CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat "Flam Chen" - A pyrotechnic theater troupe performs their latest show outside the Joseph Gross Gallery to promote Joe O'Connell's exhibit "Love of Machines." The troupe will present for the next two Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

While on your way to or from your next evening class, don't be frightened if you notice that a few people walking on stilts have caught fire. It's just Flam Chen, a troupe of pyrophiliacs (no, not really) who combine fire with magic to create each exciting performance.

Described as a "pyrotechnic theater troupe," by founder Nadia Hagen, Flam Chen has been setting weapons, clothing and themselves on fire for a decade.

"It's a mixture of pantomime, modern dance, martial arts and classical theater," Hagen said. "The thread is fire."

Flam Chen is currently performing at the Joseph Gross Gallery as part of Joe O'Connell's exhibit "LOVE of MACHINES."

"This is a collaboration between him and Flam Chen because this is the first time Flam Chen has built costumes with laser lights and Lucite," Hagen explained.

Of course, Lucite is that transparent thermoplastic acrylic resin used in costumes and stuff.

With little more than half a dozen members, everyone in Flam Chen has input to help build each performance. Teamwork surely comes in handy once they have set each other's costumes on fire.

"Everything that we've used, we've designed," Hagen said. "You design them so they'll burn away from you."

Experimentation and practice make perfect, but Hagen said no specified training is required to perform in Flam Chen. Members simply need to be proficient at spinning chains, have physical sense as well as stage presence and a willingness to be jack-of-all-trades in order to help out with the technical success of each show.

In addition to local performances, Flam Chen has performed in festivals in Montreal, China and other parts of the United States. Since Flam Chen only performs a few times a month, Hagen said the performers do have day jobs.

Like other "alternative circuses" out there, Hagen said Flam Chen stands out because of its storytelling aspect.

"I consider myself pyrotechnic theater because the emphasis is on the narrative, not the trick," Hagen said.

Paul Weir, the technical director of Flam Chen, has a background in avant-garde dance projects, while Hagen's personal interests include theater and music.

"We've had a lot of influence from a lot of different places," she said, including classical theater in her native New York and in Tucson.

When people come to their shows, they often ask to hang out with the performers or come to their practices to find out if they have what it takes to make it into Flam Chen.

Flam Chen's studio is located at 520 N. Ninth Ave. in the Warehouse District, which houses several other artists within a 10-block radius.

Painters, sculptors, puppet makers, metal workers and fire-loving dancers are just a few folks visitors can meet when they open their studios once a month.

Flam Chen first performed at the Joseph Gross Gallery on Friday, Jan. 21 at the opening reception for "LOVE of MACHINES" and the troupe will continue to perform Friday and Feb. 11, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The troupe will also perform at the second annual Warehouse Art Festival on Mar. 12 at 6 p.m.