Sophie Latreille
“The trick is to keep it moving,” Sophie Latreille of
Fire Weavers told
The Ottawa Citizen. “If the fire just brushes you lightly, it won’t burn you, so as long as you’re moving, it’s all good.” Latreille has, however, experienced the unmistakeable scent of her hair being singed and the occasional “love bite”, as she calls it. The 36-year-old mother of two calls it “fire weaving” for the way the residual trails of fire are imprinted long enough in viewers’ minds for her to create woven patterns of light. It was in Mexico that she first encountered a fire show, with two young circus performers rehearsing on a beach. As soon as she saw them, Latreille knew it was something she wanted to try. Today Latreille’s workload varies; at festivals she might perform a half dozen times in a day, followed by stretches in which she might not work for a week or two. But she estimates she performs close to 100 shows each year, and especially likes those at the annual summertime Lumière festival at Stanley Park in New Edinburgh, which she and two colleagues close off with a dramatic nighttime fire show. “The festival creates this magical ambience, and then we perform out in a very dark, dark field with our fire at the end of the night. It’s a beautiful place to perform.” Additionally, she teaches a half dozen times a week, running circus programs for children and more fitness-geared classes for adults. One of her favorite tricks is to spin a burning hula hoop on her foot while doing a headstand. “That’s a crowd favourite,” she says. “And spinning the fire really, really fast, and the more fire, the better. The audience does like danger. Everyone always asks ‘Why? Why would you get into spinning fire around your body? It’s such a dangerous thing to do.’ But it’s also something that’s really beautiful and very thrilling.” Find out more and watch her video interview at
The Ottawa Citizen.
Comments
comments
