P-Poi

Inspiration

I immediately fell in love with poi when I first picked 'em up in 2001. I had been an avid drummer and dancer for years, but I'd never danced with objects and their natural movements before. The fluid, rhythmic, yet dynamic motion demanded a kind of meditative focus and respect. Like most things in life, as I relaxed, what seemed impossible became simple, even second-nature.

Now, unlike most of the kids spinning glow sticks, I never really got into raves with their unrelenting beats and blended songs. Instead, I'm accustomed to the synthpop, darkwave, and industrial music I found in the depths of goth clubs. What I love most about this music is the tension building, dramatic breaks, and contrasting layers. Although I loved spinning to the music, these songs called for something more.

Often a song would build up, layer upon layer, raising the energy, and then suddenly drop all but it's most fundemental elements. I really needed the poi to stop instantly, be held in pose, perhaps slowly rotate as the song developed again. But even as I became proficient with poi and started working with fire, I couldn't find the dramatic stop to reflect this lower energy shift. Often, I'd end up with poi hanging limp or at best swinging in little loops near the floor. I'd seen people spin staff and thought of it's slow sweeping movements but didn't want to give up the freedom offered by a pair of independent poi.

At first, I designed a short staff that split in half, each half being spun like poi (or clubs really). I realized that although it was a neat trick to convert staff to poi, I really wouldn't need the staff configuration if I could somehow catch each half around and in my hand. So, I dropped the staff aspect and prototyped elongated glow sticks with just enough cord to reach around the back of my hand allowing me to suddenly catch it. It was an elegant, simple design that ending up working quite well. Woo Doggie!

As I started prototyping fire designs, I decided I really liked having the length of the stick lit. It made cool-looking discs rather than just circles. Besdies, it was more dramatic when stopped, aimed, and posed with that way! So, what I ended up with was a stiff length of kevlar / fiberglass wicking, a leather grip to catch, a swivel for smoothness, and locking triggers with quick releases. They rock!

Now, I'm all about multiple uses; serving just two purposes isn't enough. As I've designed them, these can also be used as drum sticks. They are playable on fire-resistant drum heads and cymbals, beating out rhythms either while held or even spun! To take it even further, I can use a third stick, wicked end-to-end as a devil stick!

I do hope everyone enjoys playing with my toys. I look forward to hearing of new tricks and creations concieved from the concept.