Roderick Roy Alexander operates from a height that gives him an unconventional view. Popularly known as “Rogga”, this bold, agile, stilt walker is one of only a few available on the island. From his dizzying heights, he dances, makes balloon art and negotiates difficult terrains such as steep steps and sand.

From age eleven, he has been entertaining in his community of Mt Salem, Montego Bay with various acrobatic tricks. He knew from then that he just wanted to make people laugh and be happy. Thirty-seven years later he is still at it.

However, along the way, he acquired some new skills and has mastered several spectacle-style acts. His repertoire includes fire dance, nail dance, broken-bottle dance, the limbo, bamboo dancing and stilt walking. With his versatility, he can singlehandedly do an entire show that would normally have to be done by a group.

With no genetic precedent in his trade, he is still amazed at how much he has mastered without the help of a tutor. Ironically, although self-taught, he has mentored and taught many younger persons to become proficient in one or more of these disciplines. He bemoans the fact that these days he has lost his appetite for teaching because many of the youngsters he has given a chance in the business have done him injustice.

For instance, when he asks them to fill in for him at any of his regular jobs while he is abroad, they refuse to relinquish the gig when he returns. Some have also eliminated him from contracts by under-cutting his rate.

Nevertheless, professionalism is what has kept him in the game to this day. Self-discipline is something he believes has given him the edge, despite the competition he gets even from many of his past students. “I am not going to be late for any show and when I get out there I will do everything to ensure that the audience is excited”, he says.

With happy nostalgia, Rogga recalls his first job at the former Toby’s Inn in Montego Bay. In the early years the nightclubs were big on ‘native’ entertainment and he would run from club to club at nights doing his fire dance. Over time his fame grew as the most powerful fire blower on the circuit and he was in demand at several resorts including the Holiday Inn, Wyndham, Tryall, Seawind, Doctor’s Cave, Half Moon, etc. Things have slowed down a bit these days but he is grateful to still be among those acts that still find enough work to keep them going. When he combines the fire dance with the Stilt Walk it is a spectacle to behold and tourists gasp in wonder when that fire ball from his mouth billows to the height of his stilts.

Apart from his performances he does work in the landscaping field but is quick to tell you that “entertainment is my life” and nothing comes before that. Additionally, he does private birthday parties, functions and wedding events. “If I am doing any job and I can’t get the time to go to do my shows, I am leaving that job”, he said.