The Holidays

I was going to say "Let's Spin on New Years"... But if the weather is anything like it has been, there's no way! It's way too cold out.

Tonight

Bitterly cold. Mostly cloudy. Lows around 4 below. Windy. West winds 20 to 25 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph in the evening. Wind chill readings 18 below to 28 below zero

Yeah, not exactly the best conditions to be outside playing with fire! (wish I could spin indoors - might warm the place up a bit!) Oh well - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Wicked Wicks n' Friends!

-Meadevil

Happy Holidays!!!

FIRE!!

So there isn't a whole lot going on around here since it's like 12 degrees outside. I figured I would post a picture of our friend fire breathing. Zach, thanks for stopping in to visit while you were in town. You are welcome to hang out with us anytime!

- Angel

Fire Spinning and Winter

Well it's starting to really get cold here so fire spinning season for us is coming to a close. It's pretty hard to spin when you can't feel your fingers. Screwy and I have also been really busy getting settled into our new place. I am hoping to get a few spinners out once we have some snow on the ground. I always thought it would be really cool to photograph fire on snow. Since we won't have a whole lot going on thru the winter I would share some older photos with everyone. Below are a few pictures to start off the winter season.











--Angel

Halloween - Is there a better night?

I know we just got done with two weekends of spinning performance (grand and exciting as it was), but the weather is supposed to be nice - I've still got some fuel left... I say let's spin after the Trick-or-Treater's have their fun!!! I can't speak for the whole Wicked Wicks crew - but I think it's a pretty good idea! Halloween Spinning - I can't think of a more appropriate time! Besides... this would not be a performance, this would be spinning cause we feel like it - spinning because we want to - spinning for us n' our friends just for the fun of it! What does everyone else think??? One last great spin on all hallows eve before the weather turns cold and unfriendly?

Wicked Wicks at the Downs Haunted House

Note: I did my best to scale this down for Blog Use - It's my first time posting video... humm come to think of it, it's my first time posting too. Anyway, here's a glace (Filmed with my little hand held camera)- Hope you enjoy it... we all had a good time performing, and the people waiting in line to enter the Haunted House seemed to be grateful for our entertainment. - Meadevil

The Downs Haunted House

Just a quick reminder. The 24th and 25th of October will be our last weekend at the Downs Haunted House. This is a great deal, for a dollar you get all you can eat hot dogs, a hayrack ride to and from the haunted house, plus Wicked Wicks as entertainment while you wait in line. Proceeds from the Downs Haunted House goes toward charity. If you make it out to the house please stop by, say hello and introduce yourself.

The local newspaper came out and shot some video of the haunted house and also capture a clip of a few of us spinning and eating fire. Check it out at http://www.pantagraph.com/.

I also want to apologize for not posting for a while but we just moved and have been busy at our new place unpacking and painting. I promise to post some pictures of us spinning at the haunted house soon.

- Angel

Halloween Public Performance

For those that would like to mark their calendars, Wicked Wicks will be performing in Downs, Illinois at the Downs Haunted House. Admission is just one dollar and you get all you can eat hot dogs plus entertainment. How can you beat a deal like that!

The haunted house is open Friday and Saturday, during the last two weekends in October. It opens around 6pm but you may want to get there a little early. With a $1 admission we tend to stay busy.

We have worked the Haunted House for the last two years and we enjoy performing for the patrons waiting in line. If you come out make sure and stop by and say hello. We would love to meet you and show you our art!

Although, a majority of the Wicked Wicks members will be at the haunted house, some will be working inside. We've spent the last couple of months tearing out last years scenes and setting up new ones. Trust me it is worth the cost and you never know who you will run into, while waiting in line.

This is a family event but the haunted house has been known to creep out a few of the kids. Hey, it's Halloween and it just wouldn't be the same without a couple of screams. Please come see us in action, you won't have many opportunities after we perform in Downs.

- Screwy

Chicago Fire Events

As the Chicago rep of the Wicked Wicks I thought I would let you know about a few upcoming fire events in the city. There is such a large community here, and spinners are getting together and rocking out all the time! I've had a blast at all the events below, and if you are near the area I would highly recommend checking them out.

Give Peace a Dance: Oct 3rd, Friday, 9:00pm - 1:00 am. A public alcohol-free conscious-dance event which starts out with a drum circle and fire spinning. There is also a black-light space for spinning right off the main dance floor. Happens every month, and spinners attend the event for free. You MUST contact the hosts of the event before planning on spinning: http://synphorium.com/gpd.html

Full Moon Jam: Oct 14th, Tuesday, 6:10 pm.
An amazing event for spinners, musicians, and spectators alike. Though the crowd may be intimidating there are many spinners there for support, and you can enter the circle and spin and many times as you would like. Located about 1/2 mile south of Foster Ave Beach on the Lake Front. To see the full schedule of jams view: http://www.spunn.org/comm.shtml

Thursday night practices An informal gathering every Thursday night around 8:00pm...great time to practice, learn, and chill with fire spinners in the Chicago area. Contact chicagofiredancing@googlegroups.com for information on attending.

