Dancing with poi

I do like the idea of letting the music guide your routine. Using changes in the music to co-incide with changes in your form. I do a little of that, like when the music slows down, you slow down. Or if there is a drum beats that comes in strong suddenly (techno has a lot of that stuff), use that point to shift to some more technical stuff/high energy/big body movements. I have discovered that it is getting easier for me to do technical stuff and still dance. Proabably just a combination of more practice dancing (get it down to reflex level?) and getting better at technical moves (practice practice practice) and practicing it all together. It gets easier over time. BTW I love everybodie's ideas so far!

Pele, I like the idea about the butterfly, I will try it out. I already do something similar, but without the body wave (moves for the ladies )

those hip movements are intruiging, I must try out some more movement techniques.

I can do belly roles going up and down. They tend to freak people out LOL, but it is funny to me. I haven't done them with poi though

also, I can suck my stomach way in (ribs stick out), or push my belly all the way out so I look pregnant. I'm not sure what good that would be in a routine, but it is an extra option.

THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I'M DOIN THE ACHEY BRAKEY



one things is everybody's always stuck in this square planed out box. box of moves. learn the moves, then throw them away, i say! dance first. then start throwing in moves, getting more and more complex as each move becomes natural.

although....twirling fire at a rodeo might be cool. Get a bunch of drunk cowboys together watching somebody swing fire around. Everybody likes fire. especialy drunk cowboys....I have extensively tested this theory.

i HAVE twirled fire at a rodeo. but i didn't do no achey brakey, i'll tell you that much! they liked my bullwhip tricks...

Ewen (SpaceEmonkey) was dancing around with poi on rollerblades a couple of weeks ago at Spitz! It flowed!!

I'm more into jigging around that pulling off 5 beat reverse thingy's myself.

Prolly cause I can't but dancing is more fun

When I poi I dance around in my "Drunken Pixie" style. Here's the basic recipe:

• Some kind of combination of an ginga (Capoeira foot work) on the bottom half.
• Rolling hip and waist movements on the top half.
• Throw in a handfull of martial arts.
• Sprinke with the odd cartwheel.
• Don't be stingy on the wraps. (if anything go to the upmost extreme, hell, my theory on poi is, "If you think you are about to f*** someting up, turn it into a wrap.")
• Be fairly liberal with the odd dance techniques.
• Try to keep the flaming poi away from your face. (this may or may not include moving your head out of the way)
• Keep out of the way of other twirlers.
• Mix well.

Feel free to add or modify your recipie to suit yourself and enjoy.

ima going to bee the devil's avacado (mmmm satanically fattening aplenty!) cus music doesn't impact me beyond the mid-routine outburst of 'hey, they're drumming faster now!'
My twirling style is led more to where I may
I only think up to about 3 moves in advance at most, and personally my twirling is more a journey through one of those possible destinations rather than to syncing to musical choonz, or even drumming or earthquakes. My twirling is more affected by environmental interaction (hmm tree trunks!) and twirler interation (argh toddler wraps!)
contrary to pupular belief, sandwiches do not come from the beach.

quote:

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Originally posted by arashi:
but i didn't do no achey brakey, i'll tell you that much!

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oh sure mr asrashi,... do not let your boot-scoot betray your posts!
SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS!
YOU KNOW IT TO BE TRUE!!!
IT IS YOUR DESTINY!
mua ha ha ha hha etc etc.

[ 28. March 2003, 00:11: Message edited by: bender™ ]

just dance

<holds nose to invoke whiny white man voice> thread jackers!! </end whine>

just dance like no ones watching! most of the time unless the music is pretty damn loud i can't hear it over the flames anyways.

how many of yall look at the crowd while spinning?

thats one of my things i'm working on, i feel more confident looking at my feet or hands instead of the audience.

what about bowing?

i have a hard time acknowledging crowd response. i would prefer to scoot out of the center of attention and return to my normal programming.

how many people have a predestined set they perform?

i almost always go freestyle, maybe quietly deciding beforehand what style, but no planning beyond that loose constraint.
i've tried to choreograph with other people before but my lack of $killz was making it very difficult for both of us. born soloist! it's not a ego thing, more of a practical/partner endangerment issue. i don't mind sharing the stage with other soloists tho.
the most fun i had with a partner was with a friend on stilts (w/ staff) while i was on the ground w/chains. i was wrapping on his stilts, going between his legs. fun.
i do have some visions of coop battles with another set of chains. leg wraps, "strikes" , entrapments? (butterfly)

peace

How often the angry man (Arashi) rages denile (acky breaky) of what his inner self is telling him (enjoyed it)



"What doesn't kill you makes you trip" -Ancient Native American Wise Man.

