Any starch can be used, "Dragons Breath" as sold by many a magic shop wasn't the conventional lycopodium powder but rather cheap coffee creamer in many cases. . . I even used that approach for flame columns in my stage shows a few time in that is if safer than common pyro methods (only burns with totally surrounded by air). Kerosine is just plain dumb. . . as is gasoline; most pros use Diesel fuel in that it only ignites when surrounded by air and as such, you can control where, (how far from your lips) the ignition point is. . . and in that the cat is out of the bag (something Keo and I were dancing around) there is a far older technique that's potentially toxic and can lead to all sorts of medical complications if you are wise when using it. I won't be explicit but the method can be found with relative ease should one do some actual homework on fire easting and Human Volcano methods.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS
All fire related stunts are dangerous no matter how innocent you might want to think them to be. Two primary events in the U.S. have seriously curtailed our ability to do a lot of pyro in our shows; 9/11 being one, from which added controls have been set into place that prevent us from having access to certain chemical types. Night Club Fires are the other issue and something as fast as a slip of flash paper going off can land you in jail facing some serious charges.
Replicating this stunt in the U.S. could prove a serious problem, especially given how sue happy people in this culture tend to be. On top of this, you can technically speaking, face "man slaughter" charges should the sudden spout of flame cause someone to have a heart attack or fall back and get seriously injured.
It's simply not as simple and innocent as it once was and far more precautions must be followed and permissions (permits) obtained. My personal suggestion being that you take the time to actually learn about pyrotechnics and get certified. . . besides, it can give you a second income flow once you've proven yourself.
