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Cover Story - Entertaining danger
Leighton Williams, Staff Reporter
THEY flaunt arrogance in the face of danger, cause others to gasp in awe at their performance and at the same time feel the thrill of satisfaction running through their bodies. They are people who put themselves in certain danger just to entertain others. They participate in dangerous entertainment and they love it. From playing with crocodiles, to walking on broken bottles; their quest for that ultimate satisfaction knows no bounds. They keep on going night after night surviving nerve-racking moments most of which are unknown to the audience. "It's dangerous and it makes me feel good. Knowing I can control the fire and do almost anything I want with it gives me the thrills," explains Uriel Bonner, a fire dancer for 20 years, who has performed at hotels across the island. Peter Weller, psychologist, believes people who engage in dangerous entertainment do it for various reasons. "Some people are genetically in need of that kind of arousal so they engage in dangerous practices that will bring pleasure. Others believe it's a sign of manhood and by taking on these dangerous acts they are being manly," he revealed. Uriel is not the only one who derives pleasure from the danger of his art. Leroy Porter also gets pleasure from his trade. Leroy walks on broken bottles barefooted and is also a fire dancer. "I dance limbo under fire sticks and walk on broken bottles. The pleasure I get when people are watching and enjoying it makes me want to continue," Leroy, who has 23 years of experience under his belt, confessed. To them the danger of the art begins in the mind. It's a case of mind over matter as Leroy puts it. Once you've told your mind that you won't get hurt nothing is there to stop you. Uriel, for example, mixes kerosene and gasolene to achieve the right blend for his fire. He readily confesses that it is dangerous, but for the pleasure of hearing the cheers he continues. He's not the only one who flirts with danger on a regular basis. "I have already been bitten by a crocodile while practising when I was younger. It was nothing serious though," explained Diego Armando Garcia of the International Holiday Circus. Diego practices playing with the crocodiles every night. He uses his hands to pry their mouths open before putting his head inside for a short while. A dangerous practice, but like the others he'll tell you the joy of hearing the crowd applauding and cheering has kept him doing it for the past seven years. He is not the only one who has been hurt in the line of duty. Uriel was once burnt on the arm after some kerosene spilt on his arm early in his career while he was mixing it with gasoline. He had started performing when his hands caught fire. Applauding "People thought it was a part of the act and started applauding and I rolled in the sand until it was out. My arms still have the scars," he said. Burns cuts and bites are not the only thing they worry about. The kerosene also does its share of damage. For Robert Young, another fire dancer who performs on the North coast, failure to wash after his act can cause him spots on his hands as the kerosene burns his skin. "Dangerous things can happen if the kerosene gets inside your system. It's best to keep control of the amount of kerosene you use," said Robert, who has been fire dancing for 16 years. The adventurous men will tell you that the early days are the most dangerous. That's the time you get most injuries. However, day by day, night after night the trade becomes easier until the pain doesn't matter anymore and it is increasingly difficult to get hurt. But with all the dangers involved all the fire dancers and Diego say they would teach their craft to anyone interested. They know that it can be dangerous in the early days, but someone taught them too so they will gladly impart their knowledge to the young ones. "Yeah man. I would encourage anybody to, but be careful because I've seen people get burnt. Some of my children want to learn it and my friend say I should teach them but I want them to do something else," Robert explained. "I'd let anybody doing this know they would get hurt. I've got burns mostly on my hands and back so I know what it feels like," explained Hubert Shaw, another fire dancer. The artists say their families support them in their efforts and are always behind them. They will tell you too it is the income earner and they have material gains to show for it. The family therefore supports their efforts since it is all some of them do for a living. But for all it's worth, with the exception of Diego, none of the others are insured. "I'm not insured because I don't think about any disaster happening. But I should though," Leroy explained. For now only Hubert and Uriel are thinking of quitting the profession. They are fearful of the damage the kerosene might do if it gets in their 'system'. For Hubert, he will continue to balance chairs with children on it on his head but that's about it. The others will still labour on. No matter what, the pleasure of the shouts and cheers will drown out the danger they face each time they perform. IMAGINE what you would do if your father, or husband, or brother were involved in an art that could cause him serious injury or possibly death. Not something you'd want to think about but for some of the family members of fire dancers it is something they think about every day. For Karen Robinson, girlfriend of fire dancer Leroy Porter, the idea of her loved one doing such an act is not something she's fond of. "I think it's dangerous but he likes it. No, I wouldn't do it, or encourage my children to do it, but he likes it very much and that's why he still does it," she explained. She's not the only one who thinks it's dangerous. Janet Shaw, Robert Young's girlfriend, also thinks it's dangerous but she isn't perturbed by it. "I think it's dangerous but I don't feel anyway about him doing it. He likes it so I guess that's why he does it," she said. They're not the only ones who have family members involved in dangerous forms of entertainment. Diego Armando Garcia is involved in the circus where he performs an act with crocodiles every night. His wife, Elena Zahkarova, thinks it's pretty dangerous but doesn't see it as a problem. "I don't have a problem with it. I don't know if it's because I'm also involved with the circus," said the pregnant Elena, who will be having twins later this year. Even though they think it's dangerous, they all enjoy watching their spouses perform. Janet and Karen watch their spouses at the hotels on the North Coast and at other locations while Elena views her husband at the circus. To them, it's simply breathtaking. They use words such as unbelievable and incredible to describe the performances of their spouses. "I enjoyed his performance very much. I wouldn't try it and I've never asked him how him do it," said Janet Shaw.
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