For most of her youth, Sequoia Criteser (pictured above) was petrified of fire. As a child, she would not have imagined starting a career as a fire dancer 13 years ago. She first tried the artform down by the American River, when another dancer handed her the equipment to try fire poi, a style of performance art that usually involves swinging tethered, fiery weights around in rhythmic and geometric formations.
Dancers like Sequoia (her stage name) also use fire fans. “My arms were stiff, and I was super afraid,” says Sequoia of that original experience. She’s no longer afraid. She now trains her fire dance troupe, Sacred Fire Dance Company, in fire safety and previously worked with the Sacramento Fire Department to develop a set of safety protocols for her business — Obsidian Butterfly
Her professional firedancing career has led her to perform at festivals, state fairs, parties, midtown Sacramento’s Second Saturday and numerous other venues. Sequoia estimates she has performed “thousands and thousands” of times, and as far away as Japan.
Sequoia Criteser moved from Oregon to California in her mid-20s, and during a visit to Hippie Hill at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, she saw poi — with lights instead of fire — for the first time.
“I still have the visual in my mind: bright colors everywhere, and people dancing with props and people dancing without props. And I was like, ‘What is that?’”
Sequoia worked for a fiber optic company at the time, making decent money, but the job was so boring she quit without any concrete plan for what to do next. “The only plan was: I am not happy, and I am following my heart.” She lived in her van and traveled around; during this time, her love of performance art took shape. She’s never looked back.
Woman on Fire
Throwing flames with Sequoia Criteser