Hundreds of people came out for Controlled Burn’s ninth annual Compression Art and Fire Festival this weekend, one of the last events of Artown.
Reno Public Radio’s Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy was there and has more.
The air was heavy with haze and smoke from fire-spouting metal sculptures and burning vehicles. Nearby, Blacksmith Justin Cunningham, a former Controlled Burn dancer, was showing off his metal-working skills.
“It’s a powerful thing, you know, moving things that shouldn’t move," he says. "Heating up and molding steel the way you want it to do.”
As night fell, several performance groups danced alongside fire-twirlers and flame-throwing trucks.
Ricci Kilgore is a disabled fire dancer and a former Paralympic skier. As flames shoot out from the structure above her head she says the thrill outweighs the danger.
“Well, if you play with fire, you definitely get burned. It’s just part of the game but performing in front of people and dancing with fire is worth it to me.”
Controlled Burn will also have installations at Burning Man next month.
Check out our photo gallery below: