Poi is so much more than its cute name. This offbeat and uber cool art form is slowly but definitely catching up in the city as much as itis abroad. Ashwin Kumar, a 35-year-old business consultant from the city tells us about the fascinating art form and his groundbreaking discovery of a personal talent!
Poi, as it is known, refers to the object and the art that engages an artist to spin the poi. Poi is a style of art that originated in New Zealand among the Maori tribe. This used to be a style of self defence and has now made it to the mainstream world as a performance art. Ashwin says, “Poi was used as self defence and as an expression art, wherein they use a small amount of weight, hung in tethers and held in your hands as you spin. As time passed by, people began using it with different materials, with different props and now it has become a performance art. There could be fire, LED lights, a soft toy. It focuses on your creativity to make geometrical patterns and using the space you’re performing in.”
A young business consultant and avid traveller, Ashwin Kumar, learnt the unique art of Poi nine years ago, on a trip to Goa. “I happened to see a man spinning poi. It was an LED poi that changed colours like a rainbow. It looked beautiful and I went up to the guy and asked him about it. That was how I got introduced to it.”
The first spin that Ashwin made, took him by surprise as he realised that he had just found a new skill. “I picked it up and happened to get it right at the first go itself. The man who taught me the spin said he had not come across anyone who could get the basic spin right, from the first time they held poi. When I came back to Bengaluru, it was only natural for me to pick up the poi again.”
His journey with poi began from there as he learnt more about the art online. “I taught myself to even make a poi. I would perform for people at the office occasionally as a stress buster.” Ashwin has performed at several off beat festivals like Malnad Calling in Chikmanglur and Zero Gravity Hampi Bouldering and Music festival. He also takes the time out to conduct workshops and teach poi.
The visual treat is at a peak with poi and Ashwin describes the look in the eyes of his audience as mesmerising. Besides poi, Ashwin lovse travelling and take part in racing!
