Laziwayz Travel - Belly Dancing

Hello travellers, performers, suppliers, hobbyists, and all other enthusiasts.
And so we start our adventurous journey of understanding the different rules and regulations when travelling with your performance equipment. We kick off our tour with one of my favourites – Belly Dancing.

The most common and basic of Belly Dancing equipment is the Coin Scarf. This item itself is considered clothing and will not be a hassle when travelling, although I would suggest that this be packaged with your main check-in luggage and not with your carry-on. Airport procedures ensure that carry-on luggage is x-rayed and items may be confiscated when seen as a threat. “What threat could a Coin Scarf possibly be?” you ask. Well I know as well as you do that there is no threat. However, if nail clippers are seen as a threat, you can be sure one may come across a security guard who feels the same about the scarf.

Over zealous security guards aside, I need to discuss the issues when it comes to Crystal Embroidered outfits. These pose no threat, but may cause unnecessary delays at your destination. Airport x-ray machines are not only designed to pick up metals, but crystals as well. You may be called aside and your bag searched. This is only a preventative measure to catch diamond smugglers. Please follow the below steps should this ever happen to you:

• Remain calm and polite
• Do not lose your temper as you will be seen as guilty
• Answer all the questions regardless of how insignificant they may sound
• The Costume may be confiscated for a couple of days to get an expert opinion (worst case scenario for those people who do not follow the above advice)

The above will also apply when you have outfits that have a high metal content.

I am sure many of you are aware that men always have to be different… Oi! Some dance routines may require a male Belly Dancer to dance with swords. As exciting and hot as this may be, this poses many hassles when travelling by air. After 9-11, security has really tightened up regarding travelling with weapons, and airlines have different rules and regulations in place to prevent a repeat. Many airlines are happy when the swords are in a locked aluminium gun case and are checked in, however there are airlines that do not allow these at all and the swords may have to be shipped prior to your travelling. Please note that when you decide to check them into the aluminium gun case make sure you carry your invitation / performance details with you at all times. It is also highly recommended that you discuss your trip details with a reputable travel agent so that they may confirm the entire trip with the relevant parties before you head off.

Good Luck out there Belly Dancers and remember - It is not the movements that make a dance beautiful, it is the emotions that inspired the movements that make it beautiful.

Yours in Travel,

Ivan Marx
Fire and Light’s Travel advisor

Laziwayz Travel

Adventures at a poi stall: What is it, a flag?

It is cold. And windy. And I can’t feel my toes. To think that this is a situation I have intentionally put myself into! On the upside, the sun is peeping over the hills, melting the morning’s frost as it goes. My plastic cup of over-hot tea in my gloved hands, I contemplate the world in general and my own little place in it. Why on God’s green earth am I sitting in a huddle outside a tent that has frost on it – seriously, there is frost on the apex! – clutching tea and praying that I won’t need to go to the loo until it has warmed up enough to take off a layer or three? Aah, yes, that little thing called Marketing.

Not the cushy office version of Marketing that has fresh cinnamon buns and branded give-aways, no, this is Real Life Marketing, otherwise known as “having a stall”. We are a unique bunch, Marketers. Some of us have “other jobs” that we go to every weekday, but all of us regularly descend on an unsuspecting village that is having an Exhibition, Fair or Craft Market. We move in and take over the village gardens, halls or, as in this case, the Sports Grounds. Like mushrooms, our tents, gazebos and other assorted - and occasionally tacky - structures grow until the field is unrecognisable.

I should move. In a short while The Public, that elusive creature that we traipse around the countryside looking for, will arrive and my scruffy slept-in-a-tent look will be frowned upon. As I watch, other stall holders emerge, shrouded in assorted coats and blankets, oblivious to anything other than getting ready for the onslaught of customers. Instead, I snuggle deeper into my wrappings and sip more tea.

Now two hours later, the table has stopped steaming, the tent is dry and packed away and I am sitting at my stall with yet another cup of tea, enjoying the sensation of mountain sunshine on my skin. The temperature is now Crisp rather than Toe-Freezing, and I’m ready to take on the mountain folk. The stall looks lovely. Poi of all colours, shapes, weights and designs flutter gently in the breeze, a bright and cheerful corner in amongst other more mutely coloured stalls.

“What are they? Flags?”
“ No, they’re those throwing things, like the warrior people use. To kill enemies, you know? The balls on the end wrap themselves around you, I’ve seen it”
“Really? Even the pink ones?”

I will admit, it is very tempting to sit here and let the conversation continue. I am continually amazed at how people try to explain what they don’t understand. I should stand up and try to explain that they are poi and the aim is not to let them go, although the do have a tendency to wrap themselves around your neck when you are not expecting it. The truth is, I’m battling to contain my self since every time I look at the second speaker, I am imagining him frantically flinging lumo pink ribbon poi at his khaki clad companion. I cannot admit this, you understand, since I’m here to sell poi, not be garrotted by 6 foot farming boys who are not renowned for laughing at themselves.

Deep breath, and I launch into my spiel about how they are for exercise, dance, building stamina and so on, only to have their faces fall.

“So they are not for killing things?”
“No,” I say “ not even the pink ones”

As they stomp off, pushing each other in a show of strength, brawn and extreme non-pinkness, I sit back down. After all, it takes a very special boy to play with poi, regardless of the colours. Most fellows want to go directly to fire without the boring practice version. And while I do have a variety of fire toys with me, I don’t like to encourage the “practise with fire” types. After all, their mother’s said not to play with fire and I don’t cross Mothers if I can help it.

You know how fishing floats will bob on the sea when something is nibbling a the bait? Well, my poi are doing a remarkable impression of that. As I watch, one set of poi bounces ever so slightly on the stand. Peering closer, I see a tiny girl, caught frozen as she tries to pull a set of poi off the rail. She looks at me and I look at her. I love teaching poi to kids. Unlike adults, they don’t over analyze or dissect the actions, they either like poi or they don’t. They do however, get very shy and this little deer like creature is at the point of bolting.

I take my own set of poi, well worn to the point that they are extensions of my fingers, and make a big show of how to put the finger loops on.

She watches.

I swing them gently, taking care to do only the simplest moves so that she can follow if she chooses to.

She watches.

I play for a while, then move towards her to help her put her fingers into the loops – kids have such stumpy fingers, there is an art to stuffing them into the loops. Still she stands there, looking torn between staying and playing and running back to mum.

I swing, she swings. We swing together. I have an imaginary voice in my head that narrates as if we were in a child’s reading book, “Jane swings, John swings. Watch them swing” . She is following my movements so I try a gentle cross-over. She tries, smacks herself and is gone. It is almost a single movement, so fast I can do nothing but watch her retreating as fast as her pint-sized legs can go. But she will be back, I know she will. I hang the poi on a lower rail so she can get to them when she wants to try again. And she will want to try again. I know this because as I sit down I see her standing across the field, swinging her arms and looking at my stall. The poi bug has bitten. All I need to do is wait.

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