Thread: Veil Poi?

Hey all!

I've been away from belly dancing for a bit because of school and work, but with the Ren fest season in a few weeks, I think I need to get back in! ..g.: I have some DVDs I'm using, but couldn't help but get some new ones! ,r:; I'm excitedly waiting for Michelle Joyce's Poi Spinning and Drills, Drills, Drills! dvds, and can't wait! After buying $450 worth of text books, I can't really spend a lot of money getting supplies to learn poi spinning.

Does anybody have suggestions on making inexpensive poi, and what type of veils are best for a voi newbie?

Thanks!

Rachel

to learn you can get any kind of kite string, leash, etc..you can tie off little baggies of rice or sand (make sure it's tight) to make the strings weighted at the ends. some of the gals are using chain but i'm scared of chain (wack) also you can use little bean baggies or those beanie babies :) anything that is soft but adds enough weight then start practicing

once you get the hang of the motion add strips of fabric and get used to swining them around with something trailing after them (will teach you how to move them so they dont get tangled) ..maybe you have some scrap fabric you can tear into strips just for practice?

I get orders from dancers for all size veils. The 84 X 35 rectangles are nice but I end up selling a lot of smaller half circles, they are 2.5 yards long by 45 inches wide. What is nice about the smaller half circles is that the curved edge makes a pretty picture and a smooth arc, and also you can use the half circles for double veil, too so they are multi purpose. Personally I dont think the smaller rectangle veils are as versatile but i like to buy things that have multi purpose :)

some dancers use the large half circles ..I think Aziza has some photos using one large veil and it's soooo pretty.

keep an eye at Etsy :: akaisilks :: A'Kai Silks ..I'm making poi silks this week, will have a bunch of them ready in about two weeks (both rectangle but concentrating on small half circle)

if you go to A'Kai Silks click on the contact page and you can sign up for the newsletter, i'll be sure to blab about it when i have some ready and listed

am making fire with black, fire with crimson, rainbow, temple peacock, bird of paradise, ring of fire (for those who have been waiting) blue monarch, a few others :)

its fun just go to a big empty space

Thanks for the info Jesennia! I've been drooling over your silks for awhile now! Maybe I can save a little extra from my next paycheck and get some! Hard decision between the fire (really love spinning fire!) and temple peacock!

Rachel

Build your own poi

This might help you construct your own poi. I'm in the process of making one myself.

I've been playing with poi a lot lately.

I bought a beautiful set but I don't particularly like the double finger grips...so they never get used.

-the easiest home made set is tennis balls stuck into some long tube socks/pantyhose. (My niece & nephews have been playing with this version.)

or- chain is actually very nice to work with because it doesn't tangle on itself or the other side (with weighted sand bags for the ends) I use a key chain ring for the finger pull - make sure you put a fishing swivel at the end of the chain before it meets the sand bag. I never hit myself with the chain but the sand bag has made contact several times.

or - a friend showed me the absolute best learner's poi the other day....those big shower poofs (heaviest ones you can find) tied onto the end of shoe strings, with just a loop for the finger hold. You can hit yourself in the head over and over and it doesn't hurt. ..l;, amazing. Wish I'd discovered this ages ago.

once you've mastered a move is plenty of time to move to a sand bag version. with/without veil.

also key point - poi should be shorter than the length from your finger tips to the armpit. Any longer and you will continually bash it into yourself. don't ask me how I know

pretty!!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg4Hwm5zJkM]YouTube - Double Veil Poi - Voi Belly dance[/ame]

more vids here

akaisilks - tribe.net

uh - Im not on here much, but just uploaded the vid Jes used in this thread (thnx, Jes!). And the pretty picture a student's hubby took which shows Jes' beautiful Little Wing veils especially good for voi. I'm a big "fan" of them :-)

Anthea thanks so much for shaing your vid :)

Thanks so much everybody! I just got my poi dvd, so now I need to get on the ball and make some practice poi! I think I'm going to try the big shower puff option. If they aren't heavy enough, I can get some fishing sinkers and make them a little heavier.

Rachel