When I first started to spin poi and staff up in Oregon I craved any information I could get on the subject! I would over use butterfly and weave because I didn't know what else to do. To make matters more frustrating the only people who knew what else to do lived too far away from me to visit regularly (so I thought)….

And Then Weird Things Began To Happen… Fire Dancers just started appearing all around me! I was blind at first to them, but once my eyes were opened, there they were. Old friends, new friends, the young, and the old all dancing right smack dab in front of me! Immediately my motivation for playing with fire skyrocketed, and it gave me a whole new surge of collective energy that got me to where I am today!

That same concept rules my life…

Sometimes you just feel like you've reached a plateau and often get bored of spinning (or whatever it is you are doing.) Then someone comes around and opens your eyes to a whole new dimension you never knew existed. Suddenly a new motivation burns inside of you, and you can't wait to practice again and again! That right there is the reason I live for fire dancing! Because I know there is no end to how far it will go. It is a developing art form in which all levels of spinners can influence all other levels, leading to an overall increase in skill and creativity. We thank all of those dancers who have taken the time to come here to Los Angeles to share their knowledge with us; Nick Woolsey, Charisse, Matthew of Flamma Aeterna, Sean & Prisna of Flowtoys, Arashi, and Bryan a.k.a Heph.

We also look forward to a new round of inspiration coming this weekend from what I consider the best brother duo spinners in the world (not lying) Zan and Noah Moore from Instruments of the Now based out of Colorado. They produced the "Encyclo-poi-dia" which is an amazing instructional poi video. Also coming down from San Fran is Noel Yee and Greg Maldonado. Noel has taught dozens of contact staff workshops all around the country focusing his time in the fire dancing Mecca (the Bay Area). Keep an eye out for his instructional contact staff video coming out this spring! Greg on the other hand will be teaching contact juggling which will be our first time offering this art form. He produced the award winning video series "Contact Juggling" which brought him the title America's Most Famous Contact Juggler. In April, we have the honor of hosting an internationally known and highly skilled staff spinner and contact juggler, Ima. Based out of Paris France, Ima is known for organizing and leading Burn Crew Concepts, one of the largest fire communities in Europe. Ima will be teaching several workshops including: staff, contact staff, double staff, isolations, anti-spins, throws & catches, and partner passing.

I can't wait for these guys to inspire and push my spinning in a whole new direction, and I hope if any of these workshops interests you then join us for a day of creative arts this Saturday and Monday at our new Santa Monica studio, Dance Studio No. 1 (2037 Granville Ave, LA 90025).

Saturday, Feb 10th
1:30 - 3:00 PM - Intro to Contact Juggling - Greg Maldonado
3:00 - 4:30 PM - Contact Staff Fundamentals - Noel Yee
4:30 - 6:00 PM - Poi Technique I - Zan & Noah Moore

Monday, Feb 12th
7:15 - 8:45 PM - Poi Technique II - Zan & Noah Moore

Costs
$35 - 1 Workshop
$60 - 2 Workshops
$80 - 3 Workshops
$100 - 4 Workshops

Cash / Check accepted day of workshop

Reserve Your Spot
Space is limited, e-mail reserve@firegroove.com to save your spot!

Musings...

- Keep an open mind.
- Accept not knowing all of the answers.
- Establish boundaries, don't allow others to impose their agenda or dictate what you believe.
- Accept death as a "sacred human experience".
- Focus on living in the moment.
- Use music and art to quiet the mind and heal your emotions.
- Create a comfortable ritual to express yourself.
- Ask for what you want.
- Embrace all of your emotions and experiences and don't judge them.

Continuation: Honoring & Celebrating the Human Condition by Scott Brooks