EMBERS TO ASHES

Hey good-looking!

If you’re reading this, that means you’re among the first to receive my first newsletter. That’s a big deal—for you and for me—because this is the beginning of a long journey into my life of Fire Knife. Let’s dive right in.

Life in Fire Knife

As part of the first newsletter, I think it would be special to talk about the origins of the Fire Knife dance and how it came to be. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it brief.

Originating from the island nation of Samoa, the Fire Knife dance is traditionally known as Siva Afi or Ailao Afi. Siva, meaning dance, and Ailao, meaning knife, these words are commonly interchangeable when combined with afi, or fire.

Back in pre-christianity times, Samoa was a very dark and spiritual place as the native tribes were constantly at war with one another. Often times, these tribes were not at war only to kill, but to eat— ancient Samoans were cannibals using war as a method for food. War raged on across Samoan history until one day, Nafanua, the warrior goddess of Samoa, brought peace between the east and the west. As she was named Ali’a Matai, the highest ranking chief among a tribe, she brought victory to every battle she fought in until there was peace.

Nafanua was the first to wield the Nifo Oti, an ancient Samoan war club, also known as the “Tooth of Death”. Made out of boar tusk and Ifilele wood, it received its name by having a giant hook with sharp edges on its end that mimic an animal’s sharp teeth. After every victory, the Samoan warriors would cut off the head of their enemies and hook it at the end of the Nifo Oti, dancing around in celebration. This is where the Ailao originates from.

In the 1940s, Freddie Letuli brought the Aliao to California and added fire to the ends of his Nifo Oti, birthing modern Fire Knife dancing and the Siva Afi. It is a common misconception that fire was always a part of the Samoan culture back in ancient times, but realistically fire was not added until it was brought to America— a “Hollywood flair” if you will.

That’s just a quick glance into the history of Siva Afi. I learned this when I attended a Fire Knife workshop led by Mikaele Oloa, a 5-time world champion Fire Knife dancer, in Colorado this past January. I myself am still learning about the cultural history but if you’d like to learn more, check out the Siva Afi Wikipedia page for more information and depth.

You definitely don’t hear something like that everyday. Interesting stuff.

February Progress

Back in June 2023, I started a 1-year challenge where I would practice every single day for 1 year straight; today I’m on day 268/365.

This month has been really great in terms of training. I was in Costa Rica for 10 days with my roommates and some other folks. This was a great time for me to practice by the beach and really hone in on training outdoors (watch my Costa Rica drills video) because right now in Chicago, it’s bonkers outside.

One big setback I had was burning my index finger during my trip after doing a fire show on the beach. This was really annoying because I use my index finger on practically every move I do with Ailao Afi, so doing any type of spinning with my right finger hurt like a m******. Despite that, it actually gave me a good opportunity to practice exclusively on my left hand, which is significantly weaker than my right. Additionally I had to make a new practice knife because I had my knives confiscated on my way back to the US. Really annoying.

A big milestone that I am extremely proud of, despite seeming insignificant, is doing my first indoor fire show (video coming out soon). Something that you wouldn’t come across unless you were in this type of business is that Chicago fire codes for buildings are EXTREMELY strict—much stricter than any other city in the country, which is a result from The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Many locations and venues that I would normally have the opportunity to perform at do not or will not allow fire indoors, which is a huge barrier for me because Chicago weather is only really nice from May-September; after that, it turns into a deserted ice land. You might ask, “Well, why don’t you just move and do fire in a different city"?”. I have several answers for you:

1. I can’t afford to move nor do I want to.

   My main “day” job is working at Hōkūle’a Academy, the place I learned Aliao Afi, as a dancer, show host, and director of IT. I need to be in Chicago physically for work. Also, most of my family is based in Chicago and I want to be close to them.

2. If I don’t try to change city regulation, no one will.

   A big goal of mine for 2024 is to really push for change of the fire code in the city. My hopes are to work with Full Moon Jam, the biggest fire arts representatives in Chicago, to expand performance opportunities for other fire dancers in the city. If we don’t do it, no one else will.

3. There’s a hidden market in Chicago.

   Because Chicago is so fire-regulated, most Chicagoans don’t normally see shows indoors. If I can conquer the fire code, that opens up so much business and crazy opportunity such as night clubs, bars, restaurants, theaters, and so much more. Plus, my style of dancing is exclusive to me so I have a low competition pool and can make a unique experience for people.

These are just some of the things that have been going through my mind this month. I have a lot of things planned for this summer that I’m excited to share as we get closer to the warmer months. Stay tuned.

Move of the Month

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

This month’s move: VILI LIMA LUA or 2-HAND SPIN

Vili = Spin

Lima = Hands

Lua = 2

This move is the most fundamental move in all of Aliao Afi. This move is either used to show speed or as a transitionary move into different moves. Every Fire Knife dancer should know this move by heart.

That’s all I have for you this month, folks. I hope you learned something new today! If you have any feedback or suggestions you’d like me to incorporate into these newsletters, feel free to reply to this email.

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

— Embers