid to make her look like a fire-breathing dragon.
She said the main reason she continues to perform is the crowd reaction.
“It’s the best,” she said. “That’s why I do it. If they are happy, I’m doing the right thing.”
Reichel received a phone call earlier this month about the Immerse performance. She said having this festival in Orlando should illustrate how much the city has to offer.
“We are not just theme parks,” she said. “There are lots of artists and culture. So many artists come here to be a dancer at Disney then become a part of the theater community.”
As she gets ready for Immerse, Lockhart agrees.
“It’s a magical event,” she said. “I tell my friends it’s the coolest thing. It’s just great to see everyone doing cool things. We are happy to be a part of it and Orlando is very fortunate to have it.”