Also, I've been giving private lessons, which are great for anyone interested in one on one attention to learn or improve their poi skills. I can provide sock poi for practice if you don't have any of your own (you can also purchase a pair from me for $10.00). For more info you can view my website www.voortrek.com or email me at krvw@voortrek.com.

Hope to see some of you out and about in the city!

- Krimzen

How About a Little Video?

I have got a few request from friends to post up some video footage. So today is the day. Some of our troupe came back from Burning Man 2008 with a ton of pictures and a little footage. This is video footage of Zach spinning at the camp with the neighbor campers drumming in the background. Funny thing is the drummers had no idea Zach was spinning on the other side of the RV.

--Angel

Burning Man 2008

A couple of the troupe members adventured out into Black Rock City for a week. For some of them it was a first time experience and for a couple of others their second year going. While they are still catching up from the trip, I offered to post and put up some of their images from their journey. Burning Man is one of the largest gatherings of fire performers in the world. This year alone there were more then 49,000 attendees (not all fire performers). The theme for 2008 was The American Dream. Enjoy the images.

The Temple (built this year with scrap from previous BM events)


Part of Mutopia from The Flaming Lotus Girls


The Man himself!


The Bummer


Babylon


Really cool perspective statue!


The Hand (story is every day they would wake up it was striking a different pose)

Holiday Weekend…. for Some

While most of us are enjoying our holiday weekend, people in the Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern parts of Texas are spending this time evacuating. This weighs heavy on my mind as my whole family, including my parents live near the coast in Louisiana. They have lived there all their lives and this weekend they have to leaving due to Hurricane Gustav. While I am somewhat relieved since for Katrina and Rita they stayed home and stuck it out, at least this time some of them are leaving. The news channels this morning are saying that the storm is heading right for Louisiana, and is projected to hit my hometown. I want to let my family in Louisiana and the people of the southern states know that our prayers are with you. I pray that everyone is safe and returns to find minimal damage when the storm is past. Please keep the people effected by the storm in your thoughts as you enjoy your holiday weekend.

Thank you,
--Angel

New Photos

A couple of weeks ago I got a mesaage saying some of our fellow fire spinners would be in town, so I sent out a couple of texts and got some folks together for practice. Some of our friends who hadn't seen us perform before came out to watch. We would like to thank them for bringing their family out to check out our skills. It's always nice to have new people come out and let us share the fire arts with them.

Our dear photographer friend David Beasley Jr. came out and took some new photos of us. We would like to thank him for his constant support and for always spreading the word about our troupe. Check out his blog for some awesome new images: www.davidbeasleyjr.blogspot.com

--Angel

A Fire Spinner Q&A Session Part 1

When I started writing the, “You do WHAT???” post, I came up this idea. As fire spinners we get a ton of questions and surprisingly not all come when we first meet people. Some people who have known about it for years still ask questions once and a while. So, below is a Q&A of questions we have collected and of course we had to throw a few pictures in too (I couldn’t resist).

Q: Is it dangerous?
A: Well anything dealing with flammable fuels is dangerous. We do not recommend trying this without a safety always present. It’s also a good idea to have an experienced spinner as a mentor. Most of us started with either glow poi or tennis balls on rope.

Q: Does it hurt to get hit with the poi?
A: A tightly bound piece of fabric spinning rather fast doesn’t feel like being hit by a feather but you will survive. We try to spin with items that are comparable in weight this makes transitioning into the fire poi a little easier. A wick holding fuel (which is a liquid) tend to be heavier then a tennis ball. When spinning at a high rate of speed it tends to leave a mark.

Safety Tip: If you are able to practice the trick without hitting yourself you might be ready to try it on fire.
*** Please use your own judgment and always practice safe fire spinning! ***

Q: How long did it take to learn how to spin?
A: The time it takes to learn really depends on the person’s patience and dedication to learning it. You will find some tricks come really easy and then others seem to take forever to learn. You will really notice this if you spinning with a group of people or decide to learn with someone else. Don’t let this frustrate you or keep you from practicing. Your turn will come! I can almost guarantee you will learn other tricks faster then people you spin with. Repetition is good, never rush thru a trick be thorough about it.

Q: How often do you practice?
A: When we started we faithfully practiced twice a week for several hours and did that for years. Nowadays we don’t practice as often but anytime we have a chance to get together we do. Obviously the more you practice the better you get. If you are luck enough to find a place that has mirrored walls like a dance studio you have the advantages of being able to see your moves. This will be immensely in improving your performance.

