Uncategorized
First Time Fire Hooping Experience – Guide & Tips!
Mar
Your First Fire Hooping Experience – Pro Tips
Fire. It’s a big deal. It’s fierce and consistent, it’s hot, and having it close to your body is a rush in and of itself, let alone wielding it with you flow arts prop! As a hooper preparing for your first burn, there are a few NEED-TO-KNOW elements that should be deeply considered before your first time fire hooping!
What are you wearing? Is your hair back?
When fire spinning, it’s important that your clothing fits a specific model. (Stay tuned for our coming post on the most optimal fire spinning outfit characteristics.) First and foremost, everything you wear should be made of natural fibers like cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc. Polyester, acrylic, nylon, and all fabrics made from a plastic source will melt if the fire gets too close for too long. Melted anything on your skin is not good, so check the tags on your clothes, and make sure you’re wearing the right materials. Your hair should also me secured. If you have long hair, just having it in a ponytail is not enough. Your healthy hair is worth way more than three minutes of a cute hairstyle. Put your hair in a tight high bun, away from your neck, and make sure there aren’t any fly-aways. Hats are also great resources for fire spinning.
Safety check!
Be sure to have a designated safety station. (Stay tuned for a post on this topic too) In short, having a safety station is important for putting the wicks out safely and for the designated safety person to stay and watch over the fire with a keen/conscious eye. Your safety person needs to be educated and practiced in being a safety, preferably an experienced fire spinner.
Fire Hoop Wick Check!
Before you light up, you also need to check your prop. A prop check is one, if not the most important thing to remember for your first and every fire spin. This ensures that your wicks are secured and everything is put together correctly so you don’t have an accident mid-burn. Check that your wicks are tightly secured and not frayed, and that the hoop is solid condition. You don’t want to spin a hoop with burn marks or unsafe wicks!
Don’t freeze up! Keep the hoop moving!
Once your wicks are lit, the first and most important thing that I cannot reiterate enough is to move your hoop! Keep it moving! If you don’t move the hoop, freeze up, or stop moving, the fire will grow and get hotter. I’ve witnessed this happen, and it’s can be a humiliating spiral for every new fire spinner, and it makes sense! Fire is hot and can be nerve racking to the point of terrifying!
If you give in to that feeling, shrink down, freeze up, and stare into the flames, they will consume you. Not literally, but you get the point. You’ve got to get that if you want to be a fire spinner. Moving the hoop is essential. On the same note, when the fire is moving, though it will make more noise, the flames will feel cooler and smaller. After the first minute of your burn, the wicks begin to die down. So breathe, move your energy down from your head, into your body, and just move the hoop! You’ll do great!
Slower is faster. Keep it simple.
You will soon see that when the fire is in motion, it seems to be cooler and more manageable. Don’t get carried away. Don’t get overly excited. It’s important to stay grounded and conscious of your movement. Keep it slow, simple, and stick with the tricks you already know. It’s common for first time fire hoopers to rotate through the most easy tricks they’ve learned, for example isolations to over the head to on body waist hooping and out – repeating until the wicks are done. This is perfect! It doesn’t have to be a diverse performance. As long as you’re moving, breathing, and having fun, you’re golden.
You can stop anytime.
Keep in mind that if it feels overwhelming, or you’ve simply had enough stimulation, you can put the fire out at anytime. This is what the safety station and safety person are for. Simply bring your hoop to the safety station, and the safety person should be ready to help you put the wicks out whenever you are ready. Alternatively, and in some instances, you can pass the fire hoop off to another experienced fire hooper to finish the burn for you.
For a complete overview of setting up a proper outfit and safety station, stay tuned for our upcoming articles. For first-hand training on becoming a fire spinner, or for going pro with your flow, contact us directly.
Blessings abound, abundance all around,
–Liora of Infinite Comings
A Sacred Flow Art Community Blogger
