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Flame Infatuation
Our species’
attraction to fire
dates back more than
9,000 years -- to
when the first
humans witnessed
lightning strike the
earth. They
discovered how to
harness that power
with flint sometime
around 7,000 BC, and
with it opened a
world of
possibilities.
Fire beget
technology. At
first, simple tools
were fashioned,
making way for crude
weapons.
Nine centuries
later, we’ve
advanced so far
that, in the case of
lighters and camp
stoves, we never
have to be separated
from life-giving
flame.
The charm and beauty
of fire has its
cruel, opposing face
as well. As warm and
useful as it can be,
it has the potential
to be horribly
disastrous. Used
hatefully against
people in war, fire
has been equally
used to bring people
together in harmony
and celebration.
Along with the
ability to make fire
came a gradual
advancement in
technology. At
first, simple tools
were fashioned which
eventually led to
the creation of
weapons. During the
course of history
there have been
millions of other
inventions all
thanks to the
powerful source of
fire. In our modern
day we’ve even
advanced as far as
creating gadgets in
an attempt to
capture fire such as
camping stoves and
lighters. |
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The charm
and beauty
of fire has
its opposing
forces as
well, much
like the
balance
between yin
and yang. As
warming and
beautiful as
it can be,
it also has
the
potential to
be horribly
disastrous.
Fire has
been
hatefully
used against
people
during war,
and has been
equally used
to bring
people
together in
harmony and
celebration.
History of
Firespinning
Typically
referred to
as
“firespinning”
or “fire dancing”,
and
sometimes as
“fire
twirling” or
“flame
throwing”,
the ancient
art involves
lighting an
object on
fire and
spinning it
until the
flames burns
out. Flame
throwing has
most likely
taken place
since the
caveman
figured out
how to grab
a burning
stick from a
fire and
twirl it
through the
air. As
mentioned
earlier,
humans
undoubtedly
gravitate to
fire and are
curious
about
playing with
it, often
leading
toward
greater
exploration
and
experimentation.
Humans have
tried
everything
from walking
on fire and
eating fire,
to throwing
and spinning
fire. The
old saying
is
inevitably
true: “If
you play
with fire
you will get
burned.”
There is no
limit to how
many objects
one could
spin on
fire. I have
seen swords,
juggling
balls,
juggling
pins, hula
hoops, fire
fingers,
clubs, num
chucks,
umbrellas,
rope, fans,
and many
more. But
the most
commonly
spun toys,
and
debatably
the most
ancient, are
poi and
staff. |
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Poi has been used for hundreds of years by the Maori people of New
Zealand. In olden days the
Maori played a
game they called “kii”.
Through time, the name of
the game evolved to “kiitoa”,
then later to “poitoa”, and
eventually was shortened to
just “poi”. Literally
translated, “poi” is the
Maori word for “ball on a
cord”.
Traditionally made of flax
fiber and spun to a sacred
chant, today fire poi is
usually made out of metal
chain with Kevlar wick at
the end. Both male and
female Maori used poi in
their daily lives.
Generally, the women used
poi to increase the
flexibility in their hands
for weaving while the men
used it to improve strength
and coordination for battle.
Poi was also a training
device for other weapons
used in battle such as the
Patu (short club). For more
information on firespinning
with poi, check out
www.homeofpoi.com.
Also reaching back far into
recorded history, and called
many names depending on the
culture, the location in the
world, and the time in
history, is the staff. Other
historic names include cane,
rod, lance, bo, jo, spear,
walking stick, sword, saber,
and pole. Many forms of
martial arts, such as Kung
Fu, Karate, Aikido, Eskrima,
T’ai Chi Ch’uan, Qigong, Ba
Gua, and Bata (Irish stick
fighting), incorporate the
staff as both a weapon of
attack, as well as a weapon
of self-defense. Aside from
holding great lore as a
martial arts weapon in
places like China, Okinawa,
Japan, and the Philippines,
the staff as a fire
instrument has much history
in places like Polynesia and
Hawaii. These days in Hawaii
it’s common to see a fire
staff being spun at a party
or luau. To learn more about
firespinning a useful
website is
www.fire-dancing.com
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Bio-Luminesce
In Sandpoint, Idaho,
a brand new fire
performing troupe is
emerging that goes
by the name Bio-Luminesce.
Started at the onset
of summer, the
troupe was
co-created by four
members – Melanie
Jerome, Natalia
Ocasio, Jeff
Dunwoody, and myself
– all of whom live
locally in the
Sandpoint area.
Spinning assorted
toys like hula hoop,
staff, juggling
pins, and poi, our
leading trademark
and message to the
world, however, is
the fuel we burn.
Firespinners
generally use fuels
that are of a
limited resource and
that release toxic
emissions into the
environment, such as
kerosene, lamp oil,
or the most commonly
used fuel, white
gas. Though white
gas burns
brilliantly when
used in
performances, the
fact still remains
that it’s a fossil
fuel. The depletion
of fossil fuels and
the pollution they
cause when burned is
a primary global
concern, one that
leads us to consider
non-toxic and more
sustainable fuels.
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With a
little
research and
a few simple
experiments,
we
discovered
that an
excellent
replacement
fuel for
firespinning
is biodiesel.
Not only
does it burn
longer than
white gas,
biodiesel is
also
sustainable,
non-toxic,
renewable,
and one
hundred
percent
biodegradable.
Plus,
biodiesel
emissions of
carbon
dioxide
(CO2) are
significantly
less than
any other
fossil fuel
thanks to
its main
ingredient,
vegetable
oil. Since
oil-producing
plants
absorb
exactly the
same amount
of CO2 as is
emitted when
burned in an
engine,
there is no
excess
amount of
CO2 that can
take its
toll on the
environment.
Bio-Luminesce
has staged
over seven
fire shows,
all using
biodiesel.
Incorporating
both live
and recorded
music, and
with a
growing
ensemble of
firespinners,
each
performance
is uniquely
created.
With other
tentative
performances
lined up for
the fall and
winter, Bio-Luminesce
offers “fire
for hire”.
We can host
a
firespinning
workshop or
we can put
on a private
show. And
all the fire
toys we
spin, we
also make to
sell. So
stay tuned
and watch
the night
sky because
you may see
our golden
flames in
orbit. As we
burn into
the future,
our goal is
to continue
to
entertain,
educate, and
inspire,
while
simultaneously
promote
biodiesel
awareness.
For more
information,
contact
Travis Engle
at
bioluminesce@hotmail.com
or his cell
at
808-936-5137.
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