Meet Sam Tobey | Fire Performer and Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam Tobey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love this question, because becoming a fire performer is one of the riskiest decisions a person could make.
Risk is something I live with every day, both in reference to the job itself (there’s always a chance of getting burnt) and when it comes to the long-term constant uncertainty that comes with working in the gig economy, especially as a fire performer. I think most people perceive fire performance to be a risk, not only for the fire dancer, but also the surrounding area and people. I have noticed that especially this year in Los Angeles, predictably due to the fires that destroyed so many homes in the greater LA area.

I think i thrive off of the uncertainty, because it pushes me constantly. It’s also the bane of my existence to never know how my finances will be from one month to the next, so I don’t necessarily recommend this life choice to most people. I do know that i get burnt out by monotany quite easily, so in a way, choosing a “risky” job is the best way I have found to motivate myself to work harder.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Before I go into what sets me apart as an artist, I think i need to back-track and explain what sets my journey apart, and how I got lucky enough to end up in the position I am in now.

I started fire spinning back in 2015, after attending a tiny transformational festival called Serenity Gathering down in San Diego. At that point I had been training LED hula hoop for about a year, and I really felt like I was starting to get pretty good. My dance teacher at the time had extra performance spots for the event, and offered me one. I really want to reiterate that I thought i was starting to become a real hot-shot with my hoop skills and I was getting a little cocky, imagining jaws dropping upon me taking the stage at the festival. I think having that mindset is good in away, why not go into an event feeling confidant?

The truth is that I had never really felt like I was good at anything while I was growing up, having spent most of my childhood traveling every three years to a new foreign country (my parents worked in the foreign service)
So i think that after a few months of hoop lessons, this was the closest I had come to really dedicating myself to anything that I really cared about. And I wanted to feel cool. I wanted the attention that came from other people seeing how hard I must have worked to get to this point.

Cut to me actually getting to the festival. There were performers everywhere. Stilters, jugglers, body painted characters, acrobats and aerialists. And then I got to see the fire performers. And my jaw was the one on the floor. I had truly never seen anything like it in my life. Or been more excited to become one of them. Most importantly I was so humbled. I had absolutely no idea how hard someone could train until I went to that festival. Even performers from Cirque Du Soleil didn’t hit the same as these artists. They just had such a different energy than anything I had ever seen. It felt like hip-hop style crossed with ancient trible energy.

That was a big turning point for me, because I realized that my lack of exposure to so much of this type of underground performance art had been limiting me when it came to what I thought I could achieve. I just had no idea that there was so much out there that i hadn’t seen before.

Since that festival my two main goals have been to A) push this type of performance art further into the mainstream so that the people who really need it will have access to it, and B) to never let myself think that I have trained enough to let my guard down. There is always so much more to be learned, so much inspiration out there in the world. I think this realization has helped keep me on a path of discipline, which, to circle back to the original question, is what has gotten me where I am today.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love spending time in Venice. That is my go-to hang-out spot when friends are visiting. We walk around, check out the shops and the skate park near the boardwalk, maybe rent a bird-scooter and do a little graffiti tour or visit the canals. Hotel Erwin has a fun rooftop bar, and I love Belles Beach House, if I’m looking for good food and ambiance. I’m pretty basic honestly, hahah. I don’t go out too often, but I do love Level 8 in Downtown LA if I want to find a more upbeat atmosphere. The shrine and the Whiskey a Go Go are some great venues for concerts if your in the mood to dance! Mostly I enjoy hanging out at my friends’ house and spinning fire in the backyard. If we are feeling extra adventurous or outdoorsy, Deep Creek Hot Springs can be a super fun day trip away from the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shout-out to the flow tool company Bonobo Flow! All my best fire tools are made by them, and I feel so lucky to have gotten so much support from them over the years. Every prop I’ve gotten from them has been reliable, beautifully balanced, and clearly made with real passion for the art.

Website: https://flowmayhem.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowmayhem/

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mayhemfireflow/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FlowMayhem

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@flowmayhem

Image Credits
Dustin Engelskind