Controlled Burn is Reno’s fire arts and performance troupe.  We were ignited in 2000 to dance in the Great Circle at Burning Man, and have been dancing at the foot of The Man on Burn Night ever since.  

We are the creators and producers of the annual Artown Compression! Art and Fire festival held in downtown Reno each July, and invite all our friends to help us share the culture and impact of Burning Man with those who might not otherwise discover our passion for the Fire Arts.

Mission Statement
Controlled Burn Inc. is a professional, non-profit, volunteer performance group whose purpose is to provide multifaceted quality entertainment for all ages, within the venue of local group performances. We are committed to performance, education, and training of interested individuals in our performance arts. In the pursuit of these goals, we seek to recruit motivated, responsible, hard working, dedicated people to our team, and seek to empower them as performance artists.

Keepers of the Flame
Controlled Burn is dedicated to maintaining skills for its performers and protection for our audienceThere is an all-volunteer board of directors that protects and unifies Controlled Burn’s public face and voice, and to teach member artists how to contribute to and take lessons from the non-profit structure.

They The Board organizes and maintains and oversees the entity that has become Controlled Burn while allowing us to keep the edgy and individualistic style that has defined us, while continuing to focus on individual member skills and public safety in our performances.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns about Controlled Burn, here are the current board members:
Dave King – Founder
Jenny Herz – Executive Director
Brenda Ashworth – Shin
Carlyn Perona – Treasurer
Alex Porten – Education
Tom Fougner – Production
Diane Albrecht – Member at Large
Tina Lasser – Booking
Tamz Baile – Marketing
Bill Schultz – Safety
They can be reached through  directors@controlledburnreno.com or by mail to:

Controlled Burn, Inc

PO Box 13962

Reno, NV 89507

How It All Began
Since the grassroots years, Controlled Burn has been a collection of talented performers, fire artists and dancers. Our passion is fire and entertaining audiences with large displays of fire blazing across the stage. We come from many different walks of life representing a diverse community. Yet, we are very connected by fire dance.
Controlled Burn was notified of being granted 501(c)3 status in July 2008. In addition to this status as an educational non-profit, we are a 509(a)2 public charity. We do not hold auditions, but encourage those interested in performing to show up at either the weekly classes/lessons or the Community Burns at Moana Recreational Complex on summer Wednesdays or at North Valleys High School in winter to learn our stuff! Introduce yourself and make some friends while you’re at it.