Playing with fire

Auroville is a different world altogether. Amidst its calmness and serenity, the town will also surprise you every now and then with the unique activities they undertake. ‘Bright Side of the Moon’ is one such group of youngsters, who have been making a name for themselves, in what is considered to be one of the most uncommon performing arts in the state — fire spinning/ dancing!

Started by Aurevan Lung, a native of Auroville, the group comprises a bunch of teens from across the country, and has been getting accolades for their terrific stage performances all over India. “When a passionate group of people join hands together, it can always lead to something special. We’re overwhelmed with the responses we’ve been getting so far,” starts Aurevan. Speaking about what instigated her to start teaching such a unique performing art, she says, “Right from my young age, I was fascinated with this art, as it is not only a tough skill to master, but is also a visual spectacle. Hence, when I was a kid, I became a part of a team headed by my guru Kelou. As I grew, I wanted this tradition to survive, and that’s how ‘Bright Side of the Moon’ was formed!”

Aurevan also states that this being a risky skill, they make sure that youngsters get proper training before having to deal and juggle with fire — “Safety is our first priority. When we identify our aspirants, we start teaching them right from the basics and only after they get used to juggling, they start handling fire.”

Elaborating on this, she says, “The youngest in our team is 14 and the eldest is just 18! So, having imparted the skill in them at a very young age, they become amazing during their prime age.” She gets  excited when asked about the team’s performance at big festivals — “We live for such occasions. Among several performances, our participation in a festival at Panjim, Goa, will always stay close to my heart. I was floored when the audience came to me and told me that they got goosebumps!”

An interesting aspect about this group is that most of the team members claim that they sought to join the team as they were looking for alternate education.
Says Aarnav Bos, one of the team members, “It’s been five to six years since I moved from  Gujarat and joined this team. I’ve become an established performer and my speciality is double staffing — performing with two instruments simultaneously.” He goes on to say, “As I’m not a big fan of studies, I wanted to get a hold of an artistic medium and specialise on that. We’re examples to prove that only academics isn’t everything!”

Another exciting aspect about the group is that apart from fire spinning, each individual is actively taking part in other activities. Some of them are well trained in ultimate Frisbee, horse riding, different types of dances, capoeira, playing music and singing, computer programming, film making, visual arts, apart from usual studies.

Bhavna Trivedi, who’s also a part of the Indian Frisbee women’s team says, “The best part about our group is that all of us are from completely different backgrounds. Hence, our adaptability is very good and we can counter any situation.” On a concluding note, Aurevan assured that fire spinning is here to stay — “Just like I started teaching this inspired from my guru, one of my students has gone on to start teaching fire spinning. I’m sure that we’ll keep inspiring lots of people to take up this art as a serious profession!”