Fire has romantically been called

 

"The most tolerable third party" by Thoreau, 

 

and has indeed been welcomed by the Thieves as their

 

third performer, drawing them together as a medium to

 

present itself through Art and Dance. 

 

It is an uncontrollable, unpredictable element,

 

and for this reason it dictates the mood of the show

 

and requires flexibility and improvisation. The girls

 

play with it, lighting one another's skin and

 

feeding flames to each other using torches,

 

fingertips, and mouths.