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A fire fan is a fan shaped object usually constructed of non-combustible materials such as welded metal and Kevlar wick that is set alight. They are used for fire performance. [1]
Fire fans are often used in belly dance, especially in tribal fusion belly dance styles. Belly dancers typically move fire fans more slowly and in combination with the layered hip and arm dance movements distinctive to the art of belly dance.
Tech fire fan spinners use movements similar to those in poi, and often employ faster spinning and more complex tricks using the fans. Many movements in poi can be translated into fans, such as 3 beat weaves, flowers, etc. Fire fans can also be used in ways similar to small double hoops. However, there are some moves that are unique to fans, such as choo choos.
Some fire fan performers combine the slower, more graceful, more dance-centric moves of belly dance with the faster, more trick-oriented moves of tech spinners to create a hybrid style of performance.
Typically built with anywhere between 3 and 7 spokes, torch wick fans are a common choice for fan spinners of all levels. They are commonly built of aluminum or steel, each with their own pros and cons. Fans are most often built with at least one ring at the base of the fan, though some fans have multiple rings, or none at all. Rings can differ greatly in size from fan to fan (Diameter: 3–10 cm), and it's not uncommon to see a fan with multiple rings of different sizes. There are also cultural differences. North American tech fan spinners tend to use a small one-finger spinner ring, while Russian tech spinners tend to use a ring large enough to pass the entire hand through.
The construction of the rope wick fan is similar to that of the torch wick style, but the spokes of the rope fan end in rings, through which a piece of Kevlar rope is strung. Rope fans tend to put off more flame than torch fans. Fueling rope wick fans can be difficult at best without a fueling tray, though it is relatively common practice to pour the fuel over the fan, into the fuel dump, keeping it contained.
Collapsible fans are hinged at the base, eliminating the finger loops. This can be a disadvantage to those who prefer to spin the fans, as any move involving fingerspins becomes difficult; collapsible fans tend to be used for slower moves and posing as a result, which can be very impressive when they have a large diameter. Some collapsible fans open to a full one hundred eighty degrees (as opposed to static fans, which are generally in the vicinity of ninety degrees). They can be a better fit for more martial-style fan manipulation, and the ability to open and close the fan adds a different dimension to the performance.
While these are the three most common types of fire fans, these are by no means all that is out there. Many people who build their own fire equipment design and prototype creative new fans that are completely their own.
In venues where fire can't be used, some performers use LED fans, or fire fan frames that have LED lights instead of wicks.
A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end which can be used as a light source or to set something on fire. Torches have been used throughout history, and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggling entertainment. In some countries, notably the United Kingdom and Australia, "torch" in modern usage is also the term for a battery-operated portable light.
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. Candles have been used for over two millennia around the world, and were a significant form of indoor lighting until the invention of other types of light sources. Although electric light has largely made candle use nonessential for illumination, candles are still commonly used for functional, symbolic and aesthetic purposes and in specific cultural and religious settings.
The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony starts the Olympic torch relay, which formally ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Through 2022, the flame would continue to burn in the cauldron for the duration of the Games, until it was extinguished during the Olympic closing ceremony. In 2024, electric lighting and mist were used to create a simulated flame for the Olympic cauldron, with the actual flame kept in a lantern exhibited at an adjacent location. That lantern was then taken by French swimmer Léon Marchand from Jardins des Tuileries and ceremonially "transferred" to the Stade de France at the start of the Closing Ceremony: there it was finally estinguished just after the IOC president declared officially closed the Games.
A kerosene lamp is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a table, or hand-held lanterns may be used for portable lighting. Like oil lamps, they are useful for lighting without electricity, such as in regions without rural electrification, in electrified areas during power outages, at campsites, and on boats. There are three types of kerosene lamp: flat-wick, central-draft, and mantle lamp. Kerosene lanterns meant for portable use have a flat wick and are made in dead-flame, hot-blast, and cold-blast variants.
A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stoves can be used in diverse situations, such as for outdoor food service and catering and in field hospitals.
Raqs sharqi is the classical Egyptian style of belly dance that developed during the first half of the 20th century.
