I was invited to a small get-together with some friends of mine and it soon turned into a mini-techno-rave. (and by that I mean about 5 of us in a dark screened-in porch blasting DDR and other techno muzac) Then, somebody pulled out the glowsticks... Long story short, I got stuck with the glow-necklaces, which, while still cool, aren't really that exciting just hanging on your neck, I start swinging them around and made cool-looking designs. After the party I researched a bit because (circles get old really fast and) I wanted to be ready for next time.
Poi originated with the Maori People of New Zealand. While methods and materials have changed, the prinicipal is basically the same: swing something around fast enough so that the blur makes a pretty pattern.
Modern variances are: Performance/Ribbon Poi, Glow Poi, and Fire Poi (as well as Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire... no, not really)
Techniques learned in one easily transfer to another, so Practice Poi are used when... well... Practicing. They are usually made with something soft, but must be dense/massive enough to swing well. Popular ones are bean-filled gym socks and tennis-balls on the ends of strings.
There are quite a few instructables on how to make them already, so I won't cover that here.
Other Poi Instructables
I will attempt to teach you some VERY basic moves. They should be enough to either 1) spark your interest and lead you to pursue greater learning ... Or 2) convince you that this really isn't your thing and that you can serve humanity better in other ways.
Either way, I hope you enjoy.
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Signing UpStep 1: Holding the Poi
Another alternative is to not hold the rope itself, but to have either a strap or a handle. Leather strips are popular as straps because of their durability. Handles can be as simple as a wooden toggle (a small rod of wood with the rope attached to the middle) or even metal balls.








































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for any avid contributors i will be sharing the advertising income depending on what they have submitted, if any of you guys fancy it hit me up on my site, if your not but you still like poi and fire spinning etc head over and check it out an join the forums :) much love http://www.aboveandbelow.org
p.s we dont sell anything and its free to join!
It's a creative art form that can be done by anyone at any time in the day or night!
Spinning poi can be a form of exercise, dance or even a hedonistic art display.
You can easily by them online all over the world but one manufacturer that i love and have been buying all my spinning toys for the last 4years is Flames N Games Juggling Store
There are many kinds of poi you can buy some of which are:
Daytime Fabric Poi, Fire Poi, LED Glow Poi, Sock Poi, Flag Poi.
http://www.spherculism.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=3167
Last I heard he moved to NZ, in order to consult the grand po pa's of poi
Very good introduction to the black art though.
Jenks