Welcome Shins, and congratulations on submitting your Fire Group’s intention to perform for the 2024 Fire Conclave!
During the first month or so, the passing of information between the Fire Conclave Council and you, then from you to your group (especially larger groups) can seem overwhelming. So, this first Shin Tip is all about how best to communicate with us, find us on Social Media, and stay informed.
This document also includes upcoming important meeting links, so we highly recommend saving it for future reference…
Communicating with The Fire Conclave Council
Email Us
The primary and most direct way to contact us is through email. You may contact us anytime at: fireconclave@burningman.org. This email goes to the whole council (Crimson, Tabasco, Wrangler, Scorch and Natalie)
Please make sure to change the subject line of the email to reflect your group name and what it is you are asking, especially when responding to a group email This is important so that we can track correspondence for each group.
For example:
Subject line of email: Bog of Flames – March Report,
Or, Bog of Flames – Question about tickets
Or, Something the council sent – Bog of Flames
In the “Body” of the email please include the Group Name and the Shin’s Name. For example:
Body of email: “Hey council this is Buddy of the Bog of Flames”
You do not need to wait to ask questions. You may ask them as they come up or when you feel you have enough questions that need answering. Often we find one person asks, but 10 people want to know and 10 more didn’t know they should know. So don’t be afraid to ask. If enough of you ask the same thing, we will clarify in a bigger communication.
Discord
You can ask the whole council questions in the #ask-the-council-a-question . This is our preferred method of asking the FC Council a question on Discord as it pings the full council so any of us can answer as opposed to private DM’s. These are not public, only the FC Council and the person asking can see these conversations.
Monthly Reports
We require a “Monthly Report” from each group’s Shin which is due via email by the 25th of each month. Please don’t wait until the last day to send them, as receiving them all on the same day is a lot for us to sift through. You may send them two weeks prior to the deadline. These progress reports are tracked, and we acknowledge their receipt. Failure to provide us with monthly reports can jeopardize your group’s good standing within the Fire Conclave.
The Monthly Shin Report Template can be found on the Fire Conclave Council Resource Page (https://fireconclave.org/resources/ bookmark this page on your computer’s bookmark bar for easy access).
Shin Summits
We conduct two mandatory Shin Summits per year. Once early in the season, and another one later in the season (typically mid-July). The purpose of these forums is to cover as much important information relating to the Fire Conclave as we can. It also gives you, the Shins and Assistant Shins, the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification.
There will be two meeting date options for each forum, you’re only required to attend one. These forums are conducted utilizing Zoom.
Option #1: Thursday, March 7th from 6:30 – 8:30pm PST (meeting opens at 6:15pm)
Option #2: Sunday, March 10th from 1:00 – 3:00pm PST (meeting opens at 12:45pm)
Meeting Link: (for 2024 we will be using the same link for all meetings)
https://burningman.zoom.us/j/84532631401?pwd=gpsAG5RlTwRCeUw6OIWzZhaBaaxpNm.1
Meeting ID: 845 3263 1401
Passcode: 801095
If for some reason you are unable to attend either Summit, a recorded version will be shared after the events.
Educational Workshops / Forums
Over the last few years we have been utilizing Workshops / Forums in an effort to help both newer Shins and seasoned professionals with certain topics. It’s been a big success, so we are repeating it again this year. The first educational workshop is called “Choreography 101” and will cover the different aspects of choreography related specifically to Fire Conclave. We will cover topics such as the “duet”, “transitions”, “storylines” and “when/how to use large fire props”. We highly encourage Shins, Assistant Shins, any member of the group that is leading a group, and Choreographers to attend.
When: Sunday, March 10th from 5:00pm – 6:30pm PST (meeting opens at 2:55pm)
Meeting Link: (Same as above, because for 2024 we will be using the same link for all meetings)
https://burningman.zoom.us/j/84532631401?pwd=gpsAG5RlTwRCeUw6OIWzZhaBaaxpNm.1
Meeting ID: 845 3263 1401
Passcode: 801095
Follow Us On Social Media
Fire Conclave Public Facebook Page: The Fire Conclave has a main page open to the public where you can be the first to see important information such as deadlines, ticketing information, photos and more. Follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/Thefireconclave/
Fire Conclave Instagram: Follow us on Instagram @fireconclave. We will be posting pictures from burn night from the Great Circle Documentarian Team (Grant Palmer, Espresso Buzz, Vimala Faith and Kevin LeVezu) as well as guest photographers. Check them out at: https://www.instagram.com/fireconclave/
Youtube: Burning Man Project has a Youtube channel with a dedicated Fire Conclave playlist. You can see that here – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvI7u3Blon01GNcte2LenjZyTiPglvEOU
Other Communications from The Fire Conclave Council
Fire Conclave Announce List: Stay up to date with all the activities related to the Fire Conclave at Burning Man directly from the Fire Conclave Council. In addition to Shins and Shin Assists, anyone in the fire performance community (or interested in fire dancing in general) is encouraged to subscribe.
Email us at fireconclave@burningman.org, and tell us something about yourself, your relationship with fire performance, if you have attended Burning Man, and anything else you want to express about yourself. That’s it. We’ll subscribe you to the list.
Shin Tips from the Fire Conclave Council: Shin Tips are short communications that we feel will help you better manage your groups. Topics range from managing suggestions to important reminders. We send them out as needed (once or twice a month usually), so keep an eye out for them. They will appear in your email inbox, on the Fire Conclave website, and on Discord.
Communicating with Other Shins
The Shin List: A place where the FCC can send important information down the pipeline for you to pass on to your groups. It’s also a place where you can get advice, suggestions, and share information with other Shins.
We (the Fire Conclave Council) monitor the Shin List so we can step in if a question or topic is asked that needs further clarification. Shins and shin assists are automatically added to this list. Please make sure you are receiving these emails. If you are not, check your spam folder and change your personal settings so that these hit your inbox.
Email to the list – fireconclave-shin-list@burningman.org
Discord: You have already been informed of the Discord server and hopefully have joined and are up for sharing, discussing, and participating.
While participation is optional on Discord we have found that communication and participation is faster and more inviting. So we will be using it as our primary communications hub, and while shin tips and other announcements will be sent via email, conversations about those announcements will be set up on Discord.
Communicating/Relaying Information to your Group:
We have found the two best ways to communicate information to your group people are:
- Utilizing Social Media Groups (such as Facebook):
Utilizing groups on social media sites such as Facebook is a great way to keep communication flowing between you and your fire group. You can set up one main Facebook Group where all important announcements (such as ticket and filming information) can be passed onto all of your members. - Discord, Slack or Other Communication Platforms
These tools give everyone a place to talk about their projects while also allowing the leadership to check in and oversee all the work being done.
- Utilizing Email Groups:
If email is your thing, make a google or yahoo group. Put everyone in the group and then instead of sending emails to 30 individuals, you can simply send the emails to a group address.
Keep in mind that you may have to use a variety of methods to reach all of your group members.
Flaming Regards…
The Fire Conclave Council
Crimson, Tabasco, Wrangler, Scorch and Natalie
Photo Credit: Espresso Buzz, Burn Night, 2022
