The Modern Fire Knife Dance
Over
the years young Samoans developed the twirling motions into its
own art form and also stylized the knife, adding such touches as
using two and even three knives simultaneously with chrome blades
and reshaping the hook. But perhaps the most exciting change came
in 1946 when a young Samoan man entertaining in San Francisco became
the "father" of modern Samoan fireknife dancing when
he added flaming pads to each end of the nifo oti:
Uluao
Letuli from Nuuuli, American Samoa — who was given the nickname
"Freddie" because he could dance like Fred Astaire,
and would later be known formally as Paramount Chief Letuli Olo
Misilagi — said in his history he was inspired by both a Hindu
fire eater and a baton twirler to add fire to the knife, dramatically
increasing the level of courage and skill required to perform the
already difficult dance.
To
add fire to the knives, many dancers today use a plain cotton towel
that is wired to the blade and thoroughly soaked in white gasoline
or naphtha (some dancers also use lighter fluid).
His
exciting dance was an immediate hit, and Chief Letuli went on to
perform for many years and also teach all the early fireknife dancers,
including the Polynesian Cultural Center's own Pulefano Galea'i,
who originated the PCC's annual World Fire Knife Dance Competition,
which is now in its 14th season.
Fire Knife
Dance Movements
In
addition to how skillfully and dramatically dancers twirl their
nifo oti, fireknife dance judges are also looking for several traditional
movements or actions:
The
mo'emo'e or running movements, which traditionally indicated
victory in battle; foot stamping — a sign of challenge or
intimidation; and the gego or head movements, which warriors used
to confuse their enemies. Other movements or olioli which anciently
were used to distract enemies included rolling the knife around
the neck, through the legs and around the ankles, and around the
back, as well as folifoli or movements leading up to a strike.
More
recently dancers have increased the speed of twirling significantly
and also included a wide variety of tumbling and baton twirling
movements that add to the overall impact of the fireknife dance.
|
