Forums > Social Chat > fire KNIFE dancing

Posted: 20th Dec 2000
I saw the Polynesian Dancers do the fire knife dance...I am hoping to learn it after the holidays. Can you tell us more about it? What other fire props do you use? Do you dance hula, polynesian dance, or other? I'm a belly dancer always looking to learn other dances. :-D ------------------[URL=https://www.geocities.com/lunasoleil2000]

Posted: 20th Dec 2000
actually i do dance hula. My halau (club) includes fire knife dancing in our shows. It is quite dangerous but if any of you guys/gals are interested in seeing more of it i will be happy to send you a video (free! since i love you all so much ) of this being performed. i dont do fire knife dancing *yet* but im learning from my cousin who works at the Polynesian Cultural Center here in Hawaii. I will elaborate on this more when i learn more about it.------------------aloha

aloha

Posted: 20th Dec 2000
Cirque du Soliel's Alegria show supposedly has fire knives. I,m going to see ot when it comes to Melbourne in March. Can't wait to see it.

Posted: 21st Dec 2000
Oh please mail me a video! I'll cover the costs for shipping of course. I know Malcolm might put it up but I would love my own VHS for my collection. Especially if there is any dancing. My e-mail is lunasoleil@coolmail.net Please write to me so I can give you my address so that you could send me a video. If that's okay...I'd really appreciate it...Okay, maybe that's not very convincing but, I really would like one, let me know. Next year I'm planning on taking Hula, Polynesian dance, and hopefully more fire stuff. I'd give the fire knife dance a try but maybe staff first, unlit until I learn. Time to get back to work, I look foward to hearing from you. -Luna

Posted: 20th Feb 2002
hey i have seen some fire twirling knife dancing looks really kool 1 of the guys i saw doing it actually cut himself open big time i replied to this topic even though it is this old because u get told of if u make new 1s the same

the risk is the rush

Posted: 19th Feb 2002
Well, I suppose that while fire knifes are dangerous that they would also be kind of self repairing, after all, would the hot metal cauterize (sp???) the wounds? BTW, Alegria never did have a true "knife" dancer when I saw it (he used staves). And as far as I know, Hawaiian Honey never sent in a video that I saw! But this does show Malcolm used to speak more!Thanks dicy, for the revival!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

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: 19th Feb 2002
Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I thought fireknives were short staves with one wick much bigger than other.From what I have seen of them, there is no blade on a fireknife. It's just a very cool sounding translation of the word used.I guess I am wrong here but I thought fireknives were a Samoan rather than Hawiian spectacle, guess i learn something everyday.:P------------------Charles (AKA INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggle.co.nz/fire/fire.html

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Posted: 19th Feb 2002
Could it be Charles that both are correct?I have seen fire knives, the cutting kind. They were more along the lines f extra long daggers, but still.And what you describe definately qualifies to the Karl Sanft's staves (as I saw them) in Alegria. Thing is, they aren't that short at all. The wicks are kind of different, very box like. Yes to both?????------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

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: 22nd Feb 2002
Oops, short I meant in comparison to my 1.4 metre staffs.I've yet to see any "traditional" island firedancing with long staffs, which makes me think at the moment (im always open to new info) that traditionally they have always been fairly short...in comparison ------------------Charles (AKA INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggle.co.nz/fire/fire.html

HoP Posting Guidelines
* Is it the Truth?
* Is it Fair to all concerned?
* Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Posted: 22nd Feb 2002
We did a performance last year where we met a bunch of fantastic Islander knife dancers. They had machetes and around one end had more wick than the other (they used towel). Actually they used a combination of Shellite and petrol too (ARGH!!! STUPID!). And no fire blanket either. We gave them half of our huge one in the end.. but I don't think they used it. They were using a wooden box to put their toys out with. (Like shove the burning things in, close the lid for a while, open it, if its still burning repeat.) The heavy metal blade was still exposed for the most part. They spun them super super fast too.. they had been learning since they were about 6 or 7. (They were around 20 years old). One of the guys (one of the better guys actually) had wacked himself in the head with his fire machete about a week earlier to being there and he still had a massive egg in between his eyebrows. It looked very sexy. But seriously, these things were kerazeeily heavy and could definitely do a sh%#load of damage still. (And that's without adding the petrol/shellite mixture to the equation!)

