BIOGRAPHY
Carisa Hendrix's performances are a mix of magic, circus sideshow, illusion and spectacle. A video produced by Orange Tree Production showing her performance at a corporate gala, characterizes the cute, classy style that has become Hendrix's signature and awarded her the title of "Sideshow Darling".
Early Entertainment History
She began entertaining in 2002. After a few years of teaching at private schools and running after school programs during the day and doing shows in the evenings, the demands of both jobs became such that she had to make a choice. She decided to abandoned her career as an educator to pursue show business full-time.
From 2007 to 2009 she attended the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) focusing on performance art and design studies. Her time at ACAD marked a swift in Hendrix's performances toward more dramatic, beautiful and elaborate props and costumes.
The Garden Variety Show
In January of 2008 together with international street performer and comedy magician James Jordan, Hendrix wrote and produced a monthly vaudeville style theater show called the Garden Variety Show. The show ran for 6 months in Calgary, Alberta before touring Canada to great acclaim. During the year of co-hosing and writing comedy for the show, Hendrix found a voice for her character. She quickly began taking improv and stand up classes to take her act from amazing eye candy to something more. (note: Mr Jordan has since remounted the show, it is a must for anyone traveling to the Calgary area)
The Nimble Twins
Early 2009, Hendrix partnered with hoop dancer, SaFire Sommerville to form a comedy duo called the Nimble Twins which toured the national festival circuit. The "twins" also became popular with corporate events around Alberta with their sassy humor and gained a small internet following with a web seriesthey produced in conjunction with the tour.
Light and Motion Juggling and Prop Festival
The same year they went on tour, Hendrix and Sommerville also organized Light and Motion, the first juggling and prop manipulation festival in Alberta. The festival promoted fitness, skill building, innovation and community. The participants ranged from novice hobbyists to experienced entertainer, and the classes covered a wide range of skills. Light and Motion became a major hub for prop manipulations in western Canada and is now going into it's 3rd year. The festival has expended to include workshops from notable international experts and a variety of smaller events through out the year.
How to Eat Fire DVD
As a result of Light and Motion and the various tours, Hendrix became known for her skill and innovation in the art of fire eating. As a response to demands she'd been receiving from the online and locally entertainment communities, she produced North America's first Fire Eating DVD. Released in January 2010, How to Eat Fire is now available in 32 countries and online for fire fanatics everywhere and has received rave reviews from students and industry experts alike. In addition to the DVD, Carisa created the Fire Bug Blog and Fire Bug Podcast , an ever growing online resources of fire art related topics such as fire safety, burn treatment, international fire arts events, fuel information, show creation and more.
Current Work
More recently Hendrix has been interested in acting, co-staring in a successful short film called Pickand modeling for calendars, magazines, art shows and countless portfolios. Hendrix feels that acting and modeling have help her "develop more control and understanding of my [her] body language and facial expressions" in order to build a more powerful stage show.
She has begun to borden her scope to the international market; touring her new solo show and Fire Eating Workshops and traveling both Canada and the United States from coast to coast this summer.