Temple of Poi
953 Mission Street, Suite 11
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.424.8581
bandw@templeofpoi.com
http://templeofpoi.com/events/expo06.php

Media Contact: Isa Isaacs

This Sunday, blazing balls, staves, wands, fans and hula hoops will be dancing ecstatically around San Francisco’s Union Square, as dozens of choreographed fire-dancers from the premier local fire-dancing school Temple Of Poi perform in celebration of National Dance Week.  Starting at 7:50 pm Sunday April 29th, this 2nd annual fire flow-arts spectacular will involve over 2 hours of awe-inspiring fire performance. The event features far more than students as the stage will be set alight by world-renowned artists from across the US as well performances by some of the best fire dancers in the Bay Area. Bring a chair and blanket and enjoy this free event suitable for all ages.

”Permits and personnel necessary to create a legal event of this kind in Union Square costs a minimum of $1600 and most artists can’t afford that. The creation of this event – selected as one of Bay Area Dance week’s Cornerstone events – is a tremendous leap forward in the efforts to legitimize fire dancing by creating the opportunity for artists to legally bring their work out of parking lots and sharing it on landmark stages like Union Square.” says Isa Isaacs, troupe leader and founder of San Francisco’s first poi fire-dancing school and 2006 Best of the Bay “Best Dance Studio” winner, Temple Of Poi. Isa continues, “People experience an almost mesmerizing thrill as we weave and wrap our flaming poi around our bodies in a choreographed and synchronized dance.  It is an ecstatic celebration of beauty, human potential, and artistic expression." (Event details and video are available at: http://TempleOfPoi.com/events/expo07.php)

Sponsored by SmartPower “smart” energy drinks and other local vendors, the event hopes to entertain and inspire people to unleash their creativity and step into their artist expression, whatever their art.  “We love watching people put their heart and soul into learning such a beautiful, physical, and sacred art,” says Mark Michael Lewis, CEO of Smart Energy Enterprises, the makers of SmartPower.  “Fire represents power, possibility, and danger,” he continues. “When you learn to work with it, no, to DANCE with it, you get in the flow of life’s possibilities and dangers.  Done with precision and care, it is a truly inspiring to watch, and the kind of creative beauty that our drink is designed to support.  We're proud to be a part of the Temple of Poi's team.”

Isa, or "GlitterGirl" as she is known to her peers, founded San Francisco based Temple Of Poi in 2002 to teach people how to spin the flaming poi as a way of unifying their body, mind, and spirit, combining dance, self-expression, and physical vitality. Students support their physical practice through mind expanding concepts delivered as 3 principles reverently called “The Flowology Mindset™.” “We’re facilitating an experience wherein practitioners discover how to free their creative juices and embody them through movement and we start by encouraging people to create the mindset that promotes fun,” said Isa.   

Temple Of Poi dancers have wowed audiences at parties, corporate events, and community gatherings throughout Northern California, with Isa herself being flown out to perform across the country. In the 5 years since starting the school, over 1000 students have learned the art of fire dancing at Temple of Poi and thousands more worldwide share this opportunity through detailed online video courses on the Temple of Poi website.

The practice of fire-dancing has exploded in popularity in the last 4-5 years, partially fueled by the 30,000 plus yearly attendees to the annual, week-long BurningMan festival held in Nevada, in which fire-arts are celebrated.