Fire dancing (also known as, “fire twirling,” “fire spinning,” “fire performance,” or “fire manipulation”) is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire. Typically these objects have one or more bundles of wicking, which are soaked in fuel and ignited.
The arts of fire dancing are best learned with non-fire equipment. In many cases, these non-fire forms of dance are arts unto them selves such as poi spinning and staff twirling. However, dancing with fire is best taught first-hand by a professional . Each fire dancing art should be learned separately, and fire dancing moves should be practiced largely without fire so as to perfect movements and stunts that will be dangerous with a live light.
Fire Dancing is made of a number of beautiful arts, many of which are fire twirling. In short, anything you can light on fire, you can fire dance with! That said, we do not condone arson, or igniting the household cat for a fire dancing duo! Some of the more popular fire dancing arts are:
1- Fire Eating:
Fire eating (sometimes called Fire Swallowing) is a lovely compliment to the intimate fire dance. It involves extinguishing a flame by suffocating it inside one’s mouth. Instruments used to fire eat usually include small fire eating ‘skewers’, fire fingers, sometimes even small fire staff wicks.
2- Fire Breathing:
The MOST dangerous of the fiery arts is fire breathing.Fire breathers can exude a plume of flame up to 10 feet high. Though spectacular, many artists choose not to fire breathe due to the toxicity of fuel, which must be kept in the mouth for a time, and the dangers of pre-ignition.
3- Fire Poi
A regular favourite of fire twirlers. Poi is a Maori word and the art of spinning poi originally comes from New Zealand, though can be found throughout the world today. Fire Poi are made of a ball of kevlar wick on the end of a chain that is swung around the body. Usually twirled in pairs, they create a beautiful circular fire trail about the fire dancer.
4- Fire Staves
Many people find fire staffs easier to master than fire poi for the simple reason that they can be twirled SLOWLY (imagine slowing down a poi swing — it will most likely come crashing down on you and light your hair on fire!!). Fire Staffs are made from a wind or two of kevlar wick bolted to each end of an aluminium pole. Much like baton twirling (though a majority of staff twirlers never twirled batons), the staff is twirled around the body mainly by arm and wrist movement, but sometimes through the fingers. Double Fire Staffs are often shorter than single staffs and are twirled one in each hand — twice as hot with twice the wick!
Fire dancing is often performed to music. Fire dancing has been a traditional part of cultures from around the world, and modern fire performance often includes visual and stylistic elements from many traditions.
source:www.fire-dancing.com
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