Burning Man Exhibit G

I lucked out and found a home with Diva's Garden, especially since many of them are members of Radiant Heat, a fire dance troupe. They were one of 36 groups to participate in the burning of the man, and combined with the fireworks, and lights from the city thousands of lumens of light energy hit the eyeballs. Each of them were given special passes to enter the inner circle, and everyone else had to stay outside of this area. This is undoubtedly a wise decision, considering one man in year's past decided it would be a good idea to meet his maker by running into the massive fire created by the pivotal moment of the festival, the burning of the man.
The crowd gathers 'round the perimeter, about 50 metres from 'The Man', and anxiously await the inevitable explosions that spell the demise of the structure. It is a massive undertaking to not only build The Man, in all it's artistic splendour, but to rig it in such a way that, when dynamite is carefully placed and calculated precisely, will collapse safely without falling into the crowd. Going back to the fire dancers, you might think they would be a little nervous, being this close to a 60' burning structure, but they didn't seem to. Maybe they have come to terms with the fire, and no longer fear it. It's possible they just don't care, getting swept up with the impetus of the moment.
And what a moment it was. 'The Man' raises his arms mechanically, inviting the fire in all it's glory, to consume. The frenzied pace of the the fire dancers pull the spectators in, and the fireworks begin. It feels like hours, but only minutes pass before explosions at 4 points on each of the 4 pillars rock the place. Moments again, and the entire monolith is awash in flames. Eons later, the structure finally collapses. I head out, anticipating a rush of people, and catch a boat safely docked, enjoying the festivities. A sandstorm hits again, this time with a fury. Zero visibility led to a trip over a fallen bike, and ending up too far away from home camp again.
What is all this burning about? People say "have a good burn", and I can only think it means to pace yourself during the week, taking in all the experiences you can, without burning out. There is a definite link between creation, and destruction. Perhaps we all suffer from a fear of loss, a fear of losing that which we have, but what is created again, and again, and again, is something new. It is not necessarily better, or worse, in my opinion, but new nonetheless. A new world to create in, a new experience to grow within.

Beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgZP7Th3LoA

Middle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XOHB-mIJSw

End: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3m440jeASQ