EMBERS TO ASHES

Hey good-looking!

Welcome to Month 4 of Embers to Ashes. A lot of fun things happened in May that I’m excited to share. Without further ado, let’s jump right in 🔥.

Life in Fire Knife

World Fire Knife Competition

At the beginning of May (May 8 & 9) the World Fire Knife Competition took place at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, Hawai’i. This competition is the biggest in the world and truly determines who the best Fire Knife dancers are. This year, Tafili Galea’i from Laie, Hawai’i won. To give you an idea of what goes into the competition, let me share how competitors are judged.

Categories

Though the specific details of each category may vary year-by-year, these are the general pillars (no particular order) of how competitors are judged:

1. Costume

A traditional Samoan warrior costume is judged to evaluate the “look” and “presence” of a true Samoan Warrior. This typically includes:

• Pale (headpiece)

• Ula (necklace)

• Vali (face paint)

• Ie lava lava (waist fabric)

• Tau vai/lau fa’i (Leg/arm ties)

• Fusi (waist belt) [optional]

Additionally, there are length requirements for the Fire Knives used.

• Single Knife: Minimum 37 Inches (varies)

• Double Knife: Minimum 35 Inches (varies)

2. Stage Presence

Despite it being a competition, the time is still a performance. The performance is accompanied by live drummers that play a “Pate”, or traditional Samoan drum. It’s important that each competitor creates a strong first impression by commanding the space and drummers as to when they are ready to perform. This first impression, or entrance, is called a Lalagi where one end of the Fire Knife is lit as the performer walks onto the stage. This can truly set the tone of the performance and how strong the competitor may be.

It’s most important to pull out the inner Samoan warrior the competitor has and take on a primal character. The ancient Samoans were very savage yet dominant, so it’s essential this is felt by the audience.

3. Time Limit

Time limits vary depending on the year, but most routines aren’t longer than 7 minutes which include the entrance, single Fire Knife, 15 second break, and a double Fire Knife routine.

Ending early doesn’t necessarily mean better, but ending later can dock points off of the score. It’s best to find a balance that only shows the best stuff while not boring the judges/audience.

4. Routine

Routine is the most crucial factor in what will score points. Each judge is different, so the amount of points gained or lost will vary. Below are the main factors:

• Height of throw

  • The higher and smoother the toss, the more points.

• Speed

  • Maintaining a high speed results in more points (unless intentionally slow for certain moves).

• Variation of moves

  • It’s best to focus on the big and main motions; cut the fluff and excess.

• Difficulty of moves

  • Moves may vary, but one may be harder than the other (such as a blind move).

• Drops

  • A single drop can dock an entire routine. Don’t drop.

• Style

  • New moves that are unique to the performer are beneficial, but they shouldn’t be overdone. Focus on the fundamentals and more “traditional” moves are preferred by judges.

That’s basically the gist of what goes into competition, at least for the World Fire Knife Championship. Competitions may vary on their points and judging system, so take these factors above with a grain of salt. This year I’m focusing on only training so that next year I can start competing. Check out the competition above if you haven’t already. These competitions can get crazy…

May Progress

Back in June 2023, I started a 1-year challenge where I would practice every single day for 365 days straight. Currently, I’m on day 360/365.

New Fire Knives

I bought new Fire Knives! Back in January, I went to a Siva Afi workshop and met this guy named Chris Majors who makes and sells Fire Knives. Ever since my Fire Knife got confiscated in Costa Rica, I’ve been down a knife which has been difficult for shows and practicing. To rise to the next level of my training, I bought a hybrid Fire Knife and a set of double sound board Fire Knives. This hybrid knife is a combination of kevlar and sound board where the soundboard fits in a kevlar sleeve; this results in a longer burn time with reduced maintenance. This will be great for my shows so that my routines can be longer and I don’t have to worry about rewiring my knife. I made an unboxing video of my knives and explain more about what I bought that you can check out below. Or, check out my previous newsletter that breaks down how modern Fire Knives are made.

Cinematic Fire Knife Video

In one of my previous newsletters, I mentioned I had a gathering on the lakefront and a videographer named Nate Mitchell got some drone footage of me. Well, I reached out to him again and we set up another time to shoot in Chicago Chinatown! This was a shoot I was definitely excited for because there was much more preparation and planning. Something that I find absolutely intriguing is how Siva Afi is so unconventional and random in Chicago; you wouldn’t expect to find it there. In combination with Chicago’s beautiful skyline and nighttime, I wanted to create a video called “After-Hours” which captures the essence of cool things happening in Chicago after-hours. So I we scheduled a time to shoot in Chinatown that had a beautiful view of the city along with the river and some bridges. The finalized video hasn’t come out yet (be on the lookout for it soon), but you can checkout the behind-the-scenes vlog of what we were doing and what our setup looked like.

Las Vegas Training

Toward the end of the month, I went on vacation with my girlfriend’s family to Las Vegas. This was exciting not only to relax and spend time with my girlfriend, but because my friend Kanoa lives in Las Vegas and he was free for a Fire Knife session! I met Kanoa back in January at the Siva Afi workshop in Colorado (this workshop seriously helped my Fire Knife journey), and he’s also on a journey to become a better Fire Knife dancer. This was a great time not only to meet up with him and spin, but he also taught me how he makes his own boards for his Fire Knives. This is something I’ve been meaning to learn because currently I buy boards for my Fire Knife and that can add up when constantly burning them up, so he showed me his workshop and how he prepares them. Moving forward I’m gonna try to make boards for myself now too. Be on the lookout for a vlog on my YouTube channel soon!

That’s mainly it for May outside of my daily practice. Honestly super pumped to hit my 365-day challenge in June. Be on the lookout for a special video on my reflection and celebration 🥳.

Move of the Month

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

This month’s move: Kakai

Kakai is a “Side Spin” over your hand.

Kakai is similar to Ka’ka, but a reverse direction over the hand versus under.

Kakai is best used as a “layer” move, which means you can add it on top of any single-handed move to make the motion seem more complex. Simple yet complex.

That brings us to the end of the newsletter for May. I hope you enjoyed and learned something about Fire Knife competitions! It’s definitely a bucket list item to see one live.

Make sure to keep up with my videos on YouTube! A lot of fun stuff coming now that Summer is here.

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

— Embers