The Fire & Ice Celebration which occurred in Memorial Park in Port Credit on Saturday the 17th of February 2024, was tailor-made for NorthFIRE Circus and our winter character street performers.

Neighbourhood flyers and newspapers promoting the event promised beautiful ice sculptures and breathtaking fire shows and we were the exclusive dancers specifically contracted to bring the heat.

Below is eleven minutes from the ‘early show’ which is decidedly less intense than their nighttime appearances. This 4:45pm attraction on the flagstone promenade showcased the truly scintillating moves of Isabella Hoops and Stefie Starfire.

On that chilly Saturday afternoon the residents of Port Credit, a lake-front neighbourhood in Mississauga, gathered to mark the Grand Opening of their new 220-metre-long ice-skating trail. This free amenity has been freshly constructed for the public good on the east bank of the Credit River where it meets the lake. This venue has summer attractions too and these include a picnic area, a skateboard ramp and park, and a fully accessible playground complete with basketball nets.

This Family Day Weekend extravaganza was produced by Tourism Mississauga, the Port Credit BIA, and the Port Credit Community Foundation. Several private businesses also pitched-in to help pay for things and many had their brand names emblazoned on the ice sculptures.

Winter themed characters from our dance troupe appeared in colorful costumes and mingled about under the pavillion spinning eye-catching silk streamers, blue hula hoops, and later on, fiery toys.

The newly constructed 3.5-meter-wide skate trail circumnavigates Memorial Park and is more interesting than a pond hockey rink. The scenic course will provide good incentive for local families to get outside and enjoy some healthy winter recreation. This amenity is truly state-of-the-art because of how the builders installed a glycol cooling system to make skating available earlier in the season, and to keep the pipes from freezing in really cold weather. The purpose of this neighbourhood street party was to spread the word about this new development and encourage its widespread adoption and usage.

The ice component of this Fire & Ice extravaganza took the form of local sculptors hand carving interactive displays. A good example was a Tic Tac Toe game set-up vertical but at the perfect height for children to challenge their parents. The artist creating these pieces was on site chiseling big blocks and making masterpieces in front of everyone.

There were a half-dozen other attractions including an inflatable curling game which you can see in the background of the photo below, and there was a photo booth and contest set to capture the best images of the afternoon for posterity.  But of course everyone was keyed up for the fire shows which were highly anticipated. Below is a rare behind-the-scenes snapshot of our superheroes prepping their gear.

Two Dancers in a Red-Hot Fire Show

The grateful crowd in Memorial Park cheered madly as fire dancers Stefie Starfire and Isabella Hoops pranced and pirouetted with rapidly combusting kerosene-soaked props.

There were two shows that day, the first at 4:45pm and the second at 6:30. Each show was five songs in length, but the audience would be hard-pressed to remember any of the music because our dancers were so mesmerizing and impacting, especially for children who may or may not have already burned their hands on a hot stove.

The show, as preserved for posterity in the video embedded above, has all the usual crowd-pleasers including a burning headdress, flaming batons, fiery things on strings, and hula hoops on fire. “Not one, not two, but four flaming hula hoops each!” is how Isabella Hoops introduced the spectacle.

Fire shows are especially fun to watch because of the skill and precision required to handle something so dangerous. The inherent risk of getting seriously burning adds another layer of intrigue to what is already a thrilling visual spectacle. Observers are aware of the risks involved, making the show even more exciting. The skill of these dancers in controlling something so potentially destructive adds to their allure.

Fire dancing requires a lot of practice to make it look easy. These dancers have the ability to safely manipulate fire props such as poi, staffs, hoops, and fans, making fast movements to demonstrate their physical agility and coordination, which is impressive to watch.

The ‘late’ show performed at 6:30 was even larger, in terms of attendance, and it was darker. The absence of daylight adds to the visual experience because the flames tend to strobe into shapes which can affect our perception.

If you’re looking to host a live entertainment fire show anywhere in Southern Ontario, please contact NorthFIRE Circus today.