Dash often says his career began at the Maryland Renaissance Festival when he was just 18—but his roots in performance stretch back a few years earlier. He first took the stage through a summer musical teen theater program, which soon led to Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow casts, and ultimately, the vibrant world of Renaissance festivals.

At Revel Grove, he started humbly in the dunk tank before trying his hand as a merchant, selling unicorn heads on sticks. (Everything at a renaissance festival is better on a stick.) After a few seasons, he was encouraged to audition for the festival cast and was accepted into the Royal Court as one of King Henry VIII’s Guard. From there, his journey into the American sideshow arts began: juggling came first, then fire eating, and eventually the daredevil specialty that would earn him his crown—the dangerous art of animal traps.

Over the course of his festival career, Dash has embodied a wide range of characters: sheriff’s deputy, town thief, royal tax collector, falconer’s apprentice, Shakespearean professional wrestler, and actor combatant/choreographer. Yet, no matter the role, his throughline has always been the same: a deep love for the strange, the bizarre, and the wonderfully absurd. He often says there’s a fine line between being dangerously stupid and being stupidly dangerous. His work lives on that edge.