Now Moved to Instagram!!!

Hey Everyone!!

The Massey University Fire and Circus Club is still alive and going strong! With a change in Committee we've decided to move our social media stuff to Instagram (Facebook is also still active) and won't be updating this site anymore.
Check us out if you still want to stay up to date with whats happening at https://www.instagram.com/masseyuniversityfirecircus/?hl=en
Happy spinning!


Cheers
- The New Committee

Email: pnmufc@gmail.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MUFireAndCircus/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masseyuniversityfirecircus/?hl=en

Spring Romps

Cole Young: tongue transfers!

The year is sizzling along at a crackling pace. September has brought some amazing opportunities. We took part in a Fireworks Festival fundraiser for Hospice Whanganui in September. It was a fantastic night and the crowd really got into it. On campus we did a few nights supporting the Massey University Drama Society Showcase, "Catalyst". We really love being able to spice up life a bit on campus, and our gigs at the University are a great way for regular students to get to see what sorts of Clubs are available to them. If that's you, come on by and see us at the Activity Centre behind the Rec on Tuesday and Friday nights (7:30-9:30pm).. never overestimate how much coordination you need to have, to learn some really fancy looking skills! We are a friendly, supportive, no-pressure crew. :)

We were super lit to be invited back to the annual IPU Spring Festival (on September 30th). It's always a treat to get out among the blossoms and see some of the diverse and colourful performances and activities.
The audience crowded around us (at a respectful distance; thank you kindly!) as we treated them to a show of fire; dance, juggling and fire-eating.

erebus: with fire fans

We noticed that there were many photographers in the crowd, and we love seeing your pictures. If you are ever interested in sharing on social media Massey University Fire & Circus would love a tag, or you can email pictures to pnmufc@gmail.com 
Thanks very much to Mark from Highlight Photography who kindly sent us these beautiful stills. We're stoked that you enjoyed the performance.

James Ardo: another beautiful burn-off

Liam Bignell: fire juggling

Cole Young: a man of fine taste

Circus Skills Workshop [photo credit: Jeremy Parry]

Rolling into October we got involved in some of the student events that formed the lead up to Stress Free Study Week and exams. Thanks MUSA for encouraging us all to get involved with a Circus Skills Workshop for all comers on Concourse on October 4th. A variety of people rocked on up to have a go at everything from hula-hoops to whips, with some juggling and flow toys thrown in for good measure.

On the 18th we were in The Square in Palmy, entertaining the crowd and competitors of TKO (Tertiary Knock Out). Tertiary students from Massey, UCOL, TWOA and IPU competed in a variety of novelty events for the glory of their institutions, and.. more importantly the amusement of the spectators. Great work, everyone.

Pretty fireworks at Rongotea: see you there!

Coming into fireworks season comes a reminder to be fire safe. If you are setting off your own fire works, make sure your pets stay inside, never dive in to rescue duds, and keep a bucket of water nearby just in case. We'd love you to think ahead and use common sense.

Last night we were out at Ohingaiti at the Manaweka Fire Brigade fireworks display. It was so worth the trip out! Thanks heaps everyone who was in the crowd making us feel so welcome.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the annual fireworks at Rongotea (3rd November) on Friday night next week! It promises to be a great night out for the family.

On the 20th of October MUFC had our AGM and elected a new Committee for the coming year, so this will be the last post of the year from me before we hand over to our new crew.
This is a personal thank you Massey University Fire & Circus for being a great bunch of people and enjoying this year together. {erebus - 2017 Secretary}

Arts + Cultures Festival

Jake breathing fire
Photo: Sarah Hillocks

Pretty burn-off
Photo: Nicholas Kan

It was a great week! From 14 to 18th of August MUSA inaugural Arts and Cultures Festival was run on campus at Massey in Palmerston North, and we got up to all sorts of stuff.

On Monday we had a burn out on Concourse supporting the Massey University Photography Club as they had their annual photography competition. Some of the members of that club shared their talents with us, and treated us to some amazing shots from the evening. Thank you so much guys!!

