Different Rules

Hello travellers, performers, suppliers, hobbyists, and all other enthusiasts.

I am Fire and Light’s travel advisor and would like to share a series of articles with all of you. Before I begin I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am an Independent Travel Consultant and have been in the travel industry for a number of years now. I am certified by two travel organisations (one national and the other international). I own my own agency and pride myself in knowing I provide my clients with the best possible solutions and advice needed to make their travels hassle free.

This series of articles will be about travelling with various performance equipment. This is a very broad topic, so I will deal with a different type of equipment in each article.

It is very important to know that there isn’t one list of rules that cover all airlines and countries. When travelling there are numerous bodies involved with their own set of rules and regulations and I will try and explain these different rules and regulations to shed some light on this very confusing matter.

Every country has their own customs law and different ways of dealing with it. Some countries may allow you to take your equipment in and others may require you to send these ahead of time. There are even some countries that do not allow you to send or take any dangerous equipment in and you will have to purchase new equipment there! These different customs regulations are law and are NON NEGOTIABLE when you arrive. Should you not follow the regulations of that country they may:

• Confiscate your equipment
• Deport you
• Ban you from their country for a period of 10 years (this varies, depending on the country)

It is very difficult to provide a list of countries that allow equipment to be sent or taken into the country as these rules may change on a monthly basis depending on events.

Just as every country has their own set of regulations and laws, so does each airline. The airline rules are very much the same as their respective country’s regulations, although these may also differ. Some airlines allow equipment as carry on, check in, even unaccompanied baggage, and then there are airlines that do not allow dangerous equipment on the aircraft at all.

Besides the rules and regulations of countries and airlines, you may also find that every airport has its own rules as well. Some airports have a security checkpoint at the entrance and may refuse you entry into the airport or even confiscate your equipment, regardless of what the airline may have allowed.

It is important to mention that any regulatory body in travel has the right to keep and destroy confiscated equipment so the chances are slim that you will get these back.

Ok, so enough with the doom and gloom – All is not lost! The rules mentioned above are there, but few and far between. It is important to know about them to make sure your trip is relatively hassle-free. So what advice can I give you regarding travelling with your performance equipment?

• Always try and book with a reputable travel agent – and disclose all equipment before your booking is made. Your travel agent will do all the work and ensure that you and your equipment are safe.
• Follow the different rules:
• Contact your local airport and ensure you can bring your equipment into the airport.
• Contact the airline you would like to travel on and ask what their rules are regarding your equipment and what their procedures are.
• Contact the local embassy of the country you are visiting and ask what there regulations are regarding customs (also ask them if the destination airport have any special rules regarding dangerous equipment)
• Make sure you get as much as possible in writing and carry these letters with you –this will not prevent any problems if rules have changed, but will assist in getting confiscated equipment back.

I truly hope that I have been able to shed some light on this situation. In the articles to follow I will discuss each type of performance equipment in detail and the procedures that need to be taken to travel with them.

Yours in travel,
Ivan Marx

Fire and Lights Travel Advisor
Laziwayz Travel

Skye Fyre and the Zen of Fire Dancing

Skye Fyre

I am a fire dancer. I’m not the world’s best, but I love flinging flaming balls around my head, and do so at any possible moment. My wardrobe is split into “flammable” and “non-flammable” and I’ve given up on perfume, since I smell of paraffin most of the time anyway. Long before I was labelled a “paraffin head” by a friend, I would lug a great smelly box of weird and wonderful toys around wherever I went. Ribbon poi, flag poi, fire chains and all of the paraphernalia that goes with my odorous hobby of choice. Of course, I’m lucky. Unlike many others, I’m friends with people who know what poi are and are not afraid to fling them. I was introduced to poi via such a friend who makes beautiful hand painted sandbag poi. Whilst at a local craft market, I spotted a group of people all throwing their arms about and laughing as they wrapped pretty ribbons around themselves. Curiosity got the better of me, and I bought my very own set of poi. Part dance, part exercise, part defy-the-laws-of-gravity, I began experimenting. Accompanied by a lot of slapping noises, grunts and some well chosen expletives, I stumbled down the path to being a miniature ribbon rainbow all by myself. Bruised, battered and somewhat fitter, I enjoyed ribbon poi as a form of frustrating exercise, less relaxing than yoga but with as many pretzel moves.

Then I discovered fire.

Ribbon poi are pretty, safe and make one feel a little like a storybook fairy. Fire on the other hand, well. How would you feel taking one of the natural forces of the world and making it dance around your body? Fire makes me feel amazing. Adrenaline and warm, fuzzy feelings compete with a healthy dose of “this is crazy!” All the problems of life are out there, on the other side of the flames and nothing is important except keeping the flames moving. There is nothing in life quite the same as voluntarily stepping inside a ball of flames, separated from you only by the length of your own arms. Everyone loves staring into a bonfire, imagining shapes and patterns in the sparks and dancing flames. We take it one step further by directing the flames, making sensuous, flowing movements and intricate designs, limited only by the control we have over our bodies and how much paraffin we brought.

One of the quirks of fire dancing is that everyone can see you. It is not possible to play with fire incognito, I know, I’ve tried. Fire does not come with a dimmer switch. Either you are flaming, or you are not. Combine the fact that it is impossible to fire dance inconspicuously, with the magnetic attraction flames have for most people, and even the most inept beginner soon has a gathering of awed onlookers. This can be quite intimidating, especially if you are not confident in your own abilities. The upside is, unless you are predisposed to wrapping the poi around your head, usually resulting in the unmistakable smell of singed hair and some mild cursing, you can look quite skilled as long as you have mastered the basics. Like many forms of dance, the real trick is to make it look easy.

