Spinners spinners everywhere...

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Poiing penguins... Now that I have to see! Laughing

sxylou123 · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 481 Location: Margate, Kent

You have also got to look at it from a playground aspect. I remember those skipping things that you attached to your legs, they had balls on the end and you used to swing them with your left left and jump the ball with your right or something, they took off like a storm when I was a kid at school.

So why shouldnt/couldnt poi?

Psychotic Neurotic · Posted: Wed 08th Aug, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject:

I can't help feeling, although I know I'm wrong cos everyone here is lovely, that trying to protect poi from 'the mainstream' is a little bit elitist. We think it's amazing right? So why shouldn't we all do it and encourage it! If someone asks me to do show them poi I never think 'I hope they don;'t tell too many people' :P heh heh heh.

Of course I understand that if it goes 'playground' there will be annoying people who are contstantly 'i'm better than you because blah blah blah' - just like when yoyo's took off, but I still think the people that are really awesome at yoyo's are awesome and not trying to keep a dying trend alive or anything.

There'll always be people that are silly and overconfident at everything, but you shouldn't worry that it will grow some terrible stigma.

ROCK ON.

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Think of it like this though...

Take yoyos, for instance. No matter how many cool yoyo tricksters there are in the world, most people still see them as "those things that were popular with kids in the 80s". Mainstream culture has a habit of taking something good, chewing it up, exploiting it till everyone's bored of it, then spitting it out and moving on. I kinda don't want that to happen to poi. Y'know? Confused

If poi becomes mainstream, I can only hope that the underlying subculture behind it is strong enough to resist being destroyed (the way skateboarding is still doing well despite media attention, for instance).

Plus, all it takes is for some weenie to get serious 3rd degree burns and some irate parent to put all the blame on "those nasty internet forums" and things could become a little uncomfortable for folks like us. As it is, I'd like to think the whole community does enough to dissuade people from trying fire until they know what they're doing. The more people doing it, however, the more likely there is to be some fool...

Just a couple of worries I have.
It's not elitism, even if it sounds like it. More like conservation. Wink

Edit-- One last note... I'm all for teaching poi to the masses, BTW. That's why I'm forever handing my socks to drunken people at parties! Laughing

Psychotic Neurotic · Posted: Wed 08th Aug, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject:

Ahhh yes right. I didn't think of the Health and Safety side of it (woe to britain for health and safety is our new deity).

That WOULD be tragic.
Anyone seen this video? maybe thats what you had in mind Xan. He sure scares the hell outta me tod

tis a miracle he's uninjured

Felixwah · Posted: Thu 09th Aug, 2007 8:42 am Post subject:

as well as the health and safety you also have to remember the people that actually make a living off doing it ergo the more people that are seen doing it the less special and different it seems thus the true performers will have less jobs and less money which i think would be tragic because instead of seeing some amazing talent that deserves to be up there will more than likely be diminished! Shocked

but on the other handit would probably boost other spinners business esp those who run workshops and festivals. But IMO it is inevitable that more and more people are going to do it, and maybe this will improve the scene by giving fresh minds a chance to thrive and maybe think up new moves and theories.

Dont get me wrong i love teaching people this wonderful art but in the mean time im quite content to sit back and see what happens. Smile

sxylou123 · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 481 Location: Margate, Kent

Thats nothing compared to the fear I have of people doing wristwraps, I seen some of my own friends get really badly burnt because their sleves have ridden up during the move or the chains have become entagled round their wrist.

Hitting myself in the face or on the head with a flaming poi is nothing and I can tell you that when a poi hits your face it kinda feels like a hard wet sponge. Alot of my early fire poi used to look like that and now and again from time to time I do go off into uncomfortable territory with my moves and become that unstable, thats when I get hit.

My theory on this is I can do all this dangerous stuff because, I have a non flamable tight jacket on, my beautiful hair is hidden under my baseball cap/hoodie and that the rest of my body is protected by denim and skin. Im not scared of it but it doesnt mean its not dangerous.

Its when you take for granted the danger and start spinning wearing a shellsuit in a closeley wooded area drunk... that things get stupid. I couldnt trust a kid to follow the golden rules of safety like a safety man on gaurd, correct clothing, spinning off and other stuff...

I feel that if poi went mainstream it wouldnt be fire, it would be the cobras, mice and socks that make it.
We would become elitist just because of the way we spin and the style that takes years to accomplish for you oldskool spinners...and ive seen some great style!

	Poi Spinning Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Poi-Related Chat	All times are GMT Goto page Previous 1, 2
Page 2 of 2