Fire show

It is believed that the fire show originated on the Pacific coast, presumably in New Zealand in the Maori tribe. For Aboriginal people, the graceful rotation of a small pebble wrapped in cloth and tied to a short rope (a projectile was called “ poi ” - “ball on a rope”) served both entertaining and religious purposes. Often, instead of a pebble, aborigines used a softer filler, for example, wool or plant roots. Aboriginal men played poems for developing strength and agility, and women - for entertainment. In the 20th century, poi were taken over from New Zealand aborigines by artists of wandering Australian circuses. So in the 1960s and 1970s, fire shows appeared in Western Europe and in America - dancing with fire to the beat of drums and tambourines . In the middle of the 20th century, the philosophy of the fire show was positively accepted by youth subcultures ( hippies ). Fire shows and hippies have become inextricably linked. At the end of the 20th century, this type of art, in addition to its physical orientation, began to acquire the philosophical meaning of unity with the elements. Today, the fire show is popular as an entertainment for guests during the holidays and has become the subject of an entertainment industry . Several fire theaters are available in almost every city in Russia.

Fireman ( from the English . Fire - fire ) - an artist performing in the genre of fire show. The concept of a fireman cannot be confused with the concept of fakir , since the latter are mainly engaged in swallowing and blowing fire , while firefighters are mainly engaged in torsion of various props (for example poi , staffs , fans , etc.) with or without fire. him. In this regard, fireworkers directly involved in torsion of fire prefer to call themselves "spinners" (from English spin - twist).

Firecrackers as a subculture

The popularization of the fiery arts has led to the allocation of fireworks into a new youth subculture , whose representatives are present in almost every major city in the world. Today, the fireworks community has numerous websites, festivals ^[1] , competitions (battles) and even publishes a magazine about the fire show ^[2] . The largest festivals, such as the Kiev Fire Festival ^[3] , Burning Man , Living Lights ^[4] , etc. gather fireworks from around the world and tens of thousands of spectators. In this regard, fireworks often appear in television reports ^{[5] [6]} . In many large cities, theme parties are organized for fireworks, the so-called. spin-party ^{[7] [8]} . There are many shops and workshops offering props and clothing for a fire show ^[9] . In this context, it is worth noting that many firecrackers have a distinctive clothing style that combines elements of the Burning Man ^[10] , cyberpunk and hippie styles.

Firemen as artists of the original genre

Professional firecrackers unite in teams called fire theaters or show groups, which today have become an integral part of the entertainment industry . Almost every event agency offers firefighter services today, and fiery performances take place every weekend in almost all major cities. In addition to the activities of street theaters , firecrackers also often participate in circus performances, including the shows of leading circuses such as Cirque Du Soleil ^[11] . In addition, fireworks take part in almost every season of such shows as Minute of Glory . Ukraine has talent and their foreign counterparts ^[12] .

In a fire show, as a rule, many diverse props are used . Props are items equipped with wicks that can be soaked (soaked) in a combustible liquid and set on fire. There is a certain set of relatively standard props listed below, although each theater of fire can have in its arsenal many unique props, including fiery decorations and fiery costumes and other designs.

• Poi (poi abbr. From poitoa - in Maori - “a ball in a bag on a rope”) - a pair of wicks or weights attached to a cord or chain. There are several types, they differ primarily in the type of use (“training” - for practicing new elements and “combat” - for performances), in appearance (“fiery” - poi are impregnated with a combustible composition and are ignited and “light” - poi glow thanks to LED elements or chemical light sources ). Poi consist of a wick (which is soaked in a combustible substance), a chain (a thin, strong and flexible chain), loops worn on fingers and sometimes swivels. In some cases, special handles are used instead of loops. There are also varieties of poi, in which at the ends of the chain there is attached not one but several wicks (the so-called barbecue poi).
• Staff (staff) - usually a metal pipe (occasionally - a wooden stick wrapped in thermal foil), to each end of which a wick is attached. There are two types of staffs: spin (torsion of which is done through hands) and contact (stuff rolls over the artist’s body)
• Fans (fans) - a metal structure that looks like a fan, consisting of a round handle and 3 to 7 spokes topped with wicks. Fans are usually used in pairs, less often three.
• Rope-dart (ropedart) - came to us from Chinese Wushu . It is one large wick on a long rope and a short chain (a chain connects the rope and the wick). Often, a comet wick is used for a road dart, which is 2-3 rings connected in the shape of a sphere. Such a wick gives a very spectacular fire trail, but the large weight and size do not allow many elements to be carried out.
• Meteor (meteor) - chain, with wicks at both ends. The size depends on the owner's desire: some prefer to twist fastened poi, while others prefer a long chain, which, folded in half, can touch the tip of the right hand with one end and the other with the left shoulder.
• Devilstick (devilstick) - outwardly resembles a small staff, but is not set in motion by hands, but by a pair of special sticks.
• Claws, or “fiery fingers”, are metal rods with wicks at the ends, which, unlike fans, are not fastened firmly to each other, but are attached to fingers with special nozzles or gloves.
• Double staff (double staff, doubles) - two short staffs.
• Triple staff (triple staff) - three staffs. The main techniques are juggling with three staffs, so is the symbiosis of contact juggling with staff with rotations a la spin, antispin.
• Torches - two torches can be twisted in hands, and juggled with three or more.
• Blowing out fire is a combination of tricks consisting in the injection of a combustible substance from the mouth through the flame of a torch. As a result, a large fireball forms in the air. One of the most dangerous types of fire arts to health.
• Swallowing fire - a set of tricks consisting in the effect of swallowing fire, achieved by blocking the access of oxygen to the fire by placing a small torch in the artist’s mouth or holding the torch in his mouth for a long time.
• A skip rope is a skipping rope that burns. You can jump through it alone, twist it, you can make the rope more authentic so that two hold and twist, and the third (and fourth) jumps, performing various acrobatic stunts.
• Hoop (hoop) - an aluminum or plastic hoop with 5-8 wicks. You can twist on the body, on your hands and toss into the air. With a small weight of hoops, you can juggle them, or twist several hoops at the same time
• Palm torches - a rod with a wick at the end, mounted on the palm of your hand.
• Fire swords are designs resembling swords whose blades are engulfed in flames.
• Diabolo is a classic diabolo equipped with a wick.
• Whip - a whip made of specially twisted Kevlar threads. A well-made fire whip does not differ in dynamics from an ordinary whip, but it can burn and emit puffs of flame when clicked.
• Cube - a design of 12 ribs assembled in the form of a cube. There are mainly two types of cubes, depending on the method of fastening the wicks. Wicks in an amount of 7 to 8 can be fixed on the inner side of the corners, or along the entire length of the ribs. In this case, one to three ribs are left without wicks for convenient torsion.
• Sphere - a design of 3 hoops assembled in a sphere. Mounts are placed at the points of contact of the hoops. The whole structure is braided, except for one section, which is in contact with the fireman. The torsion technique is similar to the cube torsion technique.

The most common fuel used in a fire show is lighting kerosene . In addition, various types of lamp oil are widely used. In addition, many other flammable substances can be used in a fire show, depending on the desired effect, for example, brightness, color, or flame temperature. It is worth noting that gasoline is almost never used, with the exception of rare cases of its use in mixtures or for impregnation of fiery decorations. In its pure form, for impregnating props, gasoline is considered highly dangerous and strictly prohibited by safety precautions.

• Poi
• Theaters of Fire
• Fiery fans
• Fire stuff
• Fiery Double Staff