TAMPA, Fla. — How does a day begin for a fire stunt aerial artist?

“When I wake up, I have a pretty strong yoga practice to kind of like center and ground myself,” Tammy Firefly said.

Firefly is the star of the Howl-O-Scream Cirque X-Scream show at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. When she gets into hair and makeup at the park, she visualizes her routine.

There’s not much room for error.

“I go up with one arm and I have 25-foot flames, fully immersed and surrounding me,” Firefly said. “So this tiny little body disappears and all you see is a ring of fire.”

Next, Firefly hits the mat backstage to warm up.

“When I do yoga, It clears out the cluster in my mind,” she said, while stretching her arms over her head in a low lunge. “I’m able to focus.”

She calls her practice a game-changer.

Firefly dips her torches in camp fuel and sprays herself with a mixture of water and fire retardant. Fire stunt performing has taken her around the world. It’s full circle for this native Floridian.

“I’m from the Florida Keys,” she said. “I used to come here as a kid and to be here performing in my element as a professional fire artist is super rewarding.”

Learning to dance with danger, for Firefly, is worth the risk.