Temple of Poi Fire Dancing Expo - Free Performances in Union Square!

What: Temple of Poi Fire Dancing Expo
Where: Union Square (Geary and Post)
When: April 29, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Cost: Free!!

Bring a chair and a blanket and join us April 29, 2007 at 7:50 pm for our free fire dancing show in San Francisco's legendary Union Square (Geary and Post) for the second annual Temple of Poi Fire Dancing Expo. In addition to some amazing student performances, this show features world-renowned performers from around the US as well as some of the best artists around the Bay Area in a 2 hour show hosted by a Chicago based comedian.

The creation of this event – selected as one of Bay Area Dance week’s Cornerstone events – is a tremendous leap in the efforts to legitimize fire dancing as an art form by taking it out of parking lots and putting it on landmark stages like Union Square. The Expo celebrates safe, legally permitted, public fire dancing performance in honor of National Dance Week, an annual 10-day week of free public dance events in the Bay Area designed to showcase the dynamic diversity and critically acclaimed quality of Bay Area dance.

Temple of Poi supports this vision by creating an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate fire dancing at no cost to the artists or audience. This event is a not for profit event created with the intention of:

• offering more performance opportunities for fire dancers
• giving novice artists who might otherwise not have an opportunity to perform in a public setting an opportunity where they can invite friends and family to see them express their art
• increased exposure to the flow fire art forms by creating a legally permitted public event at a San Francisco landmark location
• raise the awareness of fire dancing as a prestigious dance form by holding this event on the opening night of National Dance Week

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening is the lovely and talented Miss Tamale -- a former Temple of Poi student, fire dancer and comedian who flew out from Chicago to help celebrate this event.

Be dazzled by expert professional and semi professional artists: Prism, Solar Flare, LumenAscent, Order of the Phoenix, Flowtoys, Jamie/Vikki, Copper Lantern, and A Different Spin. Enjoy solo performances by world-renowned professional performers ICoN, Banyan, Shredder and Temple of Poi Founder and visionary, GlitterGirl. And enjoy the opening act where several dozen students show off what they have been working on in the past 6 months as you watch, Firefly Conspiracy (Glen, Marla, Sandy, Melissa, Tiffany; Principals Rising (Lara, Melinda, Brenda F., Michelle, Anne, Jim, Glen, Beth, Jen, Brenda L., Elyse, Milla, Waldemar); Two Sexy Girls (Devon, Sarah); Delicious (Elyse, Jen, Brenda L., Gen, Dani); Natural Fire (Lauren, Janett, Susan, Waldemar); NightVeil (Lara, Cathy, Jodi, Susan, Danielle, Kris, Rachael, Elyse, Stella, Becky, Sarah, Erin, GlitterGirl); Tango Sexy (Anne, Jim) and Invisible Best Friend (Melinda, Brenda, Becky, Sarah, Cathy, Lara (and Michael playing the Invisible Best Friend)).

While you join us at the show, register for our drawing where you can win free classes from Temple of Poi; fire poi from Flamma Aeterna; light tools from Flowtoys; SmartPower drinks from Smart Energy Enterprises Inc., SEE-Inc. A Beautiful Future Now!; and more! While you hand in your drawing entry, help support the costs of this event by purchasing a copy of the Temple of Poi 2006 Fire Dancing Expo DVD for a one day only sale price of $15 in honor of National Dance Week, so bring your cash!

Directly following the event (10 PM) come and meet the artists who performed in the Expo at Otis located at 25 Maiden Lane @ Kearny. This is a private club and has no signs, so please remember the address.

This $4000 event is being financed by Temple of Poi with special assistance from Flowtoys -- makers of innovative illuminated equipment and entertainment (the best darn light-toys around); SmartPower "smart" energy drinks -- energy that fires you up without burning you out; Flamma Aeterna, a premier provider of fire and flow arts performance equipment; and PoiGeek.com -- bringing instruction from anywhere to anyone in the palm of their hand. Special thanks to Beth Morgan, Jim Hurley, Elyse Turner, Gen Lee and Cathy Lo for their generous donations to our cause. Help support the event and make a donation now or purchase a copy of the Temple of Poi 2006 Fire Dancing Expo DVD, on sale at the event at a reduced rate of $15 that day only -- bring cash!

If you're moved by our cause to legitimize flow and fire arts, donate money now to help pay the costs of the event which include permits ($500 for the city, $56 for sound, $180 for open flame) and required personnel ($380 for fire watch and nearly $500 for security, janitorial and on site management from the owners of Union Square).

You can view the entire press release here.