The modern fire dancer waits before her performance: breathing deeply, centering her mind, grounding her body. She is costumed simply, in cotton and leather. Tribal makeup covers the skin that peeks through her clothing. Her dreadlocked hair, wrapped in a cotton scarf, piled high on her head. A pair of poi-balls made of wicking, attached to the ends of arm-length chains, hang from her hands by leather straps. The poi-balls have been soaked in white gas and rapidly spun to remove any excess fuel. The dancer languidly swings her poi back and forth and waits for her turn on stage.