MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As we continue to celebrate women's history month, why not recognize the only African-American Memphis-based fire performer?
"Even when it's abrasive, it's still my peace," Blue Flame Fire Performer Aieshia Dickey said.
She is the definition of woman-power, and when you google Blue Flame Fire Performer, you will see Aieshia's name appear.
Her journey started back in 2019 when she decided to focus more on her health and fitness, but when she met someone who owned a circus company, Aieshia did some exploring.
"This particular company had an aerial apparatus that you could get in and fly around in and it makes you feel so beautiful and so free. I started in circus as an aerialist," Aieshia said.
It was something she did not see coming at all, but the more she got involved, the more addictive it became.
"We started learning about other types of circus arts, which is also called 'flo-arts'" Aieshia expressed. "I learned silk fans along with stilts, as well as aerial, and fire eating, and fire fleshing meaning putting fire all over your body and just allowing the fire to engulf you."
Aieshia served in the U.S. Airforce for eight years before she was honorably discharged.
She said gravitating towards this form of art has helped to ease her PTSD.
"For me, it's a way of using the right and the left brain to think things out and come to an understanding of what I'm really feeling and where I really am," Aieshia said.
As she learned about fire science, blue flame was the type of fire that she related to the most. It is the hottest known to man and the most consistent.
"I believe in myself as being a very consistent person. Doing what I say I'm going to do, but at the same time bringing that heat and that spiciness, so that people understand I say what I mean and I mean what I say."
Aieshia's goal is to change the narrative of fire, especially in the Black community.
"We have seen so many things happen as a community with fire that are negative, but we have to focus on all of the positives that fire can bring," Aieshia said. "It's a healing element. We utilize it in so many ways that we don't respect it in it's sense or we only apply it to things that are only negative."
Aieshia has graced many stages from Florida to Jamaica.
She is also a burlesque dancer and looks to shed more light on body positivity while educating people on how they too can find healing through the arts.
To find out more information and book Aieshia, click here.