The Fire Dance, by Grete Howard
Photographer: Grete Howard, England.
Getting the Shot: The shot was taken on Christmas day, 2006. The Fire Dance was held in a clearing in the small village of Tinadou, just outside Kparatoa, some miles from Sokode in Togo. There was a large sign at the roadside advertising the dance. Villagers from many nearby settlements came to witness the show, as well as us. The dance takes place round about a month after the festival of cutlasses. The dancers will attempt to prove their prowess by various daring stunts. We were sitting on little wooden benches around a small clearing in the village, so the dancers were about a metre or two away from us. It was quite an intense experience.
The Details: I have seen several fire dances in the past, but this one was nothing like any of them. It was more primitive, more primeval, more enigmatic and mysterious. It wasn’t just a show, it was so much more. It seemed to hold a deep-seated spiritual devotion despite its simple and unpretentious execution. Only a few people in the village have the gift to be able to carry out the dances, not everyone can do it.
There were many aspects to the dance, and this was just one ‘act’. A bowl with broken glass immersed in water was passed round for the audience to check out. The glass had very sharp edges indeed. Kneading the glass with his hands, the dancer would pick a handful up and thrush it into his face. He also picked up individual shards and would rub them hard against his exposed skin. You could see he was putting pressure on the glass, as his skin would give a little under the force. Or he’d try and cut his eyes or his tongue. It was grotesque and disturbing, while at the same time mesmerizing!
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