From the Fremont Argus - October 8, 2002
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Playing with Fire Paying Off
Fremont Chamber of Commerce member goes up in flames after dot-com job is snuffed out

By Rob Dennis
STAFF WRITER

FREMONT -- When Erin Glover was laid off from her dot-com job, she needed another way to make a living.

She found fire.

Glover, 27, turned to her hobby of fire dancing, establishing a business called Fire Pixie in April.

Glover, intrigued when she saw fire dancers at a solar eclipse event four years ago, practiced six months before she felt comfortable lighting the poi -- short lengths of chain with a leather grip on one end and a wick on the other.

Dancers twirl the burning poi rapidly in arcs around their bodies, creating the illusion of being surrounded by a circle of flame.

Even with all the practice, Glover has burned herself when trying complicated moves.
"Don't try this at home," she jokes.

Since starting Fire Pixie, Glover has performed at events ranging from raves and harvest festivals to children's birthday parties and backyard barbecues. Her most high-profile appearance was on Fox's "30 Seconds to Fame" talent competition. She's even entertained at a nudist colony.

"It's very meditational -- it's a great workout," she said. "It's aerobic, it's dancing, it's just great fun."

Glover also provides less flammable forms of entertainment, making balloon animals for children's parties and other events. She even has ventured back into the high-tech industry, designing Web pages for small businesses and nonprofit groups through her Internet site, www.firepixie.com

But fire will always remain her first love, she said.

"Once you're inside the circle of that flame and you hear the fire roaring past your ears, you're hooked," she said. "It's addictive."