Share Your Passion: Quality Assurance’s Andrew K. on Poi

I enjoy the flow arts, one such type of artistry is poi. Originating in New Zealand and gaining some popularity through tourism, it is commonly seen at dance and alternative festivals.

There are several types of poi: practice/day poi, glow poi, and fire poi. This, as with many flow arts, can be easily translated to many martial arts weapons such as: nunchaku, rope dart, and even the staff.

I first started spinning poi in senior year of high school. However, I did not begin learning poi until my second year of college, when I met someone who knew a few basic tricks. As I met more people in the poi community and discovered the online community and tutorials I began deeply investing time into practicing new and more intricate moves. I often enjoy spinning all three types of poi, depending on the situation.

I started with practice and glow poi early on in my career. I began my journey with glow sticks and eventually moved on to LED glow sticks with a brand known as crystal poi. From there I moved onto fire poi. This is obviously a more dangerous activity, which is why I waited several years before attempting to spin fire poi. After that I moved on to more day poi, simply to liven up my poi during the day, as opposed to dull translucent poi, you can have day poi in many different colors. From there I have gotten into newer, more elaborate glow poi. These include pod poi, which contain many different colors combinations and patterns.

My latest set of poi are pixel poi. These project 8-bit patterns of various complex patterns as well as pictures of animals and objects. Some of my favorite activities which drive me to continue to pursue poi are learning or perfecting new moves or combinations; as well as, performing at parties or in public.

Born in 1988, Andrew Koprcina graduated with a BS in Food Science & Technology. After learning to home brew he discovered his passion for beer was directly linked to his love of Food Science. This has driven him to pursue a career in the brewing industry. Now a Quality Control Lab assistant, he continues to further his brewing knowledge while assisting the maintenance of providing quality beer to the consumer.

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