Q: What types of things do you guys spin?
A: We have standard poi with several wick types (i.e. cathedral, monkey fist, gorilla fist, moon blades, and cores). We also have staff, double staff, segmented staff, rope dart, whip, fire snakes and fire fingers. There are also a couple of fire-eaters and a fire breather in the troupe.

Q: Where does fire spinning originate?
A: It originated with the Māori people of New Zealand (the word poi means "ball" in Māori). Women and men used it to increase flexibility, strength, and coordination and in particular the dexterity of the wrist.

Q: Is spinning difficult to learn?
A: Just like anything else you have to practice, whether it be piano, drums, guitar or fire spinning. Basic moves can seem difficult at first, master those and you will find the more complex moves easier to grasp. When watching a practiced fire spinners, pay attention to body movements, hand placement and timing. These are keys to becoming a fire performer. Start with one poi and practice spinning in each hand, both directions (spinning away from you and then towards you). Learn your planes and practice your timing. Once you have those mastered you will find poi/fire spinning a bit easier. Then it becomes an object of creativity.

Q: Where is a good place to find more information or training on spinning?
A: http://www.homeofpoi.com/ is a company based out of New Zealand. They have a good selection of training information, equipment, and have a good system for finding other spinners in your area.
If your from the Chicago area Krimzen does private lessons and sells sock poi (practice poi), her website is listed in our links of interest.

Well that is it for the questions for now. If you can think of any more questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments of this post and we will add them to Part 2.

--Angel & Screwy

You do WHAT????

It seems like anytime one of us mentions our fire spinning hobby we get tons of questions. I plan on creating a post soon in the style of Q & A eventually but this one isn’t it. This post is about the biggest question you can ask a fire spinner…”Why fire spinning of all things?” and no we don't just do it cause it dangerous or to be cool. I think we are all old enough that we are beyond that.
This isn’t a question that I can answer for the other members of my troupe because it is different for each of us. I can however tell you how I got started fire spinning and why I continued.

I started spinning roughly about 4 years ago. I am also into photography and that is where it all started. One spring night my husband and I were sitting on the porch drinking coffee, across the street we noticed a couple of people playing with fire. Instantly the photographer in me kicked in and I said I have to shoot that. So we wandered over, introduced ourselves and asked if I could take some shots of them the next night. I took a ton of shots and before the night was done I ended up with poi in my hands and haven’t let it go. Of course I switched to beating myself with tennis balls to learn the different moves and then progressed into fire.

There is something mesmerizing about watching a fire performer but being the performer is a whole different thing. For me it is a somewhat relaxing feeling to spin fire. I know what you’re thinking…this chick is a nutcase but seriously hear me out. It takes a different level of concentration when you spin fire. My family has a pretty crazy schedule like most families today and this is a chance to really clear my head. The sound of the fire blocks all other sound out and allows you to really clear your head and focus on something other then the hectic schedule of life.

There are many benefits I have seen from fire spinning. Being a fire spinner takes plenty of work and practice, which helps to keep the whole family from the zombie effects of television. Being a performer has helped with the anxiety of getting up in front of a ton of people. Plus as a woman it helps to keep the arms tone, so yes ladies no grandma arms in this hobby. I will admit that of all hobbies I have tried in my life, fire spinning is one of the most challenging. Teaching your hands to do the same thing at the same time, or two different things at the same time isn’t
as easy as it sounds.

Wicked Wicks is like a big extended family (my husband and son also fire spin) so spinning has turned into a social event for us. We have other photographer friends, neighbors, co-workers and family come out for practices and performances.

--Angel

As Promised

These are a few pictures we have taken over the years at practices. We usually try and get together twice a week to work on our skills and develop new ones. We hope everyone enjoys the pictures.

More Pictures

We are hoping to have more pictures of our art up sometime before Sunday. We have a large collection of photos taken by Angel, a member of the troupe over the years. The goal is to post images that show off some of the other individual skills in our fire troupe and some of the guest performers. Check back later this week.

Welcome to our blog

Wicked Wicks is a fire troupe based in Central Illinois. The troupe started 4 years ago. There are 5 fire performers and one fire safety. We also have several guest performers. Our fire safety travels with us and assist with our gear and keeping an eye on us so we don't go up in flames (no pun intended).
You can find us performing at charity events, parties, festivals, and local holiday events. If you are looking for a unique act for a party or any occasion please feel free to contact us for pricing (we are willing to do some travel).

Recently a friend of ours, David Beasley Jr. came out and took some beautiful shots of us practicing. Check out his blog to see images.. http://www.davidbeasleyjr.blogspot.com/. We want to say thanks to Dave for coming out, it's always a joy sharing our art with someone.