There is something primal about a flame that draws in all observers, and shows each viewer something different inside itself. Take that natural property of fire, put it on a stick or a rope, and you have instant entertainment, with a mesmerised audience, and a powerful feeling performer. The Joys Of A Fire Dance are myriad indeed.
What can you do with fire performance?
Fire performance typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough flame to create a visual effect.
The joys of fire performance includes skills based on juggling, baton twirling, poi spinning, and other forms of object manipulation. It also includes skills such as fire breathing, fire eating, and body burning; sometimes called fakir skills. Fire performance has various styles of performance including fire dancing. The use of fire as a finale in an otherwise non-fire performance; and the use of fire skills as ‘dangerous’ stunts.
Some historical mentions
One of the earliest mentions of fire performance was at the ceremony of Simchat Beit HaShoeivah. This happened during the holidays of sukkot of the Second Temple by the Jews in Jerusalem Circa 10AD – 70AD. It has been said about Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel that when he was rejoicing with the joy of the Water-Drawing he would take eight burning torches in one hand and toss them upwards. He tossed one and caught one, and never did one touch the other. Ancient Aztecs performed a fire dance dedicated to Xiuhtecuhtli, the god of fire.[2] The Aztec fire dance is performed today for tourists in Mexico. In Bali, the Angel Dance and the Fire Dance, regularly performed for tourists, have origins in ancient rituals. Both the Angel Dance and the Fire Dance originated in a trance ritual called the sanghyang, a ritual dance “performed to ward off witches at the time of an epidemic.
Closer to home
Another form of fire dancing comes from the people of Polynesia. It is known that the Maori people of New Zealand would soak a ball attached to string in fuel. Llight it and perform dancing rituals. “Poi” is a Maori word meaning “ball on a string” making the Maori people the originators of the flow equipment still popular today
What you get out of it?
The practitioner gets to learn about the joys of flow and rhythm, timing and grace. You get a captive audience to mesmerise as soon as the sun sets in any location, for the price of a bottle of fuel. What are you waiting for?
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