Introduction

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I've heard them called various names from firechains, fire twirling, fire dancing through to poi, but basically they're two lengths of chain with fire on each end, which are swung in patterns around your body. It's something that I was introduced to by a couple called Ben and Jo whilst living on Lamma Island, Hong Kong in 1997. Before we started work at the Deli, we'd often go down to the beach for a few hours, and it was here that Ben taught me a few of the basic moves. It looks pretty impressive at night, especially on a beach or out in the country away from urban streetlights. This page summarises what I've learnt so far, but be aware that there will be many other moves and styles out there which other folk have developed.

Poi is an art of twirling that was performed by Maori men and women in order to keep themselves supple and agile. The moves used by firechains have many similarities to those of poi, apart from the fact that the balls used in traditional poi were not lit.

WARNING!

Imagine standing inside a cube. There are four walls around you - one to the front, one behind, and one to the left and to the right. There is also the roof above you and the floor below you. Now these six walls form the planes that your chains will move in.

The first moves with firechains utilise a simple circle. There are two basic swinging positions to learn:

• swinging the chains at your sides;
  

• swinging the chains in front of you.

For example: if you twirl the chain at your left side, you create a circle parallel to the left wall of the cube mentioned above. Twirling your right one, you create a circle parallel to the right wall of the cube.

There are two speeds:

• equal time: where the chains move around together in parallel circles;
  

• split time: (aka 'out of time') where one chain is half a circle ahead of the other.

The chains can be swung:

• forwards;
  

• backwards; and
  

• mixed directions, such as one backwards and one forwards.

A Word About Directions...
Forwards at your side means that the chains swing up behind you and down in front of you.
To twirl forwards in front of you, simply move your hands from your sides (as above) to your front, without changing the direction of your twirling. So, from a twirlers viewpoint, your right chain spins anti-clockwise and your left clockwise.
To twirl backwards, simply reverse either of the above moves.

Listed below are seven basic twirling positions. It's a pretty good idea to get really familiar with these as they form the basis to many other moves. Note that you should practice twirling the first five moves in two directions - both forwards and backwards.

1. Both chains at your side in time.
   
   
2. Both chains at your side in split time.
   
   
3. Both chains at your side in mixed directions (for example: twirl the left chain forwards and the right chain backwards).
   
   

4. Both chains in front in time - the Butterfly.
   Keep one hand slightly above the other by about 5cm - this will help stop the chains tangling. A rhythmic 'bouncing' motion helps to keep chain-momentum. You might find the Reverse Butterfly, where the chains spin outwards rather than inwards, easier to pick up.
   
   

5. Both chains in front split time - the Split-time Butterfly.
   This is a simple but pretty move with fire.
   
   

6. Both chains in front, in time and mixed directions (for example: both twirled to the right or both to the left).
   
   

7. Both chains in front, split time and mixed directions.

I'm assuming that if you've made it this far, you've either seen or practiced firechains and have a working knowledge of these basic moves. As they're fairly simple, I'm not going to go into them in any great detail except to list them for guidance. Being familiar with these moves is really useful when it comes to learning the advanced moves. Don't forget to practice these moves backwards as well as forwards - you'll need the familiarity with them later.

Hans and a backwards crossover.

The essential difference between basic and advanced moves is the use of a cross-over, so learning cross-overs is pretty handy. A cross-over is exactly what its name implies - your hand crosses over from one side of your body to another side. Typically, a cross-over links a circle on your right side with a circle on your left side, or a circle in front of you with a circle behind you.

A cross-over makes a figure-of-8 pattern, and is composed of two linked circles. An example is shown below. Note that the direction you started twirling in will be reversed when the chains cross over.

Here, the performer begins by twirling the right chain forwards at his side. He then crosses to his left side and twirls backwards on his left side. The arrows indicate the path followed by the wick.

Remember that imaginary cube around you that I mentioned at the beginning of the basic moves section, and how you learnt spinning at your sides and in front of yourself? Well, when using cross-overs, you can also twirl behind your back, which is parallel to the rear wall of that imaginary cube.

The simplest cross-overs can be performed in:

• two positions (either at the sides or in front);
  
• two directions (either twirling forwards or twirling backwards).

1. Cross-over at your side - twirling forwards
   Swing your right chain forwards at your side. Just after it hits the top and begins its downwards swing in front of you, cross your right hand over to your left side. The chain will swing down in front of you, then up behind you on your left side. As it hits the top, move your hand back to your right side and continue spinning. This is a cross-over.
   
