Sage J. Rashada
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Dancer
It is rare to find a performer that possess the unique ability to take an audience on a mystical journey using breath-taking theatrics that are virtually magic. Watching Sage perform her fire-eating routine was as thrilling as I would imagine watching a Josephine Baker performance would be. Costumed in a red and black satin burlesque ensemble, her two toned braids are piled on top of her head and perfectly adorned with a feather. With nothing but candle-light surrounding her, she performs in front of a fireplace holding a fire fan of burning coals with Tom Waits playing as she stops occasionally to effortlessly swallows a flame.
Her old school showmanship is derived from her fascination with the circus which heavily inspires her fire-eating performances. Her fascination with the flame began when she interned for a glassblower in Austin, TX around the same time when she saw her first fire performer. She studied fire performing with the world renowned fire performer Claire de Luxe and learned fire eating from Natalie Zarelli.
We sat down with Sage and she shares why she chooses art:
I choose art because its almost like creating something not necessarily to just pass down, but even what you create in present that affects people now. That’s enough for me. That’s what affects me the most. Performing, entertaining people, or seeing what comes out of my mind has always been really important to me because it can help transport me and other people in the process. Fire is a super meditative thing. A lot of times you are blinded by your flame, so you can’t see the audience but you have to engage as much as possible.
I love performing not for the cheers and applause but the crazy adrenaline boost I get right before I go on. Maybe I’m a little bit of a masochist, but I crave that nervousness, pain and vulnerability that precedes the moment of actually letting go. Once you’re actually up there, you’re up there. You can’t run off crying. You don’t have any other option.
Love Sage as much as we do? Check out more of her on her Facebook page.
