ENTERTAINMENT
24
EVA C.
Using a cosmetic palette Freeman does a makeover at Port St. Lucie
Botanical Gardens’ Spring into Fall event.
“The audience couldn’t believe their eyes when I
performed fire tricks and a common question was if I
had coated it with something so I didn’t get burned. I
hadn’t. To the kids, I always told them it tasted a little
spicy and then smacked my lips like a tasty meal to
make them laugh.”
Fire performers use a variety of toxic fuels. She chose
Coleman camping fuel.
“I wasn’t too concerned with toxicity as none of it was
ever swallowed,” she explained, “I rinsed and gargled
with water and spit after every performance to make
sure my mucus membranes were cleared.”
Fire eating was done with Kevlar wicking, soaked in
the Coleman fuel, on a curved skewer stick. The flaming
end is lowered into the mouth carefully, trying not to
touch anything and then the lips are clamped around the
skewer to snuff out the flames, much as you would put
a candle out with your fingers by depriving the flame
of oxygen.
She also learned the most dangerous and spectacular
of all fire stunts, fire breathing, where she blew out a
big spray of fuel across a flame and it whooshed up in
a brilliant display of fiery droplets. For that, she said
she held lamp oil in her mouth, and then with a forceful
spit similar to spitting out pool water, she blew it over a
flaming torch creating a bright ball of flame and scaring
a few onlookers who had never seen it done before.
FAIRE AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCES
She performed at the Treasure Coast Pirate Festival,
Camelot Days, and many renaissance faires and organization
events, clubs and more. She became skilled at makeup,
got her Facial Specialist license, and started her own
company, Joah’s Artistry, both to find performance gigs
and to do theatrical and special event makeup for others.
The business took off — until the pandemic brought it to
a standstill. >>
REBECCA JOAH MAY FREEMAN
Age: 37
Lives in: Port St. Lucie
Occupations: Owner, Joah Artistry;
works at a senior living facility;
formerly a support specialist
with Creative Engineering
Group on Florida Department of
Transportation road and bridge
projects.
Education: Southern Missouri
State University
Family: Husband, Mark
“Happy” Freeman
Hobbies: Paddleboarding, cooking,
trying exotic foods, mini-golf,
watching Jeopardy! and loving on
her little dog, Bibi.
What inspires me: “Tenacity and
advocacy for myself and others.”
What most people don’t know
about me: “I’m an introverted
extrovert. After a ‘people’ kind of
day, I need to recoup and relax for
a few days.”
ABBY BAUR
No need to venture to Mardi
Gras in New Orleans when
Freeman and others bring the
carnival to Florida in elaborate
costumes like this one at
a Florida Renaissance Faire.
/jenps
