The Secret of Rennes

Her body swerves around in a continuous movement that seems propelled by the motion of her arms. She wields two short poles whose ends are lit with fire. In her expert hands, the poles seem to transform into chains that create circles of fire cutting through the dark. In seconds, the fire swings around her body to create the illusion of infinity signs. She then propels the flames up above her head in a swirling halo of fire and back down again. This fire dancer is not the only one lighting up the courtyard.

A few feet away, a man stands wielding his choice of fire: three clubs used for juggling. Teasing us, he first juggles two of the burning clubs with one hand. Adding the third club, he begins to toss the clubs around in a typical juggling fashion. Without warning, one club gets whipped behind his back, over the opposite shoulder and into his hand that just released a club. He then catches all three to stop them for a quick second before he launches into his next trick. He tosses the clubs to look like a windmill. The flames quickly circle up towards the sky, to the side of the courtyard, down to the ground, and pass closely up his torso to return to the sky.

A few more fire dancers perform in the courtyard, each with their own talent.

My fellow foreign exchange students and I exited O’Connell’s Irish pub after a few pints to find these performers in the middle of the courtyard across the cobblestone street. Intrigued, we made our way through the light brown, gravel courtyard to the grand staircase that leads up to the parliament building. Finding the perfect spot on the cold, stone steps, we settled in to watch the spectacle. We were surrounded by three long, four story buildings covered in full length French windows. I felt as though we wandered into a private sideshow. We had discovered the spot where local fire dancers perform. After three months in Rennes, I had finally uncovered a secret in the French city I called home for 5 months that year.

Fire dancers perform in the Brittany Parliament Courtyard in Rennes, France every weekend after dark. The courtyard is a 5 minute walk from the Sainte Anne and the République metro stations. Arrive before dark to grab a few pints at the boisterous O’Connell’s Irish Pub to add to that feeling of awe while the fire dancers perform. The staircase is the best place to watch all the action as there is usually more than one performer. Bring a blanket to sit on and become part of the secret!