Here’s a short list for you of what’s important for fire play:

• Wear the right clothes. The most fire resistant material is of course leather – but cotton, wool or pure silk are also okay if the contact with fire is not too long (less than a second). Clothes containing synthetic materials (even a smaller percentage) are absolutely taboo – they will melt in contact with fire and will cause severe burns. Dark clothes are advantageous for obvious reasons ;-)

• Cover your hair if you want to still have a decent haircut afterwards. Hair can also catch fire.

• Light the poi only if you are absolutely sure that you can handle them securely. New moves should always be practiced without fire first! Not much should go wrong with fire – any mistake might have serious consequences. Beginners should have 200+ hours of practice before trying fire. Until you reach proficiency, enjoy the fancy alternatives we carry in our shop! :)

• To avoid wearing out the wick and staining your clothes, put old socks or something similar on the poi heads when you train without fire – or use our beautiful fabric poi!

• Play only if you are sober and lucid. Alcohol and drugs can make fateful errors happen.

• Always arrange enough possibilities to put out a fire and have friends watch you for unnoticed fires. A fire blanket and wet towels are never out of place.

• For soaking your poi, use a metal bowl containing lamp oil or special “toy fluid”. Pure alcohol, barbecue lighting fluid or gasoline are not suitable because they burn heavily and quickly.

• Swing out your poi for at least 10-15 seconds before lighting them (so that no fluid is coming off any more), otherwise burning drops might come off your poi later and cause fires or injuries. Use a shake-off can around the poi to collect the excess fluid – think of the environment!

• Light the poi outside the area where you have soaked and swung them out before.

• Light them, play, have fun, make your audience happy :)

• Never intentionally touch the fire. Let your poi cool down in a fire-safe place after use. Caution they will still be extremely hot for quite some time!

• For minor burns (only redness and itching that you can easily “press away”), cleaning the wound and applying ointment is sufficient. For severe burns, please go see a doctor – don’t wait!

• If you have questions - just ask! info (at) feuerzora.de