Free fire-spinning show is the hottest Final Friday event around

Tony Montano is a fire-breather.

The only difference between him and the dragons of yore: He’s aided by mouthfuls of lantern oil.

“I like to use Ultra-Pure Lamp Oil – some people use Camp Fuel lantern oil, but that’s a lot more combustible,” Montano said of his fire-breathing preferences.

Montano is a member of Phlox, a group of Wichita-based performers who specialize in fire-spinning.

Fire-spinning is a type of performance art in which performers spin lit flame throwers and torchlike objects in front of an audience.

Nearly every Final Friday, the group attracts large crowds in Old Town Square, where it performs free shows for the late-night crowds, accompanied by a DJ spinning EDM tracks.

Those performances started as “renegade” shows – rogue fire performers spinning in the open square – but have since become a regular highlight of Final Friday evenings.

The group has become a “fire family” for its members, who range in age and profession.

“The art of fire spinning to me is kind of a connection between us and the elements,” said Madison Light, a fire-spinner with Phlox. “We really get to control something that you really can’t control.”

Spinning with Phlox

One minute, Phlox member JB Clementi spins a “fire fan,” and the next, he’s put down the fire to play with his toddler.

Then his partner, Madison Light, takes a spin with her own poi – a weighted ball drenched in fuel and then spun on a rope or chain.

At a Phlox rehearsal earlier this week, performers deftly maneuvered their bodies in and out of lit hula-hoops and did limbo-esque moves under a long torch.

And that’s before adding the costumes.

For Phlox’s Final Friday shows, its members are typically dressed up in a theme – this Friday’s theme is “Masquerade.”

It’s since expanded beyond Final Fridays – the group is regularly hired for performances at various venues, including at the upcoming Autumn and Art festival at Bradley Fair.

Most of its members have been spinning for years now – though some, like Montano, are relatively fresh to the art of fire-spinning.

About a year ago, Montano started spinning a pair of nunchuks. Now he spins a variety of props, in addition to the fire-breathing.

“I’ve been a pyro at heart my whole life,” he said. “But one day I went to this party ... and (a Phlox member) was sitting there spinning poi on fire, and it blew my mind. I just didn’t realize that you could take something that you love – for instance, I love fire – and turn it into an art.”

They’re not recklessly spinning flaming props, though. The group follows rigorous safety protocols, Clementi said.

“One of the reasons we’ve been so successful is we’re all really safe and organized about how we do it,” he said.

Acting Fire Marshal Stu Bevis concurs.

He’s worked with Phlox in recent months to ensure they adhere to city and state guidelines.

In April, a city ordinance was revised to allow public fire performances, as long as they follow safety guidelines.

Phlox leaders have been certified by the State Fire Marshal’s office, Bevis said.

“The State Fire Marshal’s Office has to license people, whether it’s a fireworks shooter or pyrotechnics shooter at Intrust Bank Arena,” Bevis said. “(Members of) Phlox went up there and went through testing ... to make sure they’re following national standards.”

Phlox will perform at this month’s Final Friday and again in September – then it starts training for next year’s season.

Catch the group in Old Town Square near Second and Mead from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/phloxkansas.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Free fire-spinning show is the hottest Final Friday event around."