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.- B.B.King

Posted: 24th Feb 2002
Hey... a topic I know about! Most dancers use a Machete... this works best because of the particular steel... acts as a spring steel with incredible memory even under extreme heat. All machetes are heat treated which is a must for dancing. The dancers grind the knife to their liking (usually with the traditional hook at the end), then use Kanek board as wick for the blade end... kinda like a light fiber board. The knife in total is around 3' with a 1' blade.Some guy said it in this thread... Knife dancing is Samoan but has been popularized by Hawaii.... It is very dangerous as I've seen guys gash hands requiring stitches, and others burn their entire upper bodies (tons of fluid used in this prop... A gallon of white gas lasts me about 4-5 burns)Hawaiian honey... who you learning siva afi from at PCC... Kap (sp???) or Chief Sielu??? If you know Kap, tell him Scott from Chicago says ALOHA! tell him he will go down in the competition this May (of course in a joking way)!!!Anyone have questions about the Samaon fire dance, please ask... My favorite Polynesian dance. Take care and Aloha!

Posted: 25th Feb 2002
hey kalaniokeahi, do you know of any polynesian fire dancers on the big island of hawaii? i am living in hilo at the momment and going to school at uhh. i'm in the process of forming a fire performers club with the university (as a means of sharing skills, access to dance space and possible grants) and i would like to get in contact with some of the samoan fire dancers in the area. ideally it would be nice to have a few knife dancers in the club or to see if they would be willing to teach a class or join us for a performance. I met one fellow last semester who did the knife dancing but sadly he returned to samoa before i had an opportunity to work with him. any suggestions on who to contact, or resources to learn from would be greatly appreciated. thanks!-melissa

Posted: 25th Feb 2002
here is a website that sells samoan fire knives if anyone is curious as to what they look likehttps://www.cote-inc.com/batons/kraskin.htmand here is a website that has a video of the fire knife competitionhttps://www.myriahs.com/publishvcompet/vcompet.html[This message has been edited by melissa (edited 26 February 2002).]

Posted: 25th Feb 2002
I spin fire staff, but it's unlike most styles. I learned from watching people who lived in Samoa. It's that style of dancing and I find it more fluid and faster than other styles. I'd also love to see the video of the fire knives. I've spun on without fire and it was difficult due to weight imbalance and I hadn't spun much. I'm very interested in seeing it.------------------ -M@TTKeep the fire burning.

-M@TTKeep the fire burning.

Posted: 25th Feb 2002
Melissa......Never been to the big island. Inquire around the local halaus and you will find your answers. Regarding your link to the VHS tapes,,, though expensive, I highly recommend! Pati Levesa has my utmost respect... I've seen the best in circus and Sideshow biz play with fire and I have seen the Samoans... There is no comparison. Get the tape if you can. I've never seen the Samoan knife commercialized as on the web site you linked... feel sad in a way about that, but I guess we move with the times, yeah? would not recommend those knives. I figure I have spent over $1000 trying to create the perfect knife... broken around 20... still trying to build better. dont let anyone build a knife for you. It's part of the process. Also, you will enjoy the dance more if you build.To anyone hoping to explore the Samoan Fire Knife... I recommend you find a Halau (Polynesian Dance Troupe)... Join... learn to dance and also do the knife. They go hand in hand! I promise you will find all your answers there.... and more! Plus, there is tons of work involved if you are in a reputable halau.I think there is a guy named Jerome Slade that lives on the big island... Very classy guy... one of the best in my opinion! If you hear of him working a luau around you, go see him. won't regret

Posted: 26th Feb 2002
I saw Fire Knife dancing when I was at the PCC... I don't think I've ever gotten over it. It was so incredible. It totally boosted my building interest in fire arts at the time. I'd love a video. My email is kmoen@andover.edu.

