The story of Playpoi begins with the adventures of wayward visionary
Nick Woolsey, who was introduced to dance, theatre, and martial
arts at an early age. His experience with these arts helped him through
some difficult times, and he became interested in the relationship between
personal growth and movement arts. He sought out different teachers whenever
his life of traveling allowed, believing that the right practice could
be a vehicle for delving into the mysteries of energy and consciousness.
He found what he was looking for in the Spring of 2001, at the Robert's
Creek Community Hall on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, at a dance
party. During a break he went outside and saw a woman dancing with fire.
Although the fire was on the ends of chains held by her hands, it looked
like it was radiating right from her centre, like she was moving it with
her power of will. He was instantly mesmerized.
He knew he had found a tool for decoding the nature and structure of movement
and the body, a means of combining established movement and body arts
with the rhythm, creative expression, and mojo of the ecstatic dance
floor. He soon learned that the fire chains were a modern version of poi,
an ancient dance of the Maori people of Aotearoa. He wasted no time throwing
himself into practice, applying applying his years of training in Tai
Chi, yoga, and dance.
Two years later he released the fire spinning video Dervishly Yers on his
website, which quickly became an international hit within the vibrant
online poi community, drawing thousands of downloads every month. He also
won the homeofpoi.com video contest. He began receiving emails from all
over the world and traveled for the next two years, teaching workshops
and exchanging ideas with everyone he met.
Playpoi was officially launched in
2004 when Nick leased a full-featured dance studio in Vancouver, BC. In
addition to offering lessons and performances, this venue was designed
to be a poi movement laboratory. Many poi enthusiasts came to Vancouver
from all over North America, where they experimented with various forms
of video feedback and light manipulation to facilitate learning. The retreats
were a magical experience for everyone and many friendships were
formed. The studio also served as a focus point to draw together a group
of brilliant people who share Nick's vision. This group is
the playpoi "us."
Our vision is clear. We will play a role in the evolution of poi. We will
study other art forms and cultural legacies, looking always for ways
to make poi more profound, expansive, dynamic, artistic, integral, and
fun. We will offer instructional media, workshops, and events that help
poi enthusiasts take their own experience of poi to deeper and more significant
levels. We will utilize communications technologies in a manner that empowers
the individual and promotes community intelligence. We will put our hearts
and souls into videos and performances. We will do brave and crazy things.
We will take risks. We will be silly. We will make friends. And we will
seek always to explore how poi... is revolutionary .
The story of Playpoi begins with the adventures of wayward visionary
.