Sparks Fly on 'World's Biggest Stage': Fire Spinner William Brandon on the AGT Experience - CircusTalk

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Sparks Fly on ‘World’s Biggest Stage’: Fire Spinner William Brandon on the AGT Experience

Performers want their art to reach as many eyes as possible. By taking part in America’s Got Talent: Extreme,fire performer William Brandon helped “the flow arts” gain exposure to millions of viewers around the globe. Now he tells us how he learned to play with fire–and where reality television can fit into the variety artist’s journey.

When it comes to talent contests and reality shows, contenders always bring the heat—and for American performer William Brandon, that meant bringing the heat on stage quite literally. The first fire spinner to be featured throughout the long run of NBC’s competitive variety show America’s Got Talent(AGT), this Georgia-born performer thrilled global audiences as one of the many bold acts who took part in AGT: Extreme, a spin-off that focuses on daredevil and stunt performers. William knew his act brought something different to this line-up; after all, it had only taken him one look at a fire performer while still in high school to know that the flow arts—a form that folds object manipulation into other graceful movement arts like tai chi and dance—were something special. And breathing fire for millions on a show so often proclaimed as the “world’s biggest stage” by both the judges and contestants could up the ante for his entire art form.

AGT: Extreme season 1 contest William Brandon
NBC promotional image of William Brandon

Along with his fire spinning, William also wears the hats of music man, dancer, choreographer, figure skater, and filmmaker… but these days, flow art is what helps him tie everything else together. Throughout his career, a cheerful manner, endless training, and relentless self-confidence have carried William from the ranks of high school band to Disney on Ice rinks, from studying music theory to producing his own fire dance routines on video. All these experiences combined have made him one of the few performing artists to have braved the elements of fire, ice, and Simon Cowell.

We recently caught up with William to learn about his art, his fire-performing history, and his experience as part of a reality talent show.

CircusTalk (CT): When did you first start working with fire, and what inspired you to pursue that discipline?

William Brandon (WB): I have been working with fire spinning since 2016, but with spinning my entire life. I have memories from childhood of spinning broom handles and coat hangers and feeling so in love with it. High school marching band is where I first saw spinning as an established discipline: the Color Guard. I was a principal wind player in our band for years, but by this point, I had been dabbling in color guard on the side and had developed such a knack for spinning rifles that our director gave me a rifle solo in our halftime show. Additionally, we had an incredible featured majorette who spun fire batons, and this is where the real spark began.

William on the Bonneville Salt Flats

But it was not for another 10 years that I tried fire for the first time, and it all happened by complete chance, too. I was at a festival in 2017 wearing a makeshift rope belt with glow sticks tied to the end, which, inevitably, I started spinning when it fell off. Little did I know that this kind of belt is an ancient martial arts weapon and has been practiced around the world for thousands of years. A nearby stranger who was watching me happened to know what it was and noticed I had no idea what I was doing, so he introduced himself to me as Gage, and told me it is called a “rope dart.” He offered to show me a skill with it from the textbooks, the knee shot, and my mind immediately began racing in excitement. As soon as I returned home, I bought my first practice dart, and only three months later, I graduated onto my first fire dart. The rest is history!

CT: Tell us a bit more about your background. What did you do before becoming a professional fire performer?

WB: I grew up in suburban Atlanta and was really invested in flute in grade school. I went to George Walton Academy in Monroe, Georgia, and we had one of the best band programs in the country, which provided me with eight years of high-level training, performing, and competition experience as a soloist before I even graduated high school. We all learned a lot from our program, but I always had private lessons, too. I studied music theory, composition, and conducting, and was a ranked flute player for my age group. During college, I did a complete 180° and picked up figure skating from my coaches, Sherry Eddings and Becky Dever; I practiced it for 10 years, and even toured North America with Disney On Ice. I had always been drawn to the sport but was not inspired to try it until I was 20 years old, which is very late to start pursuing it as a career. I had a great time doing it and feel accomplished with what I was able to achieve, but I always felt… limited, somehow.

William (left) performs for Insomniac Events 

Interestingly, right as my skating career was at its peak was when the rope dart came into my life, and for the first time, I felt limitless. After immersing myself in this new dance world, I looked around and noticed no one was choreographing themselves; I only saw people improvize and play. Fire spinning as a headliner is a young idea in general, but I recognized there was a unique opportunity to raise the bar and elevate fire dance into a more regulated sport, since I had all the skill sets necessary to produce the first full-choreo masterpiece. My 20-plus years of training had taught me the value of choreography. The day I published my first piece is when I broke into mainstream television with The Ellen DeGeneres Show and AGT: Extreme.

CT: How and where did you get your training?

WB: With music and figure skating, I always trained with top-level private instructors… but with the fire dart, I always say that it taught me. Rope dart has been around for millennia, but I wasn’t using it traditionally, so I taught myself. From the first day I grasped the concept of flow art, I knew I had all the knowledge I needed to bring something new to the table. I have been spinning props my whole life; I am classically trained in music, and formally trained in ballet. And I invented my own choreo method, too. However, I did have a private teacher for fire breathing, Jandro Herdocia, because I wanted to take that skill very seriously even though I had the confidence. It turns out I was something of a natural at it from the remnants of my flute career, the same as how my fire dance is just a repurposing of my figure skating skills. I also had a video editing mentor, Toby Devine, but mainly I was self-taught. I feel grateful to have the background I do and to have it culminate in such a neat way.

