It’s like your brain is trying to get to the next level when you’re trying to learn something new, trying to develop a skill basically. “And that’s what flow state is you’re always challenging yourself. “It’s easy to learn but hard to master, so it’s always challenging you,” he said. He began doing poi in 2008 when he lived in Mississippi and has since progressed with other tools of the trade to better understand the “flow state of mind.” As daylight faded and darkness settled in, more experienced flow artists added fire to their toys.Īnton Moquin, of Lebanon, showed his skill with a fire-lit poi by tying both tethers together and hanging it from his body. Several kids, some as young as 5 and 6 years old, spun homemade poi toys (tennis balls in socks) and whirled multi-colored LED hula hoops before running off to play or sit in a hammock among the trees. 2, Mulligan and Torres invited anyone curious about flow arts to join their rendezvous. Initially the group met at Cheadle Park, but soon moved to private property near Lacomb because the park closed at dusk which, let’s face it, is when the fun really starts with multi-colored lights and fire spinning in a dancing fashion amid a dark backdrop. “I just put it out there to see if there were other like-minded people out there and people who were into this kind of thing, and it appears there was,” Mulligan said. Mulligan and Torres soon discovered that some of their coworkers played with similar items, so they coordinated weekly get-togethers and invited the public to join them through a Facebook group called Lebanon Flow Arts Fam. “It’s a different weight, it moves differently on your body.” “Each toy is completely different,” she said. She now has her own set of fire fans (fan-shaped objects with multiple wicks), as well as LED hoops, and LED and fire poi balls (weights attached to the ends of a tether). His toy of choice, however, was the fire staff (a wood or metal staff with wicks on each end), and it wasn’t long before Mulligan started playing with fire, as well. “I’m kind of just connected to my body, I’m not stressing about anything.” “When I’m doing this type of thing, I’m not thinking about anything else,” she said. Mulligan started with a cheap hoop, spinning it around, becoming acquainted with its weight and learning how to connect her body to its rhythms while forgetting surrounding distractions. “It was kind of my quarantine project, something fun to learn and keep me active.” “It’s just mesmerizing it looks so fun,” she said. She’d been inspired after seeing others play with lighted hoops and fire sticks at concerts. Mulligan and her husband, Mitchell Torres, both of Lacomb, began playing with hoops and fire during the pandemic in 2020 when the community was asked to self-quarantine. “It’s really connecting to your body and also using some type of instrument, whether it be a paintbrush or a hoop or ballet shoes.” ORGANIZER AMBER MULLIGAN shows a young girl how to practice poi by using a safer, handmade version of the toy. “My definition is really anything that takes you out of the current moment,” she said. It was part of organizer Amber Mulligan’s weekly gatherings for what she calls “flow arts,” which she defined as an art that uses instruments to break from outward distractions into an almost meditative state of mind. 2, to share the experience of throwing light with hula hoops, staffs and poi balls. Under a dark sky on the outskirts of Lebanon, under cover of trees and brush and set upon a clearing, friends and strangers gathered Friday, Sept. Kyler Farrell, 10, shows off a colorful LED hula hoop during one of his sister's "flow nights" on Sept.
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