There are as many different styles of fire dancing as there are types of fire toys. Some people prefer heavy poi, perfect for sharp stops and redirections, mathematically precise moves that seem more like optical illusions than dance moves. Others like to go with the flow, choosing lighter poi that waft gently through the air, seemingly undirected by the dancer. These appeal to the fire fairies amongst us, waif like creatures that shimmy through the crowds, usually leaving a trail of body glitter wherever they go. Then there are the macho type who chose poi with handles especially designed to be thrown high in the air whilst the dancer does forward rolls and back flips. Impressive to watch and just a little dangerous to have around the house, these dancers, male and female, have six pack abs and discrete burn scars. Fire fans, flaming snakes, fire darts, whips, and double headed poi are all options, creating awe inspiring visuals and far reaching heat waves.

Some people have one set of poi and these become like extensions of their arms. Others get bored quickly and charge through variations as fast as their credit cards will allow. Me, I like to have lots of toys. I crave different poi like others crave gourmet food. They don’t need to be expensive, but they must be hardy and reliable. Broken poi are a real mood killer. I want to be able to match the poi with the music, the venue, the atmosphere and my own mercurial moods. Fast music needs heavy poi that respond quickly to commands. Lighter weight poi will drift alongside the late night ballads. There is nothing like fire snakes to make the world notice you.

Poi dancing can be gentle, seductive, aggressive, provocative, meditative and an aphrodisiac. Control over one’s hips and core muscles make for good sex and better poi-ing. Combine sensuous moves and the heat and sounds of fire and almost anyone is attracted. Poi as an art form can be used to express any emotion. At the same time, your own personality will under lie your dance style and it is not un common to be able to identify who is poi-ing just by the way they dance. Interestingly, shy people often find poi, and especially fire poi, help them to come out of their shell and discover their sensuality. No one knows – or really cares – that you can’t make small talk if you can make fire dance like a voluptuous woman.

For me, poi is part dance and mostly meditation. Sure, I have on occasion used my abilities to get the attention of the cute fellow in the corner, and I have been known to sell my skills as a performer, payment coming in the form of an envelope of cash and the occasional tequila, but the majority of the time I dance for myself. You are welcome to watch if you wish, but I’m not dancing for your entertainment as much as for the sheer thrill of dancing. Meditation in the conventional sense has never appealed to me. It is too stationary, too restrictive, just plainly too boring. Fire dancing on the other hand is fluid, energetic and extremely controlled at the same time. When one is truly in tune with the poi, the mind seems to split. One half is completely focused on keeping the spinning orbs spinning as they should, and the other half heads off into the wilds of the human mind. Like tai chi and martial arts, the control is such that it becomes second nature. Repeatedly making the same moves turns simple actions into ritual. As with spirituality, meditation is a uniquely personal experience. I dance in joy, in celebration, when I’m searching for answers and when I’m in mourning. Fire is used by the religions of the world for various aspects of purity, cleansing, healing and supplication. I can relate to this. I use fire to protect, to embrace, enveloping me in a sacred space that I created! Occasionally I’ll open the circle, inviting someone into what has been dubbed a “fire hug”, which is basically dancing around someone else. Mostly though, I dance alone in my bubble. As I say, you are most welcome to watch, but forgive me if I don’t notice that you are there.

What is Fire and Lights?

Do you know what poi are? What about a diablo? Want to become a suspension artist? Want to know what suspension art actually entails? Looking for a clown, juggler, off road unicyclist? Yes, you do get off road unicyclists, something I only discovered recently. What about a pyrotechnician or a hoopster?

I could go on; the list of unusual arts is as varied as the artists themselves are. The point is, where would one find someone who performs these arts and how would one go about learning the skills for oneself?

Simple answer, go to http://www.fireandlights.net/.

Fire and Lights started because I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I had bought a set of ribbon poi, but they did not really appeal to me, at least, not as much as the flaming kind did. But how was I to find the flaming kind, especially since I was not totally sure what they were called?

Eventually, I found some. They are amazing and I still use this original set on a regular basis. Only now, I have other sets too. Monkey fists, fire snakes, glo poi that flash, glo poi that change colour. I have a diablo and a magic stick that I can’t yet properly control.

Interestingly, as I started to source performance art equipment for myself, people started asking me for other things. I was phoned by someone wanting a unicycle, someone else wanted the chemicals to make purple flames and a complete stranger hounded me to find her a flaming hula hoop. One little girl was desperate for a juggler for her birthday.

I realised that there were as many performance arts as there were people wanting to learn about them. The problem is, unless you are part of the “in crowd” of performers, they are an elusive bunch. If you know a fire breather, then you know who to ask to blow fire at your party. If, however, the closest you’ve got to a fire breather is your uncle after his bottle of scotch, then it is not so easy.

That is where Fire and Lights comes into the picture. We are an online, world wide directory of performance arts. We have listings of people who perform, people who sell the products involved, and the places to go to play. There are entire communities out there that gather on a regular basis to practise, chat, swop skills and compare tricks. We will put you in contact with them.

So, if you are bored with conventional sports or have a desire to do something a little different, or have a skill that entertains others, have a look at the site. We are new, but we are growing. We are open to suggestions and criticisms, since the best way to develop is to know what people want.

Would you like to advertise your skills or products on the site? Simply fill in the online form and it is done. Are you looking for someone with a particular skill and can’t find him? Search the keywords, or email us and we will see what we can find. If your art of choice is not listed, let us know and we will try to make a category for you.

Fire and Lights is dynamic and interactive. Billed as the link between performers and their audience, suppliers and their customers, Fire and Lights is the place to be seen, flaming swords and all.

Skye Fyre