My First Light-Up!

You may think "What is she talking about?" I'm talking about fire, folks! Fire tools, more specifically.

This past Saturday, my friend and fellow bellydancer Raine invited me over to her place to try out her fire tools. I was seriously excited. I'd never had the time to try this out before.

First, Raine and I warmed up our bodies with some yoga. She then let me play with the fire fans and manipulate them while they were unignited. She even showed me that it was possible to spin the fans on the vertical axis to create some incredible effects. I practiced some dance combinations while holding the fans. Then we headed outside to the yard.

The first order of business was to make sure we had some nice clear space in the front yard-- about a 15-foot radius. We soaked down a large towel in order to put out the fans as part of safety procedure.

When Raine opened her bin of "goodies" and I saw the poi in there I got excited, but we both agreed that I shouldn't take in too much information at once when dealing with fire. She showed me some other fabrics she had for putting out the tools. I also received a brief talk on fuels used. Raine enjoys using kerosene, but other dancers I know like to use camping fluid and rubbing alcohol mixed together. She showed me how the kerosene was stored, in a paint can, and then advised me that because of the flammable liquids, the supply bin should be stored at least 20 feet away from the show and guarded at all times. She also gave me a soft hat with which to cover my hair as a safety precaution, but later on when I felt more confident I removed the hat and wetted down my hair a little.

We finally got to dipping the torches on the fan in kerosene. She showed me how long to soak each, and how to shake out the fans to ensure that no fluid dripped onto the dancer's body after soaking. Raine did a brief performance for me. The kerosene typically burns for about 3-4 minutes, so she just concluded the performance around that point, but we also practiced having me snuff out the fans with the damp towel. Then it was my turn!

We lit the torches on the fans using a normal lighter. I was definitely frightened at first when I began to move the fans and my arms felt stiff even though we had warmed up physically inside the house. After the first minute or so, though, I began to feel more relaxed about being mobile with the fans.

I tried a second light-up. This time I explored more dynamic movement combinations. Slow into fast. I started feeling more comfortable with spinning the fans this time! I felt like the second round was a much more relaxed presentation. Unfortunately, we had to call it quits by then because of time limitations, but I remember her saying to me "I can see it in your eyes. You're addicted." I sure was. I messaged her and another friend that same day about meeting again to practice.

Some photos: