When this subject comes up, everyone seems to REALLY have an emotional attachment to one fire-tool or the other. Sometimes it's just what they have seen the most, sometimes it's who they look up to & what fire-tool this person uses, & sometimes it's just that that particular tool seemed to be around at the time.
I know that when I got into fire-dancing, I was pretty set on the traditional tools.... poi & staff. Having lived in Hawaii for four years, I came really respect & love the tools that were used in Hula shows. Many of which came from ancient Polynesian, Micronesian, & Tahitian fire ceremonies. Although the fire-hoop is super sexy, the fire fans are very sensual, & the fire-fingers are quite “cute”, I wanted something old-school that would be difficult to achieve a level of expertise in. Thus, I thought that the tools that took coordination, timing & were open-chained (not connected to the body in anyway) were going to keep my interest.
Of course, nowadays, there are so many tools to choose from like the fire-lasso, the fire-umbrellas (is that really a tool... or just a prop... really?), fire-nanchuks, & just a few days ago, one of my aerial friends walked into my home with a fire-trapeze!! Wow! Way to go Chobi & Angel! Anyway, I digress, what I want to know is, why would someone pick a fire-prop over a tool anyway?
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| Mordecai with his beloved Fire-Sword. |
First, I think it has to do with discipline in terms of what "toys" we choose to play with. I believe there are two different kinds of people out there... those that like to achieve things through hard-work , repetition, & training & those that would rather figure out fancy ways of cheating the whole training process... which in my opinion, at the end of the day, take just as much time to apply. (That, by the way, was the old Personal Trainer coming out in me.) Those that are going to go with the fingers or say the fans, quite frankly, just want to look pretty but in terms of the risk & skill level, I really don’t think there is too much risk in the venture. Sorry. :0( Although, with that being said, I have seen a few performers really go off with fans but it’s more because of their level of dance/acrobatic abilities & not their level of fire-tool control.
Second, it’s the fear factor. If there is a way to keep the fire away from the skin & hair, maybe something that stays affixed outwardly from the body might just be a safer bet. It’s like doing trapeze... with a harness (for the record, I have never worn a harness). Again, we are playing with fire, & eventually, if you do it long enough, you will get burned! Believe me, meeting with so many performers & fire-dancers lately, I've been seeing some SERIOUS battle wounds!! Some of us just aren’t willing to take that risk with tough tools (as often). For example, I will never, & I do mean never, put a gulp-full of propane into my mouth & spit fire. NO THANKS! The taste, the chemical pneumonia, & simply the idea of a burned lip that ends up looking closer to herpes is just not my cup of tea. But, I will say, I love spectating & admiring a spectacular fire-breather like Brady Spindel, Fireplug or the Thai guys I saw dancing staff & fire-spraying intermittently on the beaches of Ko Phanang.
At the end of the day, a true fire-performer loves fire & you will be hell-bent to find a fire-dancer who doesn't love the smell, sound, or heat of flame. The risk is always present even if you do pick out the "less dangerous" tools or spin with less zeel! So, whether you choose to twirl, spin, or dance with fire... it’s all your choice. Whatever tool you decide to do it with is all you too. It’s all mesmerizing! But when it comes to a really talented performer who wants to take the fear & training factors to the limits, I would have to suggest... they use the “big kid” tools!
~Chantel
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