Masters of the Flame competition came to the Polynesian Cultural Center for employees on their own fireknife journeys
Pulefano Galeai founded the World Fireknife Competition in 1992. His son, David Galeai, followed in his footsteps and created Masters of the Flame. David Galeai said he always dreamt of creating a platform for young dancers to showcase their fireknife skills. Masters of the Flame, the Polynesian Cultural Center employee fireknife competition, is one of the fruits of his hard work.
Galeai said when he was working at PCC there weren’t any platforms for their employees to compete in. When he joined the World Fire Championship for the first time, he didn’t have prior experience and didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, he said, winning three championships helped him be well-grounded and able to create and host a fireknife competition. He said he gladly worked to build Masters of the Flame these past five years for PCC employees.
On Feb 21, the PCC hosted its fifth Masters of the Flame with three categories: Senior Single Division, Senior Double Division and Women’s Division. Maliana Ava, the director of the Masters of Flame, said, “This is also the first season for the women's competition.”
The warrior presence
Galeai obtained more love for fireknife as he found the innate meaning of fire, he said. “In Polynesia, fire is everything. It’s part of who we are. It means life, but it also means destruction if we don’t take care of it,” he explained. He said he always felt mesmerized every time he saw dancers handling fireknives. As part of a culture that is closely attached to his heart, performing a fireknife dance is a beautiful way to take care of and respect it, he said. Ava said, “Not everyone can control the fire,” it takes an inner warrior, courage, time and dedication to do it, said Ava.
Alesha Galeai, the first winner of the Women’s Division from Laie, said her most memorable moment was maintaining her warrior presence on stage, even during breaks from spinning her fireknife. She explained, “For me, how you present yourself to the audience is what makes you a warrior.”
The winner of the senior single and double divisions, Alexander Galeai, recalled his performance memories, saying the cheers projected from the audience and the loud and steady drum rhythm that echoes from the drummers are amazing, but they can be a source of distraction. Because of the possible hazards of performing with fire, he said had to control himself to detach from the distractions. “I know you can’t feel fine dancing without the drumbeats as your music, but the real beats come from your heart,” he said. “When you have a fireknife in your hands, and the drumbeats within your heart, it blocks you from any kind of distractions. Then you start to feel the power, energy and warrior spirit.”
Alesha Galeai said, “I think the audience needs to realize that each performer is a true warrior because they’ve [trained] hard and still managed to do their best.”
The expression stage
Ava said half the dancers started using fire a couple of months after they learned the basic dance and that categorized them as beginners. She said the competition means a lot to the dancers because the experience will boost their confidence for something bigger. She said, “I hope from this competition, they will want to join the world championship.”
Alesha Galeai explained the hardest part of the preparation is when practicing with fire. She said, “I am still afraid of the fire. Every time I burn myself I get more and more nervous to keep practicing, but I tried to push through it.” Her confidence escalated as she dedicated more time to practice, recognized mistakes and corrected the wrong movements over time. She explained her fear of touching the fire caused her to pick up the speed because it saved her from being burned severely. She said, “It is totally a different mindset, being on a single stage like this helped me to be more cautious about every part of my body and how I will fit in and look for the judges.”
Alexander said many of his family members have been crowned as fireknife dancers in the World Fireknife Championships and he is committed to continuing their legacy. “Masters of Flame is very helpful to achieve that goal,” he said.
Not everyone feels ready for bigger competition, but he said this competition was beneficial because it pushed dancers' abilities to their limit. “Masters of the Flame helps us stay active, physically strong and mentally awake to the ultimate day of competition,” he said.