How to Spin Fire

Fire Spinning is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire. Typically these objects have one or more bundles of wicking, which are soaked in fuel and ignited. Please do not attempt fire poi if you are not prepared for it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Poi - A pair of roughly arm-length chains with handles attached to one end, and bundle of wicking material on the other. Kevlar-blend wicks are the most common.

1. First you must soak your poi in some kind of fuel. White gas is the most popular because it is easy to ignite, burns brightly, evaporates cleanly, and does not leave smoke or residues on wicks and bodies. Use an empty can for this procedure leaving the handles outside of the can. Ensure your fuelling station is well marked, out of reach of your audience and well away from the area you’re fire spinning in.

2. You must walk away from the area where you'll be lighting up, BEFORE you light them, spin them on the chains to remove excess liquid for at least 10 to 15 seconds using several forceful downward motions or until you have absolutely no spray coming off. Without doing this, you can get a spray of flaming liquid thrown off when you start spinning - not good if you've got an audience.

3. Now your ready to spin! Go back to your performing area. Hold your poi arm's length in front of you. Have an safety person light the wicks.

4. Spin your heart out until the flames go out. If at any time you need to put the fire out sooner by all means, do it! To extinguish, spin really fast to put the flame out, then smother with a damp towel or sand. Many people recommend resoaking wicks, especially kevlar wicks, in fuel after they've been extinguished. This does two things - it prevents the wicks from smouldering away inside and so helps to prolong the life of the wicks. Spin off any excess fuel before packing them away. Let your equipment cool down.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice a lot - at least every day for several weeks before you light up and perform even the most basic tricks with fire. You need to be really familiar with where the wicks are going to be and how they move around your body before you use fire.
• Ideally you should have an experience fire spinner to help you spin fire for the first time: Nothing is as good as real life help and guidance. However I know that this isn't always possible and many people don't know other fire spinners. But at least have a friend to help you and watch out for your safety.
• Don't be in too much of a hurry to start spinning fire as soon as possible – spin when you're ready and not when your friends say you are. There isn't any reason to rush to start spinning fire that is worth the potential danger to yourself and those around you. The first time you spin with fire is a very memorable moment, so best to remember it for the right reasons.
• Don't try moves you're not confident with. Know which moves you can perform well with little chance of tangling around yourself and spin slowly – more accidents happen when you spin too fast. Consistency and calm nerves are key to starting with fire, you should be able to consistently spin a fire staff/poi without hitting yourself. This doesn't mean you'll never hit yourself when lit, but it greatly reduces the chances of injury. Practice with your fire poi unlit and if possible add a bit of weight of them – try covering them with an old pair of socks.
• Tie long hair back. Consider wetting your hair with water.
• Flame resistant clothing can on catching fire give the wearer extra time to remove the clothing or smother the flame. E.g. Dropping to ground and rolling over. Flammable clothing can however be given a flame resistant finish to minimize the risk of catching on fire and slowing the burning process
• After your flames have completely gone out, be careful not to touch the wicks of your poi or any metal parts until they have completely cooled. Also, do not place your wicks back into the fuel bucket until they are cool.

Resources

• Homepage

[djackman]

on 4/13/2009 great article, veryone should know how to spin fire 5*

[wordstock]

on 2/16/2009 We see this at one of our trailer rallies and it is always impressive. Good information.

[vallain]

on 2/8/2009 Wow, I'd like to see someone spin fire like this. Amazing.

[argyle]

on 12/22/2008 Cool!!!!!