For Sophomore Anna Chuslo, the art of poi and fire spinning is more than just exotic entertainment.
“When you think of a poi spinner, typically what you think of is the half-clad Hawaiian islander at a luau,” Chuslo said. “It’s graceful, it’s beautiful, and it’s controlled –– not to mention really, really fun.”
Chuslo, who has been practicing poi and fire spinning for two years, is planning to share her enthusiasm for this unusual art by giving lessons in poi spinning between 6 and 8 p.m. on every Friday.
Sophomore Maggy Smith said the concept behind poi is simple.
“You have a weighted object, whether it be a tennis ball, a sock, an LED, or something odd that you found, tied to a string and spun through the wrists of both hands,” she said. “[It is] experimenting with the space around you in a way that is beautiful, dangerous, and, if you don’t do it right, looks sort of silly, but nobody minds.”
The time and effort it takes to learn poi varies. Junior John Walsh said.
“It took me two or three hours of dance to get the first move, and probably another three hours for the next one, and another two for the one after that,” junior John Walsh, one of Hillsdale’s first poi spinners, said. “I’ve sunk more time into poi than anyone I know.”
On the other hand, Chuslo learned poi in a relatively short time.
“In the space of one summer, I went from never having picked them up before, to spinning fire,” she said. “Even if you think that you’re the least coordinated person in the world, I promise you I can stick poi in your hands and if you give it enough time, you will be good at it.”
Junior Chelsea Kilgore, a poi beginner and one of Chuslo’s students, said learning poi is Hillsdalean.
“It suits Hillsdale because it’s well-rounded in its applications: therapy, enjoyment, dance, musicality, and application to martial arts,” she said.
It has thrilled a handful of students on campus.
“It’s this amazing adrenaline rush. I can literally bend fire,” Chuslo said.
“It’s like moths to a flame. People form communities out of this kind of thing, and you don’t have to be some hippie on a beach to be a part of it.”
flui@hillsdale.edu
