A Samoan-style fire dancer–called Siva Afi in Samoa–spins three-foot long knives set ablaze around his body in the dark of a Lahaina, Maui evening during a Luau performance. Originally performed with war clubs by warriors and daughters of high chiefs, the fire dance is now commonly done with sharp knives demonstrating intensity and passion of the Samoan people and the skill of all those who perform it.
Although the fire dance has been around for hundreds of years, it didn’t become well known until around the last twenty or thirty years when it was added to professional competitions and put into Luau demonstrations. Since then, this titillating show of courage and talent has literally caught fire.
