Forums > Social Chat > The WHYS and WHEREFORES ...

Posted: 1st Jan 2001
here's some typical thoughts that go thru my head..."don't fuck up....whoa, that was close...oh shit don't....don't fuck up again....wow that would have hurt....god damn why is it burning out already?" ...and so on.

Posted: 2nd Jan 2001
hahahahahahahahahahahaha!that's exactly what goes through my head.Jo.

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 2nd Jan 2001
along with the odd - 'will someone make some noise so I can work out which way is forward again after that last circular weave' ...does anyone else get blinded by the fire - I find I totally loose track of the world outside my poi - cant hear anyone or see anything .. which is kinda cool ... but slightly disorientating ok - Ive read Bish's post properly now and answered my own question really ... how do the professional people out there deal with that disorientation - I mean when you're doing a performance how do you stay orientated towards the audience? or do you find it doesnt matter that much?[This message has been edited by lurkapup (edited 03 January 2001).]

I wish I could jump like that, he thought. Some can and some can't. That's how it is.
Winne-the-Pooh.

Posted: 2nd Jan 2001
ok now Ive read Bish's post properly I guess the answer is yes ...ok so it did come through - seem to have a few out of sync issues between my head, my pooter and the board ... I'd delete the post .. but then how will I ever catch up to simos [This message has been edited by lurkapup (edited 03 January 2001).]

I wish I could jump like that, he thought. Some can and some can't. That's how it is.
Winne-the-Pooh.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
haha you never will lurkapup holidays are over soon so i'll stop bothering you so often!!! but for the disorientation problems you can try putting the loudspeakers behind you if you are spinning with music - then you'll know that if you hear the music behind you, you are facing the crowd...or you can just get a couple of friends in the audience to start whistling or clapping their hands (which will drive the audience into clapping too) whenever you are doing a circular weave or something similar and then you'll know where the audience is but i guess this one is kind of cheating but who cares...i suffer from disorientation problems too (although i use glowsticks and i swing in poor lighting conditions with the occasional strobe light and lots of smoke which is so confusing) but usually it doesn't matter as people are standing around me in a circle - i am not professional at all though (the contrary) so i am sure there are other better ways too - the simplest thing to do is not mix a lot of disorientating moves without a small break in between (say a butterfly or just normal swinging) just to get an idea which way you are facing - i sometimes get dizzy from spinning and then do a really easy move or slow spinning until i can spin round again...hope that helps,Simos

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
When I do performances, my stage allows for audience on 3 sides. I do get disoriented occasionally as well, but when I lose track of where I am, I just do a stationary move until I figure it out, and then use a transition to get me pointing the way I intended to be facing in the first place. I have found that putting a candle at the foot of the performance area (I use it to lite my torches so that it looks functional.) makes orienting in a dark room much easier.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
PS- My stage is raised about 2.5 feet off the floor so there isn't any danger of the candle getting kicked over. If you don't have that advantage, you might take Sammie's suggestion of a friend in the audience, and have them standing near the candle/glow stick/etc to keep it from getting moved or in any other way upset. I've found visual cues more easy to orient myself from than sound cues.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
Hee hee hee... I'm cracking up over here with you all's replies. And I have a story to share.First, I seldom if ever get disoriented when spinning... maybe I spin slower than others, who knows? But - there was an occasion, at a gig in a nightclub where I did get pretty disoriented. First of all, my ankle was broken so I was performing in my walking cast (which looks like a big black boot, so I doubt many folks even noticed...). Then, I decided to come out carrying a candle with a black veil over my head. All fine, right? Nope!I came out onto stage and I couldn't see anything in front of me because the candle was so bright! Then there were these weird little white lights on the floor that were just slowly swaying and moving in a circle, and I thought it was me! Like I was dizzy or something... I felt like I was going to fall on the floor! Eek!Anyway, I set the candle down, took the veil off and the rest of the show went down mostly according to plan.The lesson here? Don't walk onto a dark stage carrying a candle with a veil over your head if your leg is broken.Charly

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
hey charly, i think the real lesson is "don't walk thru a club holding a candle after you've taken mushrooms, ecstacy, heroin, cocaine, and vodka at the same time." that might help with your disorientation description.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
Hmmm. There's a couple posts here that lead me to think that some of you have be out there playing fire without someone looking after you. It seems that if you already have a person pulling fire safety for you, s/he might look after your potential dizziness or the candle getting knocked over as well as taking care of anyone or anything that gets accidently lit on fire by you. Who out there does or doesn't perform with a fire safety person? If you do perform with safety person, what's your program? If you don't, why not? Thanks,Diana

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
PS: My experience of fire has changed over time. At first, I got so "fire high", I was practically useless when I was done. The more I work at it, lit and unlit, the more confident I get moves and routines and the element itself, the more I can channel that "high" energy and get into the experience of the moment. Sometimes it's so immediate, it's scary. And try, if you haven't dug this already, spinning with no music at all. Play the fire. D

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
Di- I think your last question deserves it's own topic, however, I shall respond here.It really depends on the situation as to who I have as my appointed safty person, but one of the first things I do whenever a friend asks to see a fire show is demand that they learn to be my fire safety person first. (Not that I trust any old person with this job, but the more people that know, the better.) Anyway, if I'm performing as a function of our club, then I have all 4 floormen working as my safties (I have them a 15 minute lecture before my first performance, and made sure they all could demonstrate how to use a fire extinguisher... You'd be surprised at how many people don't). If I'm performing outside the club, I'm usually with my firery friends, and we all know how to look out for eachother, and take turns being "straight man." When I first started, I didn't care too much about it, but my (somewhat pessimistic) SO was adamant. Now I'm just glad it's become habit.

