Siva Afi (fire knife) champions from around the world are in Aotearoa running workshops for anyone who wishes to learn or enhance the skill.
It comes after the Siva Afi Aotearoa Championships (SAAC) in which 12 winners across different age groups were crowned champions.
Siva Afi Aotearoa founder Tauanu’u Amo Ieriko says having experienced dancers from Hawai’i in person inspires children.
“These guys are followed by New Zealanders so, to have their superstars come here and witness what we do (fire dancers) and give advice, it’s a huge feeling.”
Over the weekend Māngere Arts Centre saw the likes of Jeralee Galea’i and Alexander Galea’i, who many follow on social media, perform at SAAC.
TikTok sensation Mikaele Oloa (five times world fire knife champion) from Waialua, Hawai’i was among the superstars here and is running workshops in Māngere for children.
Oloa, who has over two million followers online, is impressed by the calibre of fire dancers in the country and labeled it as one of the upcoming locations that will breed champions in the future, outside of Hawai’i and Samoa.
“You know Aotearoa to me are very particular with the whole presentation, from beginning to the entrance, the full routine all the way till they finish.”
“It’s awesome, it’s very artistic, I’ve been saying that the whole time. A lot of the performances they do are very artistic, almost like they tell a story whenever they go on.”
Oloa says Japan is another country on the rise as their people have strong discipline in learning the art and have sent competitors to the World Competition held annually in Hawai’i in the past few years.
A male competition called the Masters of the Flame Competition also finished over the weekend at the Māngere Arts Centre with Justyce Levi from Ngāti Porou and Samoa taking it out.
The workshops in Māngere include teaching students how to make a fire knife, train, prepare, dance with the fire, soak the weapon in oil before lighting it , and tips on performing their routine.
A key organiser of the WFKC held in May, Alexancer Galea’i (a four times world champion), says this Masters of the Flame his brother David Galea’i helped build alongside the workshops is a key component to growing the craft.
“We create these events, we create these workshops to give our youth, the confidence they need to not only perform on a stage but to perform in life.”
“As they perform and get ready to do their best on the stage, we tell them (youth) to do that in life too.”
The winners of SAAC also included wāhine toa afi competition winner Aaliyah Ava from Vaimatina, junior youth winners Lennon Meredith-Numia (11-years-old), and intermediate champions Moa Lua (13-years-old).
All winners will be fundraising to get to the world championships in Laie, Hawai’i.