There are two things every visitor to Hawaii must do at least once during their visit: Relax at the beach and experience a luau. A Hawaiian luau is an incredible festive experience in which there is a ton of food and plenty of entertainment. Part of the entertainment at any Hawaiian luau will often include what is called fireknife dancing. Teaching and performing Samoan FireKnife experiences are at the center of what Legacy Entertainment Productions does.
Samoan FireKnife dancing, much like the overall Hawaiian luaus, did not originate in Hawaii itself. Rather, this unique art originated in Samoa and is a big part of the greater Polynesian culture. Originally, fire dancing involved only knives and was a sort of intimidation or boastful experience. These warriors would take their sharpest knives and create a rhythmic, battle-esque dance in which to show off those weapons as well as to show off the knife-wielding skills they had. In fact, these knife dances often occurred on the eve of battle.
The fire part of Samoan FireKnife dancing was only very recently added. General consensus traces the first use of fire back to Samoan-American dancer Uluao “Freddie” Letuli in 1946. Freddie had been working on some pretty exciting films in Hollywood as well as doing his own live performances. One night, to really get the crowds going, he wrapped the swords and knives he had in gasoline-soaked towels and lit them ablaze. The spectacular result quickly got people talking, and soon knife dancers everywhere were adding the fire part into their own acts.
The Samoan FireKnife dancers at Legacy Entertainment Productions are no different. They have incorporated this more modern blazing part of the dance into their Samoan FireKnife experiences. When you book through this company for a Samoan FireKnife experience, you will have two options: Booking a professional show and booking for a Samoan FireKnife workshop.
Booking a Show
Here, you will need to contact Legacy Entertainment Production directly to learn more about the various packages they offer. You can hire the group to perform an authentic Samoan FireKnife dance at a location of your choosing, or you can book at their home site. They have a pretty wide range of packages to choose from that include something more intimate for a romantic affair as well as large public affairs.
Booking a Workshop
Some people are content to watch the performers and enjoy simply appreciating their skills and talent, but not everyone is so content. If you prefer your vacationing experiences to be more hands-on, then you are just the person who should book a Samoan Fireknife Workshop with the Legacy Entertainment Productions group. This is a unique interactive cultural workshop in which professional dancers will teach you and other members of the party how to dance with knives and even how to dance with them once they have been lit on fire. This cultural workshop also goes deeper into the history and significance of this Polynesian practice and will end with students showcasing their newly acquired skills in their own Samoan FireKnife show.
Insider Tips:
-The Samoan fire dancing workshop is not just for adults. You can enroll elementary and middle-school children into the courses, but it will require an adult signing up for every child.
-If you are booking the workshop, make sure to follow the instructions beforehand and dress simply. Excessively flowing dresses will be just as cumbersome to work with as skintight clothing. You want to wear things that are breathable and ones that you can easily move around in.
-The teachers here are very flexible. If you already have some background in fireknife dancing, maybe you tried a workshop on your previous adventure, then mention it upon booking and the educators will adapt the course to build on the fundamentals you already have.