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
Usually my mind is pretty clear when swinging...I get so involved in the moves, the flow of it, the sound of the fire and the music (if I use it). It's like a meditation for me and so I really don't think a whole lot when in the midst..afterward I'll think back and go..."damn I messed up here" or "how the hell did I pull that one off?". I always use a safety, even when practicing with fire. I have seen and heard stories of hellatious burns and I am not willing to risk my life for my pleasure. Also, I agree with Di that without music can be more of a rush for me than with at times.As for disorientation, I don't feel it. I am so accustomed to rolling and such now from my ground tricks, and I have dance training in my background that helps deal with that.Simos' idea of audeince plants is a good one, I have used that on slow days at Ren Faires just to build a good audience. It's a stunt called rousting plants that really works well not only for bearings but crowd involvement.Ummmm....yup, that's all. ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 8th Jan 2001
Jesse,Hey, thanks for responding here. I was just really concerned, not just with your post, but other's too. Yes, I think I will post as another topic. Thanks again,Diana

Posted: 9th Jan 2001
Shot for the responses! Although, my 'question' wasn't one about disorientation and safely dealing with it, it IS a valid point.The only hazardous incident I have experienced with disorientation is when a 'disoriented' (reads: 'absolutley trashed') member of the public stumbled through our street performance and was almost obliterated by O_O !! Knowing, Marking and 'Enforcing' your performance area is essential.I find that as soon as I think: "dear God, don't let me screw up ... " I invariably do ! Thinking of any kind just messes me up (think my brain is too slow, hmmm...).Back to my originalconcept >Ok, when doing a choreographed performance, disorientation shouldn't be an issue (if you practise, ne ?), but your mind is busy keeping the beat, trimming your moves, lining up the next flourish, all sorts of technical stuff ...But, when you are FREESTYLING to a really power number (or to just the sound of the flames), just for the sheer pleasure of it ... you don't have to think, do you ?I have satisfied myself that it must be something similar to a meditaive state, a moving meditation - a Tai Chi for Ravers ...You all have fun out there and don't burn yourselves ! (Update your safety protocols now !)Bish

Hasst du etwas zeit fuer mich?... Dan singe ich ein lied fuer dich ... -Bjork/Nena

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
Interesting! I am not ever disorientated when performing, YET when just stuffing around I often lose the plot. Must be the concerntration levels. Imagine this!: Your stage is a meter and a half square podium at table height. The setting is a fine dining restaurant, New Years Eve, full of diners and busy waiting staff. You have a rafter to your right and outstretched hand height, so no big moves in that direction. Directly infront of you is a man sitting at a table with his friends having their meal, his head is roughly at your knee height. Directly behind you is the waiters station and they are coming and going all through the show. On stage is your percussion group and fire bellydancer ( Yes Luna thats Mel!!), across the room is Chris on another podium. Now THAT allows for NO DISORIENTATION or fuck ups cos if you dont take out a waiter you will either (a) fall off the podium (b) take out the guy at the table at knee height (c) whack the rafter with stick or poi or (D) spit breathing fuel all over the other diners when you firebeathe, so must have pure mist there. I MUCH prefer doing club gigs where we have the whole stage to run all over. Or a gig when the roof is really low so you have to do the whole show on your knees, thats great and looks so..seductive! hahahaaaa. But my favourite gigs are outdoors ones where the pressure is off and you'd only look like an idiot if you mess up, instead of something abit more horrific.

...Firebreathing? Magic is only part of it my friend, diet does the rest!

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
i am never disoriented however i can give some advicegive a couple people standing togather (your friends so they don't disapear) glowsticksthat way you can tell where they arei like raves the most (everyone is 360 degrees around you) so i doesnt matter what way you face

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
I love Poi and I love dancing to Poi but I so feel self conscious when I realize that people are watching me (not a buzz for me when I am my sober self). I think its harder for you to try out new moves if you are nervous about people watching potential f@ck ups.When I Poi I concentrate on the difficult moves and become mesmerized by the poi and the beats. That is when my movements become fluid and Poi looks and feels beautiful for me. Knowing someone is watching me is terrifying. I performed in front of over 600 people last summer and was so terrified that I just kept on doing weaves and butterflies, terrified that each time I did the mexican wave the Poi would catch on one of the million pins in my hair. And that wasn't even fire Poi! But then I'm just a shy girl!Kat------------------"London is a city coming down from its trip and there's going to be a lot of refugees" - Danny,Withnail & I

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.

- W B Yeats

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
why be nervice?everyone else totally sucks crap!if they laugh just say you try and laugh at them even harder cause they cant do anything at all.this makes them shut up pretty quickly.just my $.02

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
True.It is too easy to chicken out of things by been afraid of what anyone things of us.But some of the enjoyment is lost if you think someone is going to jeer at you. Also what is all this crap about the dance music industry slagging off glow sticks. They obviously haven't seen how fantastic glow sticks look when they are been twirled. But then these are the same people who scoff at rock and turn up their nose at Fatboy Slim and Paul Van Dyke because of their commercial success. The sad fact is clubbers can be pretentious wankers! ------------------"London is a city coming down from its trip and there's going to be a lot of refugees" - Danny,Withnail & I

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.

- W B Yeats