Pardon me while I burst into flames. I've had enough of the world, and its people's mindless games...- incubus

Posted: 26th Feb 2002
i'd LOVE a video.can you please mail me at kaka@chello.se ??or send me the adress so i can download myself?thanks!

Posted: 30th Jul 2009
It looks like this thread went under a while ago, but seeing as I made myself a revamped set of fire knives I'd like some input from other spinners. I used an old baton twriling style fire knife from a friend, gave it a better wick, longer handle and wick on the end. Its first burn is gunna be soon and wanted to know if anyone else is interested in fire knife now.

I'm from New Jersey... not the most polynesian place around, but I really love the fire knife style.

Don't mind me, just passing through.

Posted: 30th Jul 2009
theres are beings a threads ins the others toy sections I are am is thinking.

Any more potatoes?

Posted: 19th Mar 2010
There is a decent tutorial DVD available on ebay called, "How to Fireknife Dance," taught by Kap Te'o Tafiti, who runs a fire knife school in Utah. My girlfriend and I picked up the DVD to check out, and were pleasantly surprised with it. My only complaint with it is that the cover is rife with spelling mistakes (i.e. the title on the spine says, "How To Fireknfe Dance." Aside from poor spelling, it's worth checking out.

Here's a video of Kap spinning fire knife-



The best commercially made fire knives currently on the market are available from Trick Concepts, and can be seen here: https://www.trickconcepts.com/Samoan-Fire-Knife-C62.aspx

However, though they say they're made to competition specs, the specs they're made at don't correspond to the spec requirements found on this site: https://www.flamingsword.net/Specs.html
. They still seem to be the best commercially made fire knife on the market, though.

Fire knives are used either singly, or paired (which are slightly smaller in length than a single fire knife). A typical (single) fire knife has a 14" long blade, with 2" Kevlar wick attached to the blade, either lengthwise, or wrapped around the center. Handles are usually 1" in diameter (best if made of aluminum), and the pommel end of the fire knife is also wrapped with 2" Kevlar. There is a hook on the spine of the blade, near the tip, so that when used in pairs, the fire knives can be hooked together, and swung around. It's pretty impressive to see.

There are other commercially made fire knives on the market, but most are made with an aluminum blade and wooden handles. In my opinion, wooden handles on a fire toy seems like a bad idea, when you can use aluminum tubing (much like a fire staff), and I don't see an aluminum blade being terribly sturdy, especially with the twin fire knives, as the weight seems enough to bend the hooks while swinging them around (as the handles are unnecessarily heavy with a wooden handle). They seem a really poor design.

Posted: 19th Mar 2010
I'm planning on doing this with kukiri. I don't know when I'm going to be able to afford the kukir but when I do, y'all will get a video .

"Think of the pussy, Weevil."
"What's a pussy-weevil?"

Posted: 6th Nov 2011
We have come up with a safe and beautiful way to practice the Samoan Fire Knife.
Using a weighted LED Staff as well as Fibre Optic staff, we created a practice fire knife that is safe to use and practice with.
Check it out at,
https://www.thefriendlyfirestore.com/LED----Fiber-Optic-Fire-Knife.html
Let us know what you think.

*The Friendly Fire Store*

Posted: 6th Mar 2012
Siva Afi (ailao) originates in Samoa and is also danced in Tahiti. If you are in the USA the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Hawaii have Siva Afi in their routines, they also hold the world champs there.
Traditionally performed by men, women of high birth have also been known to perform Siva Afi when leading processions but this isnt seen very much anymore.

Having performed with both Tahitian and Samoan groups who did the fire dance, I can tell you it hasnt changed much in the past 30yrs with the exception of the staff which is almost always covered at both ends, before one end would be covered with sacking and the other end was partially covered but had a hooked knife exposed at the tip, the dancer would hook these together to perform large swings above his head and around the body, but you dont see this move much anymore.
All fire dancers rub down with coconut oil for body protection and in all my years of dancing I dont remember anyone being burnt.

Nui atu te mihi ki nga mahi o te po, nga waiata, nga poi, me nga haka taparahi.