Kudos to the playpoi crew for their efforts. This is certainly the most systematic approach to learning the poi if the trailer is anything to judge by. Other than being a very good visual tutorial, there’s plenty of personal tidbits and tips too from the pros.
Get yours now for £18.51 from HomeofPoi
Some of you may have heard of Feeding the Fish, a performance group specializing in glow props. They were my initiation into the world of glow juggling really because I had never been too interested in pois and had been under the assumption that glow clubs didn’t look anywhere as spectacular because of their slower speed.
The video above showcases their customized Pixel Pois, programmed to display their clients’ logos for a one-of-a-kind performance. I’ve seen these in their publicity shots before but the real deal looks much more magical.
On a related note, Feeding the Fish are also involved in Take That’s (yup, Robbie Williams’ ex-band) ‘The Circus’ tour. Fan-captured video below.
It probably comes as no surprise to find out that I’ve a soft spot for fire performances. Even juggling a simple cascade feels more energetic and vibrant if you’re using fire props. It’s novel and gimmicky at times perhaps but I’m still taken by the soft lighting and shadows cast by the fire of the performer.
Two videos stole my attention today.
This one features Okotanpe, Asuka, Yuta and lovely piano accompaniment. I like how the scene is set by the glowy orbs.
This is really a trailer for a documentary, Fire All Stars on fire-dancing but that’s why it’s good – you get bite-sized chunks of the best action at amazing locations. If you’re getting the video, please do tell us how it’s like.
The Inquirer, a Filipino news site has a feature on the popularity of poi there as well as a short show-and-tell with some members of Planet Zips (which incidentally have their own poi store here).
Press Start is a series intended for the juggler looking to find the best value for their new purchase. What should you look out for? What’s value for money? What is best in the long term? We tell you. If you have suggestions on props you would like reviewed please drop an email here.
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For this very first edition I will cover what I know best – Poi.
If you are just beginning on poi, a pair of tube socks with a ball in each (I prefer lacrosse balls) works best as rough-and-tumble practice sets. Those with a bit of cash in their pockets, read on.
Now there are a lot of options out there for poi, and every website will tell you it has the best quality props. However, I have been impressed particularly by Home of Poi. They have a wonderful selection of Glow and Fire equipment, as well as hardware to assemble your own. They offer discounts for repeat customers, and they have a very short delivery time relative to location (for instance, 2 weeks from Australia to U.S.).
Plenty of other sites sell cheaper products but I have found that with props that you plan on performing with, it is better to spend some money on quality equipment that will last rather than having to replace cheap equipment that breaks constantly.
I have found that Flowlights with Crystal cases are the BEST glow poi hands down. The lights are very bright and look great, and the cases amplify this somewhat as well as giving a nice weight perfect for spinning. Here’s a video review by Nick from PlayPoi if you’re interested to see how they work -
Monkey fist hyper-super-power-dynamo wicks!
For fire poi, you’ll do well with a set of cathedral or monkey fist wicks with twisted oval steel link chain and double loop handles. The set I bought comes with everything including quick links and swivels. The ball chain may be a lot easier to use but it breaks in time. The oval steel link chain I suggested is much more durable especially when you will be using them a lot. Get the longer set of chain because you’ll be able to shorten them to a comfortable length when you get them.
Be square and get cathedral wicks.
That concludes this first post. Have something better to suggest? Drop us some feedback in the comments below!
Enter the referral code StreetJuggling and recieve a 15% discount on your entire order at Home of Poi!
Here’s what was talked about in this post.
Forecast for April – workshops galore.
First, the Ministry of Manipulation has a upcoming workshop happening from 6-10 April where you can pick up all the coolest contact juggling mad skillz in the world and impress the hell out of your neighborhood crazy Japanese manipulation artist. We know there’s one lurking in every corner.
Expect to learn from supastar teachers like Kelvin Kalvus (www.kelvin-kalvus.de), Mr OM and Moon, some pretty big names in the who’s who of contact juggling. This all happens only in Berlin.
Sign up or find more information here.
Next up- a poi retreat in Bali organized by PlayPoi. From 19-25 April, you get to spend some quality time doing Yoga and poi at this amazingly serene and beautiful resort. For US$690, you get the full 6 nights of accomodation, breakfast and lunch as well as admittance to the workshop. It’s a very decent price to pay honestly. Here’s a promo of a previous Costa Rica retreat
Playpoi Retreat Promo – Costa Rica from PlayPoi on Vimeo.
Find out more about this here.
Poicommunity has just put up a whole collection of poi tutorials so we can all get into the swing of things. And someone’s going to kill me soon for the bad puns I’ve been making.
Here’re some very basic moves that anyone just starting out would appreciate.
There’re a lot more if you click and look up the related videos.
For the price of one, you get TWO colors with these rings.
Read more after the jump
Very well-executed glowsticking video here. Watch especially from about 1:10 and at about 5:20 if you’re into poi. I like particularly the wraps and stalls because they tend to work particularly well only with glowsticks because of their lack of serious weight.
Comedy, drama and suspense. All in high rez.
