Posted: 20th Apr 2001
I did my first live spin the other night. It was amazing. I didn't expect the roar of the poi as they swung around or anything. MAN, that was cool, and yes, addictive. I found the nylon straps to be heaps easier on the fingers, I usually only use steel rings. I'm seriousy in on it now.I also have a motivation now to learn more tricks and other funky stuffs.Overall I think it's a HUGE experience and everyone should try it at least once.ps.I didn't lose any hair or clothing in my first spin. I'm pretty stoked about that.

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
My first time to light up was at my school. I recieved my juggling torches and everyone knew I had to have at least a week of hard practice before lighting them up. Most of them came out to see me light them. I was so excited I forgot two great facts: fire is bright and hot. I lit them too close to my face and the heat suprised me but after a while I got going and everybody loved it. I also enjoy the sound fire makes as it is swung about the body.

Oh LordForge me in the fire of your mightLet your flames burn higher and brighterMake me pure and holy in your siteAnd cleanse me with thy consuming fire

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
Laugh out really loud!!!It's funny....I remember lightin em' and thinking......this is a tad warm. I began to get a bit concious of the wicks cracking me in the gonads whilst alight (It's bad enough with tennis balls).... but it's not that bad, I think the fire keeps you on edge and makes you think alot sharper, making the experience that bit more polishedDan!

ABCDEFG...HIJKLMNOP...QRSTU and V..WXY and Zeeeee.Hey everybody look at me...now I know my ABC!

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
I had the great blessing of lighting up for my first time at a now defunct gathering called Freakshow 2000. It was at a beautiful cove of the Pacific with a bunch of other fire performers, drummers and a few friends. What I remember most clearly was that when I light up, I just stood there. I don't know for how long. My clearest thought was, "I'm supposed to spin these?! They're on fire!!" Diana

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
*HAPPYLAUGH!*oh, diana - i can so totally relate!*giggle*though, that was my second time.my first time i was pretty brash. i wasn't expecting to spin that night, and really i only spun one so it wasn't too bad. it just sorta happened, and there were people around, which always encourages me to be brave and macho. of course, and i was in a snow-covered field. that really takes a lot of the danger element away. (oooh, and the fire reflecting off the snow is SO cool)

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
ibiza 97!after 3 weeks practicing with nunchaku(i knew the basics already).i was on the beach with my "sifu" who showed me a lot of nice moves.the problem was(is)that the fire is so close to your hands!you have to keep them turning,otherwise you burn.i droped them 3 or 4 times cause they were getting to hot.the next day i did it on a beachparty in front of 70 people.i droped them twice and everybody was yelling ick em up,do it again!that was amazing and i have it on video,without serious burns!!!one love f.

frank bentzin

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
firefly, you are so lucky to have gone to ibiza. i want to go sooooooo bad. i think it will be a long time before i get the money to go. is it as amazing as people say?------------------the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
For my first real lighting of "real" poi, (long story behind the other) it was in my back yard on one of those crisp cold nights. No music, just the sound of the fire. And it was only Prom and I. I remember saying that I was only going to spin them around a bit, no tricks, since I wasn't accustomed to fire at all. HA! What a joke that was. I was doing weaves and behind backs stuff before I really had the chance to think it over! Prom stood there and stared at his staff forever. It made me laugh so hard!!!! I am definately the gutsier of us two!!!! He has this extreme sense of self preservation that balances out the fact that I haven't got one at all! Neither of us dropped or burned. It was nice.------------------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

Posted: 20th Apr 2001
Sad to say it, but I don't remember my first time...However the first spin I remember (which I'm sure wasn't actually my first time) was on the roof of my apartment block in Sydney using my single staff, listening to the Crystal MethOD, surrounded by a couple of friends. Balmy summers eve, stars ashining, elevated view of my natural surrounds...majikal memory.------------------"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug"

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AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 21st Apr 2001
Koh Toa Island, Thailand September 2000. I was in the whitening bar and the thais there taught me for an hour with the tennis balls. Then all I got was fire-Andy fire-Andy, to which I said sod off! I had only dont it for an hour. Anyway, they asked me again after a drink and then again after another drink and I was, yeah f**k it. I got a few photos taken and swore never to risk it again. I firefly poi'd every night for that week.

