Ringling Bros. Hottest Act:
Brian Miser Lights Himself on Fire, Gets Shot From Giant Crossbow
Brian Miser, the "Human Fuse," prepares to launch himself across the arena in flames during Ringling's new show, "Fully Charged."Mar 14, 2011
The 47-year-old star of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's new show, "Fully Charged," has added a new twist to the circus classic: a blazing inferno.
Called the "Human Fuse," Miser launches himself from a giant homemade crossbow more than 100 feet through the air at 65 mph -- completely engulfed in flames.
After landing in the crash bag, Miser has to stand up and get off before the flames are put out. "It gets pretty warm by the time they extinguish me," he said
The idea for the stunt was hatched after Ringling invited Miser, who's spent 14 years as a human cannonball and 16 prior to that as a trapeze artist, to develop some ideas for a new crossbow act.
The 47-year-old star of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's new show, "Fully Charged," has added a new twist to the circus classic: a blazing inferno.
Called the "Human Fuse," Miser launches himself from a giant homemade crossbow more than 100 feet through the air at 65 mph -- completely engulfed in flames.
After landing in the crash bag, Miser has to stand up and get off before the flames are put out. "It gets pretty warm by the time they extinguish me," he said
The idea for the stunt was hatched after Ringling invited Miser, who's spent 14 years as a human cannonball and 16 prior to that as a trapeze artist, to develop some ideas for a new crossbow act.
When Brian Miser shouts "Fire!" at the launch of his human cannonball routine, he means it."I said, 'What if I get shot on fire?'" Miser told AOL News. "They were sold on that."
He'd already brought fire to his human cannonball performance, but with the crossbow, the effect is enhanced because everything is exposed for the audience to see.
"He doesn't go inside a barrel and disappear and then suddenly you see him reappear in midair. You're actually seeing it somewhat demystified," said Nicole Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment and producer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. "He ignites himself on fire and literally rockets himself across the arena. It's the ultimate in thrills."
Despite having no background in mechanics or physics, Miser designed and built the crossbow by himself, mainly by observing how other contraptions worked.
Then off he goes.
"I fly like Superman," Miser said, referring to the way he rotates through the air, flipping over as needed. "Sometimes you're under-turned, sometimes you're over-turned. But for me, I know how to fix it. I know what to do to land OK."
read more at:http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/14/ringling-bros-hottest-act-brian-miser-lights-himself-on-fire/
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