EMBERS TO ASHES

Hey!

Welcome back to the Embers To Ashes Newsletter. I’m glad you’re here. Let’s jump right in!

Life in Fire Knife

In my very first newsletter, I shared with you the origin of the Nifo Oti and the legend of Nafanua in ancient Samoa. However, the Siva Afi is a contemporary dance only created in the 1940s by Freddie Letuli. Let’s take a quick dive to see how Freddie brought it from Samoa and birthed modern Fire Knife dancing.

Father Of The Fire Knife Dance

Known as the Father of the Knife Dance, Uluao "Freddie" Letuli ("Freddie" because he was known to dance like Fred Astaire) originated the fire knife dance in 1946 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Prior to that time he danced with two knives in Hawai’i and Los Angeles. During the late 40's, the 50's, and the 60's, Freddie Letuli performed with his many different dance troupes throughout the United States and Europe. Originally, he used only his name: "Freddie Letuli and the Flaming Sword of Samoa" to showcase his talents and his island.

"The Samoan Warriors", "Freddie Letuli and his Wild Polynesians", "Freddie Letuli and the Samoans", and "Freddie Letuli and the Hawaiians" were some of the other troupes he formed to fill his contracts and to keep up with the demand for Polynesian shows. The shows were performed regularly in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and wherever else good contracts were offered.

Letuli took his Samoan Warriors to Italy to fulfill one of his contracts and frequently performed in Chicago, Kentucky, and New York. He also taught all the early fire knife dancers. Letuli's dance troupe was asked to perform in the movies
"Pagan Love Song", "Salome", and "Sailor Beware", to name a few. He also danced and played roles in many other movies, as well as television shows. He was a regular on "Adventures in Paradise" and "The Bob Cummings Show".

When Letuli returned home to American Samoa at the urging of Governor Rex Lee, he joined the Department of Education and taught numerous school children the art of Polynesian dancing. He then took dance troupes to Washington and Australia.

This is where it all started. To be a Fire Knife dancer is to understand the history and culture of the craft you practice. If you’re ever thinking of becoming a Fire Knife dancer, know your stuff. Thanks Freddie.

August Progress

Back in June 2023, I started a 500-day challenge where I would practice every single day for 500 days straight; currently I’m on day 452/500.

My New Content Creation Studio

If you haven’t noticed from my lack of videos on my YouTube Channel, I took a small break from content this month. Long story short, I moved out of my old apartment and I moved back in with my parents, however, my parents ended up selling their home so they also ended up moving. Essentially, I moved out of two places at once in August. It’s been so hectic and time-consuming since my parents have a lot of stuff and most days I’ve been helping them move things out into storage or even selling them. So personally, it’s been a lot.

That being said, I’m now settled in to my new place and have some exciting upgrades! Since I began creating content this past year and consistently post videos every week, I wanted to make sure that my room setup was optimized for content creation. That’s why I invested in some new equipment have turned my room into a creator studio! From room layout to RGB lighting and backdrop, I’ve setup my personal studio to which I’ve deemed it The Fire Pit.

After months of making videos, I really want to invest in my content and try to grow my online audience. I’m excited to use this new space to bring my videos to a whole new level. Check out the tour of The Fire Pit below:

Online Siva Afi Community

As you all know, I’m from Chicago and there aren’t many Fire Knife dancers here in the Midwest to collaborate or even train with. Fortunately, someone on Instagram started a Community Channel where Fire Knife dancers around the world can join, chat, share moves/knowledge, and educate others on Siva Afi. This is a huge opportunity for me to grow as a dancer because I don’t really have a teacher who can teach me moves and guide me with drills. Now that I have this online community to go to, I now have the ability to gather more knowledge and skills for Siva Afi, and I’m excited to share that knowledge right here in this newsletter and in my content. Cheers to growth!

Alhambra Palace

August was an all time high for show season for me; I’ve pretty much had a gig every weekend which is great! Among those was an amazing opportunity for me to perform at the Alhambra Palace in Chicago! For those that haven’t been (or heard), Alhambra Palace is a Middle Eastern-themed venue offering dining and live entertainment. While I was in Michigan with my girlfriend’s family (check out my Michigan Morning Drills Video), someone from Safire Belly Dancers, a dance troupe that performs regularly at Alhambra, reached out to me to perform with them. Fast-forward to August 17th and now I’m performing regularly at Alhambra on Saturday evenings!

Honestly this was such a blessing that came out of nowhere because summer is coming to an end in September and shows/gigs make a big drop, so having something that’s indoors and reoccurring throughout the year allows me to keep getting my name out there and to just practice in front of a crowd. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the best pay and I can’t be sustained by it only, but it’s a start to continue building my brand and presence across Chicago. If you’re interested in seeing me at Alhambra Palace, simply reply to this email and ask when my next show is! Check out this quick clip from last weekend’s show:

Move of the Month

Every month I post a move to educate people on the culture and vocabulary of Siva Afi.

This month’s move: VILI LUGA or Over-Head Spin

Vili = Spin

Lua = Up and Over

This move is a staple when it comes to dynamic levels in Siva Afi. From this move you can toss up, catch, or use as a transition move between different levels. Every Fire Knife dancer should be comfortable with Vili Luga.

That’s all I have for you this month, folks. I’m truly grateful and excited for this new content space I have and to invest in my content more. If you ever have any feedback for my content, please don’t hesitate to let me know by simply replying to this email.

See you next month, and like always, Be What Remains.

— Embers