Freshman Raphael Kasobel became interested in learning poi, a form of dance involving juggling balls that hang off a rope, when he saw his friend spinning his poi sticks at summer camp. Uninformed about the art, Kasobel joined the class immediately.
“I was at camp, and I picked up my friend's poi and started spinning it and was like, ‘Wow, this is cool!’” he said.
Kasobel was then attending Camp Omega, a summer camp that offers courses in martial arts, creative writing, yoga, improvisational comedy and many other artistic activities.
Kasobel took poi lessons over the summer but still wants to improve his skills. “The guy that taught me lives in another state, so I was kind of left to my own devices,” he said.
An advanced form of poi involves lighting the balls on fire. Having prior experience with salsa dancing and martial arts, Kasobel thinks that poi is more than a sport. “Poi is not really meant to be … a random dare devil sport — not like skydiving or base jumping — it’s more of an art form. It's a form of dance.”
Kasobel believes learning and focusing on the basics of poi is the best way he can master the dance. “It helps to learn how to move before you do anything 'nutsoid,' because if you can get the body down, all you have to do is learn how to spin, which takes a lot practice,” he said. “Learning the body is a lot harder than learning the spinning.”
Most of Kasobel's passion for poi stems from his nine years of martial arts experience. “The style of the [poi] movement is interesting." As a child, Kasobel learned many forms of martial arts including Brazilian jiu jitsu and different forms of karate.
Kasobel, however, did not expect to enjoy poi as much as he did and continued practicing poi with practice sticks after his camp had finished.
Though poi is relatively unknown, the art has become increasingly popular among teens. Kasobel discovered this when he mentioned to his friend, senior Nina O'Keefe, the possibility of bringing fire dancing equipment to school for a routine in Tertulia, South's annual talent show. “He seemed pretty surprised that I even know what fire dancing and poi were,” O’Keefe said. Kasobel, O'Keefe and two other members from Brookline may form a “dance troupe” and perform together in this year’s Tertulia.
Leslie Lebowitz, Kasobel’s mother, has some reservations about his fire dancing, though. “I tell him, ‘I think it's very cool, but the first time you catch on fire, I want you at your dad's,’” she said. Kasobel hopes to develop his fire dancing skills despite the danger but will still take precautions. “Some people coat themselves with Vaseline just in case,” he said.
His enthusiasm for the art remains strong. "Poi is beautiful and a little dangerous,” Kasobel said.
