A group forms to watch in amazement as crisscrossing beams of light cut dizzying patterns through the crisp night air. Witnesses both young and old are mesmerized by the scene, mouths agape as they witness the spectacular combination of color and movement.
What are we talking about? The flow arts.
The flow arts are ancient crafts that pertain to a wide variety of practices, tools, styles, and rhythms that can be used to create a flow state among users – connecting mind, body, and spirit into a hypnotic ritual of moving meditation.
Not surprisingly, the term flow is found in relation to a similar concept in psychology. First named by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the term flow state is used to describe the “in the zone” feeling that individuals experience when truly engrossed in an activity. Whether that comes from reading a book, playing guitar, practicing yoga, spinning poi, or a myriad of other activities – flow state is a state of complete focus.
A meditation of sorts.
It’s fitting, then, that Csíkszentmihályi’s concept shares the same term as the flow arts Ask anyone who practices the flow arts and they will tell you that that’s exactly what it’s like.
Although many of us have seen and experienced these performances firsthand at flow jams, in backyards, or at shows and music festivals – some might not know where to start when beginning their journey into the flow arts.
To provide a basic beginner’s guide, here are 5 common flow styles to get you well on your way to start playing with fire:
Poi
Poi is a performance art that originated among the Māori people of New Zealand. Typically, weighted balls are attached to a string or thread of some sort to allow them to be spun around the user in circular geometric patterns. One of the more common flow practices, chances are that you’ve seen someone spinning poi at some point.
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Hoop
With the revitalization of the modern hooping movement, hooping has became an instantly recognizable part of the music scene. Performance artists practice incredible feats of flow with regular, LED, and fire hoops to create a spectacular experience.
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Staff
There are 2 main styles of fire staff: rotational and contact. For rotational staff, the staff is rotated, twisted, and turned with the performer’s hands. With contact staff, the performer rolls the staff over their body, keeping contact with it as the manipulate it with their arms, legs, and more.
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Fan
Fire fans are used in belly dancing and tech spinning. With belly dancing, performers typically move and turn the fans in conjunction with their dancing to create another mesmerizing aspect to the performance. Tech spinning movements are closer to those of poi and hoop performances and are typically are faster movements.
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Devil Sticks
Devil sticks involve maneuvering a stick or baton with two other sticks or batons that are held in the hands. Manipulating the center stick with the two handheld ones, a gyroscopic performance is created. Devil sticks can also incorporate fire as well, and they are sometimes referred to as fire sticks.
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With the number of different practices and styles in the flow art community, there’s out there to help everyone achieve their perfect state of flow.
Let us know what practices you’ve picked up in the comments below!
