Richard is an experienced performer and has been involved with jousting, stunt motorcycling (including the tunnel of fire and the wall of fire) and various staged in and out door acts, including the human canon ball, at the Essex Show.

Richard was the president of the East Anglian Jousting Federation for several years, back in the 80’s and mainly performed around Essex. One of the largest shows that his troupe attended was the International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Bristol, with a troupe of 27 performers and 5 horses.
Richard has run events for over 26 years, including the Blake Hall Steam Rally, back in 1988.

Richard has worked with health and safety consultants at large public events, including the Essex Show, for many years, and in 2000 was the assistant director of the Essex Show.

The best advice is, do not under any circumstances attempt this or any fire act without proper supervision.

Richard first took an interest in fire breathing, back in 1971 in Holland. He was fascinated by the spectacle of this art. In 2003 he met a fire eater/breather at a business breakfast in Essex and was taught the safest ways to develop and gain the confidence to perform this act.
Richard carries fire extinguishers and fire blankets when working, and experience trained staff to help in an emergency.

Fire Breathing is the most dangerous of all the fire acts! There is a very real danger of a blow-back, where the flame simply runs back along the stream of vapour and burns the performer or sets fire to their clothing or hair.

Some performers do not wear clothes on the upper body when fire breathing because a shirt that is soaked in fuel burns very well. Richard sometimes uses this as a feature of his act, but warns his assistants or photographers that this is a controlled part of the act.

It is essential to have a fire blanket within reach so that the fire may be smothered or the performer wrapped in it, if there was an emergency.

The pictures on this site were taken at an event in Cambridge, where Richard was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The event was staged by the Cambridge University Jewish Society, in the Guildhall, Cambridge on 12th February 2004.

The photographs also show Richard as the Master of ceremonies, with pyrotechnics on the stage and a superb disco, set up by the Classic Nomad Disco and Light Show experience. Details of this act may be found at www.thedisco.co.uk.

Richard then performed the fire breathing act, which was staged to give the best visual effects to the whole seated audience, by making the most of the main floor in the Guildhall.

The finale for this act was to stand back from the stage, facing the disco set up, and blow a huge flame across the top of the disco rig, with the illusion of lighting, all the top hanging flames on the rig. Immediately following this, another huge flame was blown across the bottom of the disco rig, again with the illusion of lighting all the bottom flames. Richard then moved to the side of the stage, leaving eleven burning flames as a backdrop for the next act.

There are several pictures of this event including the disco, which was set up in four and a half hours, by Richard and his team.

Please refer to these other sites for more information
www.thedisco.co.uk and www.thetoastmaster.co.uk

Richard Palmer may be contacted
by e-mail stageshows@thedisco.co.uk
by telephone 07971 409977

Full details may be found at the other web sites.

Testimonial
Neil Maurice
Co-President
"Disorientate"- CUJS Ball 2004
Robinson College
Cambridge, CB3 9AN
Tel: 01223 363 027
Mob: 07966 167 733

17th February 2004

Dear Richard & team,

I would just like to drop you a few lines to thank you so much for your amazing effort and hard work at the Cambridge University Society dinner on 12th February 2004.

My committee and I were astounded at the efforts you went to in order to
ensure that the evening was not only a success but one that will remain in the history books for years to come. Your efforts to strive for perfection were far beyond the call of duty and I was personally amazed how you took it upon yourself to surprise me by decorating the entire DJ equipment to fit the theme of the evening.

I have been inundated with phone calls and letters over the past few days commenting on the music, style and professionalism of your team and I would have no hesitation about recommending you to anyone that asked. The bottom line is that I have never met a more professional, friendly and extravagant DJ company before.

I look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Neil Maurice.
Co-President
"Disorientate"- CUJS Ball 2004

Acknowledgements
These photographs were taken by

David Islip LBIPP
27, Brain Road,
Witham,
Essex CM8 1LB
tel 01376 517955
mobile 07779 907306