Poi Dancing and Fire at the Orange Cafe

Written by Lion Wednesday, 24 February 2010 00:10

Orange Fire Group

Great Balls of Fire! Taiwan's Orange Fire Group keeps it hot!

From the most prehistoric of parties and gatherings of people, fire, has always been the life of the party. Taiwan's Orange Fire Group is making sure that it stays exactly that. Waakao went to see the show at the Orange Cafe and came out without singed eyelashes but having seen a very fiery and exciting show. We got the low-down on the group and the act from Mouse Chen.

How did the Orange group start? How did you get the name?

Paula and 2 of her sisters opened Orange Cafe in Shilin in October of 2000. Paula had previously returned from Thailand where she learned Poi, and would perform on the roof of the cafe. During this time, more and more people would come to watch the show, and they began to ask about learning Poi. I was one of her first students and she and I decided to form a Poi group so we could perform more. Plus, it's just really fun playing with fire with a bunch of other people. We just named the group after the cafe.

We've been together almost 10 years, so there are a LOT of good stories. We've done more than 1,000 major shows in Taiwan during that time and met a lot of fun and crazy people, and we're hoping that we can get more people who are interested in Poi to learn and join our group. We still do classes on Fridays and Saturdays and invite others who already perform Poi to stop by and join the Friday performances. It's a very open, fun group of people to know.

Taiwan Orange Fire Group
How often does the group practice and what is a practice like? Alot of burning?

Usually once a week during and after the Friday show. Most people practice on their own at home, and they usually use practice Poi, which is made of plastic (practice staffs are wood or metal). When we play fire, there isn't really any burning. The fire won't hurt you if it just hits you for a second. Also, Poi is a dance, and you learn to use the Poi as part of your body, so they don't hit you very often.

Alot of the members have different styles, do they have dance backgrounds or where do members get their influences or ideas for performance?
Most of us don't have a dance background, but we learn to feel the music and move to the rhythms with our Poi. A lot of us do take some influence from dancing styles. Killer incorporates some Indian dance, some people use bellydance, or hip hop styles, but really, we just mix and make it our own.

Has anyone been burned badly or caught on fire?

One member from a while ago did burn her finger pretty bad. But aside from some small holes in your clothes or singed hair, really no disasters. Fire is still dangerous, so you need to understand how to use it to protect yourself. That's why it takes 2 months for a new student to start using fire- they need to know how to move with the Poi first.

In the show different artists are using different flaming tools/apparatus(what should i call these?) , which is the most difficult to handle?

There are the basic Poi, which are flaming balls/cubes attached to chains. There is the fire knife, which is a long, straight rope on a short chain. There is Tai Chi fire, which is a ball in between 2 chains that you move between your hands. There are fire staffs (short and long), and you can use 1 or 2 at a time- usually you use 1 long staff or 2 short staffs, but there's no rule to it. Devil sticks are probably the hardest. They are 2 short sticks you hold in your hands to toss and spin a 3rd flaming stick. Those take a lot of practice. The Tai Chi fire also tends to singe your hair and eyelashes because it can get really close to your face. But, like anything else, practice makes any kind of fire much easier.

Can you tell me anything about the history of this art?

It started with the Maori of New Zealand. They used Poi dance in rituals to worship gods, or at weddings and other ceremonies. Fire wasn't used until after WWII and more people would travel to New Zealand. When the tourists saw the dancing, they loved it. Some foreigners decided it would be cool to set the balls on fire, and then the art spread.

Orange Fire Group will be performing at this weeks Firerama at the Wall and has regular weekly shows on Friday is at 11pm at the Orange Cafe in Shilin located at 文林路302號302 Wenlin Rd. Shilin District in Taipei.

For Bookings or more info contact Mouse Chen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it