Fire Staffs
Fire Staffs
Fire staffs are one the most important fire performance props. They have big flames and are very impressive to watch, and lots of fun to learn. There are many sizes and types of staffs. We have both staffs and swords on this page as the tricks and moves are very similar.
- The Contact Staff or Contact Sword is fire prop, in which many of the tricks have the shaft in contact with the body, neck, or arms. The Contact Sword is a counter-balanced staff, with a heavy weight on the end. It is difficult to learn, but has a very interesting off-balance effect.
- The Dragon Staff is a staff with spines at the end of the staff, either wire or solid spines. The spines slow the spin of the staff for rolling the staff on your body.
- The Break Down Staff comes apart for travel. The design of the connection mechanisms has improved and is now much more reliable.
- Double staffs use a shorter staff, where one is used in each hand. Generally, they are under 48 inches long and have a smaller wick, making them more lightweight.
- Batons or juggling staffs are made for throwing in the air in the style of marching band batons, where many of the tricks involve throwing the baton in the air and spinning the baton using only your fingers.
Pro tips (intermediate to advanced fire dancer)
Many staffs now come with flowers. These flowers splay out when the staff is rolled down your arm or body to slow the staffs roll. They can make tricks easier and/or possible. The dragon staff with spines, works on same principle as with flowers, but only more pronounced. They really slow the staffs roll. These types of flower or dragon staffs are for contact staff manipulation. If you are using a martial arts based style of staff manipulation does not use flowers or spines is not needed.