Evelyn Ramos – PÄYÄ The Roatan Lifestyle Magazine https://payamag.com Paya The Roatan Lifestyle Magazine, Bay Islands, Honduras Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:04:39 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://payamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-PAYA-logo-1a-PNG-transparent-1-32x32.png Evelyn Ramos – PÄYÄ The Roatan Lifestyle Magazine https://payamag.com 32 32 156707509 Whipping up the Fire https://payamag.com/2023/10/23/whipping-up-the-fire/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whipping-up-the-fire&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whipping-up-the-fire https://payamag.com/2023/10/23/whipping-up-the-fire/#respond Mon, 23 Oct 2023 18:32:58 +0000 https://payamag.com/?p=8695

Ronis Villeda, 34, and his wife, Evelyn Ramos, have become the go-to fire performers lighting up the sands of Roatan. Their typical show runs between 23 and 25 minutes and features six to seven unique acts, each showcasing a different type of fire dance. The performances include a variety of props: a fire hat, a fire whip, a fire staff, and fire fans with five fingers each. They also incorporate fire juggling balls, triple fire poi, a fire chain, a fire umbrella, and a fire hula hoop.]]>
Fire performer Ronis Villeda during his West Bay’s Sunday beach performance.

The Second Generation of Roatan’s Fire Dancers

Ronis Villeda, 34, and his wife, Evelyn Ramos, have become the go-to fire performers lighting up the sands of Roatan. Their typical show runs between 23 and 25 minutes and features six to seven unique acts, each showcasing a different type of fire dance. The performances include a variety of props: a fire hat, a fire whip, a fire staff, and fire fans with five fingers each. They also incorporate fire juggling balls, triple fire poi, a fire chain, a fire umbrella, and a fire hula hoop.

Since 2017, Villeda trained in fire performance and sandcastle artistry under Paul Abel, a Canadian fire artist who pioneered the craft on the island in the early 2000s. “[Paul] was really creative, and that’s what I liked about him,” Villeda said. He collaborated with Abel until 2021, when he purchased the fire show business from him as Abel relocated to the Cayman Islands. While Abel’s venture was known as Island Fire, Villeda’s enterprise now goes by the name Roatan Fire.

Villeda has been performing fire shows for friends since 2010. His permanent shows are at Boat Bar, Mayan Princess, Infinity Bay, Paradise Hotel and Bananarama. In addition to fire shows, Villeda does work as sign maker, tour guide, and sandcastle artist on the island.

Evelyn and Ronis first practice their performances without fire in the backyard of their Mud Hole home. After dry runs, they practice with fire, fueled by premium gasoline. Sometimes the Roatan Fire duo becomes a trio when the couple’s 21-year-old nephew, Junior Villeda, joins the show.

Evelyn Ramos creates a heart of fire on West Bay beach.

The artistic choices come with some risks. Flames, fueled by premium gasoline, fly several feet before landing on the sand near the dancers. The fire performers use sun cream as a modest precaution against burns. While the couple says they’ve never had accidents involving spectators, they have suffered a few minor burns over the years. “We apply ice to cool the area and use sulfadiazine cream on the burns,” says Evelyn, showing a round mark on her leg where a fire poi had burned her. “The show goes on. I smile as if nothing happened.”

You can follow Roatan Fire on Social Media:
Roatan Fire (Facebook)
@RoatanFire (Instagram)
Roatan Fire Tours (Youtube)
roatanfiretours.com (Website)

The artistic choices come with some risks.

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