A lighter is a portable device which creates a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typically consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid, a compressed flammable gas, or in rarer cases a flammable solid ; a means of ignition to produce the flame; and some provision for extinguishing the flame or else controlling it to such a degree that the user may extinguish it with their breath. Alternatively, a lighter can be one which uses electricity to create an electric arc utilizing the created plasma as the source of ignition or a heating element can be used in a similar vein to heat the target to its ignition temperatures, as first formally utilized by Friedrich Wilhelm Schindler to light cigars and now more commonly seen incorporated into the automobile auxiliary power outlet to ignite the target material. Different lighter fuels have different characteristics which is the main influence behind the creation and purchasing of a variety of lighter types.
Fire performance is a group of performance arts or skills that involve the manipulation of fire. Fire performance typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough flame to create a visual effect.
A beverage-can stove, or pop-can stove, is a do it yourself, ultralight, alcohol-burning portable stove. It is made using parts from two aluminium beverage cans. Basic designs can be relatively simple, but many variations exist.
The rope dart or rope javelin, is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese martial arts. Other weapons in this family include the meteor hammer, flying claws, Fei Tou flying weight, and chain whip.
Poi is a performing art and also the name of the equipment used for its performance. As a skill toy, poi is an object or theatrical prop used for dexterity play or an object manipulation. As a performance art, poi involves swinging tethered weights through a variety of rhythmical and geometric patterns. Poi artists may also sing or dance while swinging their poi. Poi can be made from various materials with different handles, weights, and effects.
Juggling torches are one of various props used by jugglers. Torches are usually commercially made props that are made of wood and/or metal with a wick attached at one end. The wick is soaked in liquid fuel, usually paraffin and ignited before use.
A kerosene heater, also known as a paraffin heater, is typically a portable, unvented, kerosene-fueled, space heating device. In Japan and other countries, they are a primary source of home heat. In the United States and Australia, they are a supplemental heat or a source of emergency heat during a power outage. Most kerosene heaters produce between 3.3 and 6.8 kilowatts.
Oxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases and oxygen to weld or cut metals. French engineers Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903. Pure oxygen, instead of air, is used to increase the flame temperature to allow localized melting of the workpiece material in a room environment.
Hooping is the manipulation of and artistic movement or dancing with a hoop. Hoops can be made of metal, wood, or plastic. Hooping combines technical moves and tricks with freestyle or technical dancing. Hooping can be practiced to or performed with music. In contrast to the classic toy hula hoop, modern hoopers use heavier and larger diameter hoops, and frequently rotate the hoop around parts of the body other than the waist, including the hips, chest, neck, shoulders, thighs, knees, arms, hands, thumbs, feet, and toes. The hoop can also be manipulated and rotated off the body as well. Modern hooping has been influenced by art forms such as rhythmic gymnastics, hip-hop, freestyle dance, fire performance, twirling, poi, and other dance and movement forms.
Object manipulation are when you dexterity play in which one or more when their people physically interact is when they play with one or more or many object. Many object manipulation skills are recognised circus skills. Other object manipulation skills are linked to sport, magic, and everyday objects or practices. Many object manipulation skills use special props made for that purpose: examples include the varied circus props such as balls, clubs, hoops, rings, poi, staff, and devil sticks; magic props such as cards and coins; sports equipment such as nunchaku and footballs. Many other objects can also be used for manipulation skills. Object manipulation when the ordinary items may be not considered there to be the object manipulation because it is when the object isn't used into an the unusually stylised or skilful way or for a when physical interaction is outside of its socially acknowledged context or when differently from its original purpose.
A meteor is a skill toy of Asian origin consisting of a rope, usually between 5 and 8 feet long, with weights attached to either end. Tricks are performed by swinging, wrapping and throwing the meteor about the body.
A fire staff is a staff constructed out of wood or metal with Kevlar wick added to one or both ends. Fire staffs are used for fire performance.
Poi tricks are defined by the manipulation and combination of several variables of the spinning activity. These variables typically include, but are not limited to, the following:
