Some take their passion for fire to the next level – in this case, to the Temple of Poi.

The Temple of Poi in San Francisco offers fire-dancing lessons to those who can take the heat, literally. As the first fire-dancing school in the nation, the school has had more than 900 students, about a dozen of whom have been SF State students, according to founder Isa “GlitterGirl” Isaacs, 37.

“The feeling of spinning poi is amazing on the body and the process of learning poi helps artists understand their brain-body connections, as well as helping them connect more fully with their core muscles,” Isaacs said.

There will be a 45-minute fire dancing show on Dec. 11 at Union Square in San Francisco with 10 performances choreographed by Isaacs and students. About 38 fire dancers will be performing at the event as a part of the San Francisco canned food drive. This is the second year the Temple of Poi has participated in the food drive.

“It’s absolutely something everyone can do, and of course it’s beautiful to look at,” Isaacs said.

Isaacs founded the school in 2002 after several people requested lessons. After placing some ads on Craigslist.org, Isaacs started the Temple of Poi. The school is a two-time SF Guardian Best of the Bay Winner in 2005 and 2006.

According to Isaacs, the term “poi” refers to the device used to spin fire. It is a rope or string with weighted objects attached to either end, which are dipped in an accelerator, such as kerosene, and ignited. Isaacs said one of the biggest misconceptions of fire dancing is that it is dangerous.

“As long as an artist is wearing natural fibers, even if they hit themselves, there is very little danger in the art form,” Isaacs said.

SF State student Emily Naud, 29, admires the art of fire dancing so much that she decided to take classes at the school, where she has practiced fire dancing for two years. Naud said she was inspired to take up fire dancing after watching professional fire dancers perform.

"I told myself that I was going to do that, too," said Naud, an interior design and environmental studies major.

According to Naud, the advantages of doing poi are vast. It puts you in a meditative state if it is done for a long time, and there is a strong mind-body connection. It fine-tunes concentration and flexibility and is good for the wrists.

Isaacs’ vision for the art form is to “take it out of the parking lots and put them on credible stages,” such as the one fire dancers will be performing on at Union Square Dec. 11.
She said spinning fire on public grounds requires an open fire permit and a fee to rent the space where the fire dancing is performed. She said it’s very cost prohibitive for anyone who wants to spin.

The Temple of Poi is paying $560 for the event at Union Square, which includes the fees for an “open flame permit” as well as fees for the four-hour supervision of a fire inspector.

“It’s completely ridiculous because they’re regulated by the union, so we have to pay a full four hours of their time,” Isaacs said. She said they are paying $560 to offer a gift to the community. All the fire dancers participating in the event have helped pay the fees.

Isaacs said poi is believed to have originated in New Zealand, by the Maori tribe. The men would spin in preparation for war, and the women would spin as a mating ritual.

Recently, poi has made its way into the spotlight in large part because of Burning Man, Isaacs said. According to Isaacs, there has been an “explosion” in the young art form in the last few years, especially in San Francisco.

“Poi is an amazing way to keep fit, get in touch with one’s body, be self expressed, exercise, meditate, perform, play and have fun,” Isaacs said.

She said the recipe for fire dancing is one part self-expression, one part meditation, exercise, performance, and personal evolution.

Naima Pagano, 24, a teacher’s assistant at a French school in San Francisco, said she started fire dancing a couple of years ago after traveling to India where she was amazed by the people who could not only spin fire, but dance as well.

Pagano joined the Temple of Poi a couple months ago, although she taught herself how to spin.

“The sensation of having the fire going around your head, the thrill, it is all so exhilarating,” Pagano said. “I love dance and it is something that I admire. My dream would be to choreograph a fire dance using ballet and classical music.