Last week we talked a bit about the history of the different props that have become a part of the Flow Arts world. Today, we’re going to talk about how the Flow Arts emerged from a wide range of diverse sources, including festival culture, philosophy, and the emergence of the internet.

Last week we started our discussion of the culture of the Flow Arts by defining the term and placing it in the context of the wider movement arts world. Today, we’re going to be talking about the history of the artform and how it came to be.

My first attempt at a video compilation with my new GoPro! :) A couple of these are a little hazy because I forgot to clean the lense in between takes and there was a hell of a lot of pollen in the air. Thanks so much to all the folks who let me video them! :)

Music: "The City" by The 1975

Performers:
Jeremy Croxton
Doodle
Drex
Tim Goddard
Hex
Spinnabel
Sticky
Justin Warren & Christina Koller

Fire dancing--hoop, poi, and staff with GoPro!.mp4

Branching out a little bit! Learning antispin flowers with a hoop is similar to how one can learn them with poi. Here's a way to learn both 3 and 4-petal antispin flowers while doing off the body hoop.

antispinhooptutorial.mp4

Ted Petrosky rocking out hoop Saturday night Fall Wildfire 2011

tedhoopfallwf2011.mp4

At Summer Wildfire this past weekend, Ted showed me a really nifty way to stall a hoop while shoulder hooping I'd never seen before. Normally when I stall, I do so by reaching up under and behind the hoop as it's about to pass by my shoulder and push it back the way it just came. This stall involves taking the hand out of the hoop and trapping it between the body and inside of the upper arm, squeezing it to send it back the other direction.

techblog188.mp4

Little L spins hoop Sunday night Wildfire Summer 2011

littlelsummerwf2011.mp4

For a while now I've been wanting to use my video blog to document elements of fire culture as I travel and meet people. This is my first attempt to do so: last weekend I went up to Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT for their Prometheus Club's Winter Fire Arts Festival for some epic geekage and workshops. Here are some of the highlights of the weekend as well as a brief interview with the two ladies who made me coming there possible.

wesleyan2011.mp4

The day after a massive party that brought dozens of firespinners to DC following the Stewart and Colbert rallies, a few die-hards stuck around for a spin jam at Malcolm X Park in DC. Here is Baz, Ted, Maddy, Erik (e6), and me (Drex) hanging out and spinning in the park till sundown.

halloweendc.mp4

Here is a video retrospective of Firedrums this year featuring some of my favorite artists: Marvin, Yuta, Annetta, Valery, Adam, Kate, Noel, Memory, Bliss, Tash, Brecken, Thomas, Fyn, and many many more. Hopefully the utter thrill and joy of this event comes across here. Sorry for its tardiness--I had tried to edit it as a tech blog but found it worked infinitely better this way.

Firedrums2010.m4v