CT: You recently brought your fire dancing act to audiences on America’s Got Talent: Extreme. How did preparing and performing for a reality TV talent show feel different from how you’ve done it for other kinds of venues and audiences?

William in “Blown Away”

WB: Everything relating to the show was leaps and bounds harder than my typical day. I have taken many ambiance gigs where you kind of just show up and wing it anywhere you can, but the best of my work is in my own video productions, where I can feature all my signature skills. To note, the luxury of doing my own productions is that there is zero pressure to give a perfect, full-out, three-minute performance in time and at max difficulty on the first take, so the show’s format was really going to put my skills to the test. When I’m filming my choreography pieces it is still challenging, but they are filmed in many strategic segments to make everything easier… to train full-outs is a much harder day at the studio, to say the least.

I have done a lot in my life, but this new training emphasis took me to new Extremes. Nothing compares to prop choreo. And keep in mind that any error I made would not only be disappointing for me, but also could leave me severely injured. Plus, I was the first fire spinner the show has booked in all 17 seasons, so I was feeling immense amounts of pressure.

AGT was only my second time on a proper stage, but their production and venue checked all my act’s non-negotiable criteria—I require an even surface, a high ceiling clearance, at least 40 feet of room, and a team of on-site fire marshals to keep everything completely legal and safe. It was a very rare circumstance where I could finally shine.

CT: How did you hear about the show’s auditions, and what was the selection process like?

WB: I think I first heard about their auditions through Facebook in 2017. I attended their open casting call in Charlotte, North Carolina, where we occupied a huge convention center and auditioned in groups of 50 for a panel of behind-the-scenes producers. I left feeling like my improv rope dart set (without fire) was chaotic and did not accomplish what I wanted it to. I was early in my flow arts journey and did not realize how much more work was in front of me. It was a long day of waiting around with other hopefuls and I had no callbacks from this audition. However, I did learn something that would be invaluable to my future: I needed detailed choreography over improv if I wanted to set myself up for the type of success I was after. It was this experience and a suggestion from my best friend, Henrik Andersson, that inspired me to start attempting fire dart choreography from my point of view as an ice skater.

The making of “Ashes”

A year later, after I released my first piece, “Ashes,” one of their Senior Casting Directors came across the video, then reached out over Facebook and invited me to participate in the taped shows. My producer, Alexa Keane (shout-out to her for all of her hard work!), and I spent years preparing for my audition with the Celebrity Judges, which was originally scheduled to be part of Season 15 of the show’s main run in summer 2020. Since AGT films its auditions months in advance to allow the post-production team time to work its magic, my casting call was for that March… unfortunately, I was one of the contestants who had not filmed yet when COVID interrupted production and was cut from the season. But two years later, when they were producing Season 1 of AGT: Extreme, they turned to prospects they already had strong relationships with to cast the new show. There were no preliminary rounds of auditions for the spinoff; it was straight to that magnificent stage and Simon Cowell. And, coincidentally, to my hometown of Atlanta!

CT: Within the circus and performing arts industry, opinions are divided about whether AGT is beneficial for a performer’s career or not. Based on your own experience, what would you say are some of the pros and cons of being on the show?

WB: I did hear a mixed bag of opinions on the subject, but I always take things with a grain of salt, and the entire experience was completely amazing for me. I thought the show was the best idea to get eyes on my fringe art form that I love so much, but it all depends on your career specifics and what other opportunities might be available to you. For example, I do not have every opportunity a singer or a gymnast would have, so I had to try it. Every person I met and worked with made a lasting, positive impression on me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be welcomed into the AGT family.

I do not think this should be looked at as a “con,” but anyone pursuing a television show needs to understand you are agreeing to be a part of someone else’s bigger vision, not your own; shows of this magnitude have very thorough gameplans, which will likely require you to make compromises. However, this experience has only been great for my career, and I am so proud to have done it.

CT: What is your next project that you are excited about?

WB: So many! In 2018, I set a goal for myself to produce one choreography piece per year, and I just published my fifth, “Fantasy.” Each one takes about 12-15 months to make, so I am already preparing for my sixth. Up until now, my dance has always been about my past experiences and emotions, but my next piece is focused on my desires instead! I am really excited about the song choice. I’ve been honing my method as a producer/director/editor over the years, and think my next video will be the best yet! And I just launched my website, which is a major milestone.

Most importantly, I do not want AGT to be my greatest victory. I want to accomplish the final item on my performance bucket list and spin fire with Cirque du Soleil— it’s been a lifelong dream of mine, and I am actively working to make that dream a reality! I’m also teaching a lot, which is very fulfilling. Lastly, I’m headlining a massive party at the Pratt-Pullman Yard in Atlanta this October.

“Blown Away” at Pullman Yard
All images shared by William Brandon
Carolyn Klein
Content Writer -United States
Carolyn Klein is a writer, poet, and circus fan from the Washington, D.C, area. Writing stories about the circus has been a dream of hers since getting introduced to circus fiction around 2014. She recently completed her B.A. in English and Creative Writing, magna cum laude, at George Mason University. As a new member of the Circus Talk journalism team, Carolyn looks forward to learning as much as she can about the industry and people behind circus.
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Carolyn Klein

Carolyn Klein is a writer, poet, and circus fan from the Washington, D.C, area. Writing stories about the circus has been a dream of hers since getting introduced to circus fiction around 2014. She recently completed her B.A. in English and Creative Writing, magna cum laude, at George Mason University. As a new member of the Circus Talk journalism team, Carolyn looks forward to learning as much as she can about the industry and people behind circus.