BBC SEEKS UK BASED FIRE POI PERFORMERS

 Written by: BBCTV email reply



Thanks for your email. We are indeed hoping to set the world record for most poi
fire spinner at once, and it will form part of a special dance programme
broadcast live from Trafalgar Square in London on Saturday 22nd July. It will
be a unique event that will mark the culmination of a week of dance and
performance events across the country and will bring dance and performance, in
all it's forms, to a BBC1 Saturday night audience of millions.

The poi record is as yet unset and I am starting research into the feasibility
of setting this brand new Guinness world record live as part of the event. We
are hoping to find 40+ fire poi performers based in the to take part in a short
choreographed piece. Unfortunately we are not able to pay performers, but hope
that this will be a fun and reward event to be part of and will help bring the
art of poi to a large audience.

 Written by: The BBC site

Last year, TV Licensing collected £2,940 million in revenue for the BBC, which is an increase of £142 million on the previous year. Of this, £80 million was due to inflation, £43 million to the above inflation increases in the licence fee and £19 million from collection improvements

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/10_october/11/lf.shtml

I'll still do it for free though...
when hell freezes over.

 Written by: Firetramp


Only 40? There's 500 at Burning Man, spinning at the same time!

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!

 Written by: Neon_Shaolin

 Written by: Firetramp


Only 40? There's 500 at Burning Man, spinning at the same time!

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!

now i am confussed, so they set the record, then go beat it again at a festival like burning man?

 Written by: UmbiliciformCraterOnFace


I'll still do it for free though...

thats cos ur a fire tramp

id say itd be worthwhile someone coordinating with the bbc on hops behalf to negotiate fuel/travel reimbursements at the very least, it seems a bit like crusty demons of dirt

Sym i agree it is a cool idea. the slightly negative reaction is simply due to the fact that large scale productions have large budgets, the ppl who work on the set get paid, the costume designers get paid, the makeup artists get paid, the cast get paid, the cleaners get paid etc etc yet they never seem to have any money for fire spinning.

"We are hoping to find 40+ fire poi performers based in the to take part in a short choreographed piece. Unfortunately we are not able to pay performers"

so im guessing its fair to say that since its choreographed its going to have some rehersals, play is play a shows a show, personally when im asked to do a highly skilled task thats not play i expect to be paid.

 Written by: sym

Why don't we all just think of this as a good thing, that will get poi on TV in a cool way, rather than slagging them off before they have started?

who slagged who off?

i'm sure we all think that poi on tv is a good thing

we just don't think that a poor representation of it would be a good thing, nor would poi performers being taken advantage of, so we're trying to make sure that isn't what's happening here.

there's no inherent problem with this idea at all but it is only fair to pose the same questions to the bbc as we would anyone else who made a request like this.

however, there is often an assumption attached to circus performers in that they will perform for free because they love what they do and it seems this assumption is in full effect here...


i echo what ben just said - if you want quality performers, you have to pay for them.

a television producer should know this better than anyone.

if the request stated that the bbc had had a cool idea and was looking for people to talk to about it, that would be cool.

but it didn't, it said 'we want a 40 person, chreographed fire show - for free.'

that's just not quite cricket in my book.


cole. x