Fact Dining Awards Qatar 2023 will literally be ‘flames’ with a performance from fire dancer Zaitseva Liliia.

Lilia, who has always loved fire, has been performing her show for eight years after undergoing extensive training with circus performers.

She says: “I remember how I first saw a performance in Ukraine and could not take my eyes off from the dancer. I could not believe that it [could be] so easy and beautiful to dance with such a dangerous element. At that time, I made the decision that I would also do this.”

Fire shows are thought to have originated on the Pacific coast, in New Zealand in the Maori tribe. The graceful rotation of a small pebble wrapped in cloth and tied to a short rope – the projectile was called a ‘poi’ or ball on a rope – served both entertainment and cultural purposes.

In the 20th century, poi was adopted from the New Zealand natives by artists of travelling Australian circuses. In the 1960s and ‘70s, fire shows appeared in Western Europe and America with performers dancing with fire to the beat of drums and tambourines.

Lilia says: “Dancing with fire helped me conquer my fears, become brave and show my feelings through the dance.”

But don’t worry, although the show looks spectacular and fire is, indeed, dangerous, she is very careful making sure to choose suitable clothing fabrics and practising every step of her dance to ensure safety while offering a spectacular fiery experience to her audience.