The Fire Knife Dance

The Story Behind the Flames Ta'alolo to Nifo'oti

The book expresses the history of the Samoan fire knife dance (Samoan Ailao), from the time it was a victory ceremony of war to its modern day form. The explanation of the weapon nifooti (the deadly tooth or cutting tooth) is defined. The book elaborates the various stages of the dance from traditional to creative or a modern style, it also define how to build the actual knife itself. It also expresses how to formulate a dancing routine from its simplest stages to become a professional, to prepare the knife and body to take on the challenge to compete against the worlds best. The steps of dancing with one, two, three and four knives are mentioned. It elaborate of how to perform with safety for the performer and spectators, it expresses the rules and criteria and how to build champions from broom sticks to the real nioti. The fire knife dance book I hope will satisfy all about the dance ailao, its origin and the story behind the flames.