Phoenix Rising is a performing arts troupe which originated in Santa Cruz, CA that specializes in fire dance theatre, stilting, costume design and wearable art.

Sacred theater, personal expression, and a unique blend of traditional dance and spontaneous movement are combined to tell stories of passion, creation, love, and mischief.  

Phoenix Rising paints a colorful, exciting landscape that allows imagination to carry the audience beyond their day to day reality.

Jessica Bottomley and Isaac Rappaport are the core members of this troupe, although many other musicians and artists have collaborated with them.  Creative expression began to flow early in the lives of both Jessica and Isaac. While Jessica focused on theater and dance, Isaac explored the realm of circus art.  

For Jessica, working at the Renaissance Faire was a major turning point in her artistic career. Her experiences at the faire included belly dancing, costuming, and fire dancing.

Isaac grew up behind the scenes of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus where circus legends such as Lou Jacobs and Gunther Gabel Williams planted seeds of inspiration that led him to explore the circus arts of juggling and riding the unicycle.

Photo by KyerPhotography

In the winter of 1998, Isaac and Jessica traveled separately for three months in South America.  It was on that trip that Jessica first began to learn the art of fire dance.

When Isaac and Jessica reunited in the United States, the passionate influences of South America sparked the birth of Phoenix Rising and a new era of artistic expression emerged. For the past several years Phoenix Rising has traveled extensively, weaving magic and light into the hearts of audiences around the world.