Posted: 24th Apr 2001
On my 29th birthday in my back garden at my party in front of all my mates. none of them knew anything about it as i had been practicing for a week in secret. It was brilliant seeing the shocked looks on their faces when they saw me spinning fire. It is a memory that will stay forever

Are we nearly there yet?

Posted: 24th Apr 2001
I just had my first time on saturday night at the East Coast Spinning Party. It was...orgasmic!!! Of course the sound, the heat, the light but also because all the people from the party were cheering and sharing the emotion of the moment.I can't wait to do it again!!!Helene

Posted: 24th Apr 2001
I�m sure it all stated when I first discovered candles�.. but anyway, the compulsion to play with fire really hit me at Christmas 2000. After seeing fire staffs at play in the silly season social scene I decided I needed to participate. The visual experience had a wholly positive vibe that I was drawn to. Unusually for me, I had to have a staff immediately and set about hunting one down. Within 3 days I�d bought my first staff from a market - no instructions.I went to an outdoor party with my virgin staff, a glass jar, 1 ltr of kero and a box of matches. Also took my djembe and drawing stuff. Being a little nervous I summoned my Dutch courage by downing a couple of drinks beforehand. I was so nervous about the whole experience I barely touched the food.I�d practiced with my unlit staff for about 2 days. I�d never seen someone soak and light up at close quarters but had seen people playing with flaming staffs from 10 mtrs away.The drawing people were stuffing about trying to bring light into the darkness using candles. I decanted the kero, soaked and lit up. It was a beautiful thing; the light, the sound, the warmth and that smell.I couldn�t get over the sound. It was awesome.Anyway, I didn�t get to finish because people were attracted to it & me like moths to the proverbial. I was so excited by the whole experience I just wanted to share it around.That�s it, addicted.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 24th Apr 2001
hehe - I think I almost forgot but my gf and I were discussing it recently...and she reminded me It was at a rave / trance party - Kate and I had just had our fire Poi built for us by our ever endeared friend Ben, and we lit up...I was in charge of the fire twirling area, so I had to make sure ppl stayed back and that there was plenty of Kero to fuel up with...there was some good twirlers there that night, and I was quite impressed...some of the best double staff twirling I've ever seen, by a most friendly alternative couple from Nimbin (Aus)...The first time I lit my own staff was at Rainbow Serpent Festival jan 2000 with Hallucinogen...that was cool but I have had more memoriable twirls since..just last weekend at Fire in the Hole there were soo many amazingly talented twirlers...was inspiring to see...hehe - so much room for personal improvement - I think thats what I learned from that night - I have A LONG way to go...anyhow - full review to come Josh

Posted: 25th Apr 2001
My first time? It was nearly a month ago. My girlfriend and I had started having poi-spinning sessions in the alley in front of our house a couple of weeks before, after an aborted attempt at the beach. (The beach in San Francisco is very cold and windy.) We'd both been practicing with Zuni like mad fiends for the past few weeks, and our friend Chris was there with his fire poi and his fuel and so on. (He's been spinning for about nine months.)After a quick course on fire safety, and after I'd warmed up with Chris' home-built poi for a little while, we soaked them, I spun off the excess, and lit 'em up.It was a great scene! A bunch of friends had stopped over that night, so there was a wonderful and supportive environment. We had some music going on the boom box, but I don't recall what -- it was someone else's CD, and once I had the fire lit, I couldn't hear the music anyway. Chris' poi have nice, big cathedral wicks, and they make a massive, bright flame and a truly beautiful "FWOOOSH!" sound.I spun those suckers all over the place, including doing a couple of the over-the-head moves I'd been firming up. I'd promised myself I wouldn't get too extravagant my first time out, but somewhere along the way, my arms just said, "Oh, this would be so easy!" -- and went ahead and did it for me. The sight of a couple of blazing fireballs arcing over your head (and looking for all the world like they're about to come crashing down on your head!) will get your adrenaline flowing like little else.But even though I was thinking, "Oh, shit, what am I doing?!? I am about to die," the move went off perfectly. So I did it a few more times. Everyone said the entire performance looked great, and that all the practice really showed. I'd say, like many others, that I was truly hooked after that, but honestly, I was hooked long before then, anyway. [This message has been edited by kmactane (edited 25 April 2001).]