I've not done that many 'performances' per say - but when I'm spinning in front of people, mostly ignore then, just do my thang, but then I'll do some butterfly type moves and look at someone in the crowd thru the flames intensly (don't know if they see me looking at them or not) but I think it gives a sort of connection to the flames for that person (or group of people in the direction I'm looking) If you can get really close to someone as well and do simple side spins close to them so they can hear the sound.

Yes..I choreograph for "real" shows, I also have sets of moves that go well together for more "improv" shows. This way my safety knows what I am doing, and I can be sure that my audience is safe.

Yes..I look at the crowd, sometimes I even talk with them, sometimes I wink, sometimes I just smile. It is really important to make that contact. That is part of the transition from hobbist in public to professional.

Yes..I make an exit, otherwise you leave the audience hanging. How many times have you walked away from something that didn't seem finished thinking "Geez, that was stupid". By making the ending clear you can do several things, reintroduce yourself so they don't forget who you are, make it clear the spectacle is over and receive your well earn accolades.

All part of putting on a show versus showing off.

Hey Santana...got those hip movements yet? Don't leave them just to the ladies as I can tell you, the ladies like them on men too! ahem*icecream*ahem

I've said it once and I will say it again...

purrrrrrrr....!

Darn loging...that was santana just now

really if you wanna be a pro you gotta do both. for many many years i just did the flow thing, and it's very good to have, so you can dance to any band or dj that walks up to hire you, and react to their music. plus i also have a set of moves that go well together, once you have that, you can spend more time reacting to the music.
but if you wanna really blow people away you gotta perform, and that means not having to focus on your dancing and move your focus to the performance, the winks and such. man, all those girls looking at you like, "damn, i'm takin HIM home..." You gotta make eye contact with THEM at least! . rftek, i'd be happy to help you out with some pointers, next time we see each other (as if our styles needed any more similarities, huh?)

this is an interesting phylosophy. I must try it out at our next performance (couple weeks!)

Could you explain this "lure in the audience" thing a bit more?

so, I like go up the hottest chick there and wink at her while doing a butterfly, or something?

Eye contact, facial expresions? Make them forget I am twirling for a second? OR make it look like _I_ forget I am twirling for a second?

Ah have _heard_ of "playing" tha audience, bud ah'm just a back wuds kunchi boy wid vera lidle social trainin, so Ah need all the heelp ah can git.

my advice? experi-meriment . really it's about what feels good for YOU, people can see and feel whether or not you are "there." try things and see what works. you're already working on the "moves for the ladies," but honestly, being sexy is sexier than looking sexy... if you want to pick up real tips, do what i did... take theatre classes! plus, i learned heaps from drag queens doing cabaret shows in San Fran. *respect* undoubtedly the best performers get their inspiration from drag queens. Little known hollywood secret. They perform, shine every moment of their lives! and they have style!

arashi: i will definetly take you up on this. i *just* read a great, imo, article at burn syndicate.

http://www.burnsyndicate.com/performance.shtml

it tied in alot to what you we're saying earlier about taking cues from other performance artists, ie; drag queens and acting. this is something i've been thinking about lately.

part of my quest for myself is what am i as a fire performer? to be honest, it's all fun and games for me right now. i'm putting myself in the category of dedicated amateur playabout. i play because i love to, i get a lot of satisfaction out of making equipment i can later have fun with.

later yall

[ 29. March 2003, 04:49: Message edited by: rftek ]

A style that i like is c-walking (crypt walking)...lol that thing rappers do. A good combination is a BTB weave and c-walking forward.

wow, that article was THICK. It had a lot of good info, but it was a lot to digest in one sitting (and they didn't even go into great detail about a tenth of the things they mentioned). I guess that is why they have schools that teach this stuff, not just overnight classes, right?

Well, we have a show in a couple weeks. I am going to try and implement that stuff.

I used to think I was starting to get the hang of this "performance stuff" Now I see how amature I realy am. I may have been doing a lot of that stuff by instinct, but untill I became aware of it, I could never be as good as I could be.

It reminds me of when I first saw Circles of Light #1, I realized I had a long way to go, (just when I thought I had learned all there was to learn. I feel like a child again). I feel I am lost in a sea of information, and trying to decipher it all at once. I know it will take a long time to come close to the %800 percent that I need.

Thank you all for showing me this world, even though it shook my very foundations. This is a good thing.

#1 learn to poi

#2 learn to dance

I thought that was all I needed to know, I was wrong.

#3 learn to do all that other 1000 things in the above article.