Poi (Fire Poi)

Poi is the practice of swinging tethered weights through rhythmic, geometric patterns. It originates with the Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand, where poi remains a living cultural and performance tradition. From the late 20th century a global flow-arts community adopted the prop—frequently as 'fire poi,' with wicks soaked in fuel and lit—and developed an extensive contemporary vocabulary of spins, weaves, stalls, and body-tracing patterns integrated with dance. It is a cornerstone of festival and fire-performance culture.