Have questions about poi, fire, or anything else? Here some answers to the most common questions Matthew gets. Keep checking back, as we choose the most popular questions from 2007.

Poi refers to the poi art form, as well as to the equipment, and it is both singular and plural (one poi, two poi, etc.). The original poi was, essentially, a ball on a flexible rope “leash” (incidentally, poi means “ball” in Maori). Today, poi dancers use a huge variety of poi leashes, ranging from thin poi cords to heavy poi chains. While balls of many kinds are still in use, modern poi dancers also use a variety of fire poi, LED poi, and practice poi attachments.

Kevlar fire wick (and wicks and other attachments made from Kevlar) are most certainly reusable. However, care should be taken to make sure that any fire tool made with Kevlar fire wick is safe to be used before using it with fire. It is impossible to give an exact number of uses before a tool needs to have the fire wick replaced, as people all over the world are using our equipment in different environments, weather conditions, with different fuels, and care for their equipment differently. A good estimate is that you should get dozens, if not scores, of "burns" out of your equipment.