Suzanne Karioki

If you’re ever watching 2017’s “The Greatest Showman,” you might notice a local face amongst the performers.

Sasha the Fire Gypsy is a dancer, contortionist, acrobat and much more; and her list of talents is especially surprising when you consider that she had never done any sort of performing until she found her passion in fire arts.

“I didn’t even know fire dancing existed until I was 18 in 2005 and living in Florida,” she explains. “I saw them gather on Clearwater Beach to just play together and practice. That was the moment everything in my life changed.”

Sasha had always been drawn to fire “from a very young age.” At Assabet Valley Regional Vocational High School, she majored in Metal Fabrication, a demanding but rewarding line of work that makes heavy use of heat and fire. “I just loved how you could use fire and electricity to create beautiful works of metal art,” she said.

While Sasha learned the art of metal fab in school, she learned the performing arts through rigorous practice and under the guidance of the same performers who inspired her during her time in Florida. “I learned as much as I could from them and practiced during every waking moment. It became my life.” In Florida, Sasha learned how to put on a show, but also how to use and build new props. By the time she returned to Massachusetts in 2008, she had the skills and knowledge to retire from metal fab and become a full-time performer.

As much as she loves her job, being a full time artist involves an incredible amount of work and sacrifice behind the scenes. “A lot of people think performing is an easy ‘you just show up and do a dance for 20 minutes and go home’ kind of a thing,” she said. “Running a business, especially a performance business, is the kind of business when you’re never off the clock.” When she’s not in front of an audience, she is often awake far beyond midnight, answering emails, sewing her own costumes, practicing new choreography and writing contracts. Her performing hours are hectic too: “Occasionally, I will have three events on a night with different costume changes. It can be pretty chaotic!”

But even that chaos doesn’t slow her down; her already impressive portfolio also includes a separate business called New England Mermaids, which provides “professional and realistic Mermaid entertainment for both swimming and dry events” along the east coast. Their mermaid tails are all custom made, designed to look and feel real, while the performers themselves are trained to be expressive while interacting with guests and filming under the water.

After over a decade of full time performance, Sasha still loves what she does: “I love what I do because it brings joy to people of all ages. Just watching their reactions as I perform makes me so happy.”

Indeed, it’s hard to not be stunned by what she can do. One of the videos on her website shows her eating and breathing fire, effortlessly twirling sparklers and flaming batons while quite literally bending over backwards for a mesmerized crowd. In another performance, she’s a dream of lights, dancing in a costume fitted with wings dotted with LEDs. In yet another video, she floats in the air on silk, held in an aerial hammock using not much more than her own strength to stay afloat as she soars over the audience.

Although she performs as Sasha the Fire Gypsy, she has a whole host of talents that put her in very high demand; even while pregnant and currently plagued with morning sickness, she’s still working hard. With typically one performance a week, she’s always on the move, bringing joy to thousands of satisfied customers.

Want to book an unforgettable performance for your next event? Visit firegypsy.com for a quote and updates on what she’s up to next.