   

2. Cross-over at your side - twirling backwards
   This is essentially the same as doing it forwards. The only difference is that the change-over occurs when the chains are at the bottom of the swing instead of the top.
   
   

3. Cross-over in front - twirling forwards
   This cross-over is most easily performed over your head. Spin your right chain slowly anti-clockwise in front of you (or your left clockwise). As the chain hits the top of its circle, roll your hand so that it lays palm up and allow the circle to continue behind your back. As the chain returns to the top, roll your hand forwards so you are swinging in front of yourself again.
   
   

4. Cross-over in front - twirling backwards
   This one is really easy to perform at waist height. Spin your right chain clockwise in front of you (or your left chain anti-clockwise). As it hits the top of the circle, fold your hand back, allowing the chain to complete a turn behind you before bringing it back in front of you. You'll probably find this cross-over easier to pick up than the previous one.

Instead of being performed as vertical circles, cross-overs 3 and 4 can be flattened out so that they're parallel with the ground. This method is used when you're moving from front to back with the corkscrew.

As you practice and become more fluent with these moves, you'll find that you can place them in slightly different places around you're body, such as higher or lower, or at an angle. Remember that this list is only for the right hand, and that you should also practice these moves in reverse with your left hand.

A turn is made using a cross-over (see previous section), either to your left or to your right, and allows you to move in circles in a variety of ways. As you turn, the direction that you are twirling in will be reversed.

There are many variations that you can make up using turns, as there are quite a few variables involved. Think about these possibilities...

• Chains at the side
  
• Chains in front
  
• In-time turns
  
• Split-time turns
  
• Chains twirled forwards
  
• Chains twirled backwards
  
• Chains twirled in mixed directions
  
• Turns with both chains
  
• Turns with only one chain
  

With the chains in time and at your sides, you can turn around in rhythmic circles to your left and right.

• When twirling forwards, you turn and reverse the chains as they hit the bottom of their circle.
  

• When twirling backwards, the turn is performed as the chains swing to the top of their circle.
  

• The trick to turning is your hand movements. The hand opposite the direction you are turning must pass across your body, at the same time that you turn your body (see turn 1 below).

• Turn to your right, twirling forwards
  Once the left-hand chain passes the top of its circle, turn quickly to the right and move the chain down and across your body. As the chain starts its upward cycle, you'll see that it is also reversed. The right hand chain should move easily out of the way and reverse. The rest of the turns are fairly similar.

  
  
  So, practice the following, and you'll be able to turn in circles:
  
• Turn to your left, twirling forwards
  
• Turn to your right, twirling backwards
  
• Turn to your left, twirling backwards

Once you're able to do these moves, you should be able to put them together and turn in a complete circle, either to the right or the left without breaking your rhythm. You build upon these turns when you do the circular chase and the circular windmill - turning around in circles whilst changing the direction the chains are twirled in, without breaking the fluid rhythm.

It's a turn which can be performed over your shoulders, turning to the left or the right.

• Start by twirling backwards, with the chains at your sides.
  

• As the chains come up in front of you, let your hands follow the chains over your shoulders.
  

• Turn quickly.
  

• Quickly bring your hands back from over your shoulders and, with a bit of luck, you should find that you are now twirling forwards.

It's a funky little joining move, useful for when you want to change direction but make something out of the change too.

The Over-the-Shoulder Turn.

A bunch of the most common moves are listed on the Move Guides page. Here you'll find simple animations of moves, a pictoral step-by-step breakdown of how to learn the moves and a collection of variations associated with each move. Most of the pages also have a photo to the move being performed with fire, to give you an idea of how it'll look to your audience.

I've listed some ideas below for anyone starting out with firechains.

• Read the Fire Safety page.
  
  

• Practice a lot - at least every day for several weeks before you light up and perform even the most basic tricks with fire. You need to be really familiar with where the wicks are going to be and how they move around your body before you use fire.
  
  

• Remember that most of the spinning movement is generated through rotation of your hand relative to your wrist, not through your upper arms.
  
  

• If you learn a move in one direction (eg: forwards), then make sure that you also learn to do the trick in reverse. This becomes useful when switching from one advanced trick to another.
  
  

• Be warned that this is not something that is quick and easy to learn - it takes a lot of practice to become smooth and fluid with some of the more advanced moves.

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