On Wednesday Jake ran a workshop to teach some flows to beginners. It looked like the weather was going to be dicey for a while there!

Cole with a tasteful display
Photo: Nicholas Kan

Twirly dragonstaff goodness
Photo: Nicholas Kan

Our Club President, Liam, with a  glorious fire poi ground burn
Photo: Sarah Hillocks

Tyrone with a stunning firesword display
Photo: Sarah Hillocks

Liam juggles with fire
Photo: Sarah Hillocks

Fire play has definitely been a great way to warm up on cooler evenings. It's been so fantastic to share our performances with enthusiastic fans and we have even started receiving fan videos and photos, some of which have been shared on our public Facebook page. It seems that there has been a little confusion, as there is an old unmoderated page the club used to use that is now defunct (and Facebook will not allow us to remove it). This is a reminder to all our fans and prospective clients, that direct emails to our club through the button on our old Facebook page will not get to us. :( If you ever want to contact us, the best way is still through our our email.

Jeremy never needed arm-hair anyway ; )
Photo: Sarah Hillocks

On Thursday night we took part in the Performing Arts Showcase for the Festival. As it was indoors in the Sir Geoffrey Peren Auditorium we were performing without fire. Our non-fire flow arts took the fore, as we were wrangled by our official Ring Master, Cameron Dickons. We dazzled the audience with glow and swirl, feats of balance on rola bola, and some impressive juggling skills. Standout perfomances included an amazing diabolo routine by Daniel "Cookie" Corrigan and glow poi routine by sisters Ashleigh and Tarah Biffen. Both performances were caught on video and have been shared on our Facebook page. Thanks so much, everyone who came to see us!

Winter Festival

Jake with his fast spins: Photo, Rob Edwards

Hi there, folks. We just had a spin as part of the recent Palmerston North Winter Festival! Down on George Street outside the library we had some juggling, stilts, glow poi and fans, fire juggling, staff and dragon-staff, devil stick and fire wands.

These gigs are really great for members of the public who are running on a budget. Our next performance in public will be on the 8th of July when we are performing outside the Regent on Broadway before the Mid Winter Hafla. This annual bellydance event promises to be a great show, and we are an added bonus. Feel free to drop by and see us, and maybe check out the show. If you're driving past, keep your eyes on the road!

It's been really cold this winter, but frosty as opposed to last year's rain, so we have had plenty of opportunity to practice our fire arts. We've also had some get-togethers for hot chocolate (and tea.. and biscuits) which really took the edge off exam stresses.

James Ardo, beautiful burn-off: Photo, Rob Edwards

With some help from MUSA, we now have more toys! A dragon staff (with many wicks on each end) fire juggling balls, and a new whip (great for trainee ringmasters.. but no animal acts please!). If you want to come and see what we do, our regular meetings are 7:30 - 9:30 at the Activity Centre by the Rec on campus at Massey University. Come play some time!

At the start of the university semester there will be another Clubs' Day (19th July) and we're still getting hyped for the Arts and Cultures Festival on campus in August. Pop by and come and meet us; ask some questions; make some friends. We have new people joining us all through the year and it's cool to try new things, dress up, and share our experiences with all sorts of different activities and props. Some keen people even make new props that nobody has ever seen before! Just bring your enthusiasm and curiosity; no experience required.

Erebus, playing with fire; Photo, Rob Edwards

Upskilling our Committee

Treasurer; learning to save lives.

We have a fantastic safety record and it doesn't happen by accident. Every year we ensure that our Committee members have valid First Aid certificates so that, we have trained people who know what to do in an emergency. Okay, so we won't be needing to dislodge chips of Lego from small children's airways, but you never know when a person will need to assess and manage possible hazards to keep our performers or audience safe.

Secretary; seems to have plastic baby.

Committee Assistant.
A very useful person.
Does a lot of work and also
makes a mean cuppa tea.
5 stars * * * * *

This year with the support of MUSA we have 3 newly trained Committee members (and our Performance Coordinator's certificate was renewed earlier this year). The Red Cross first aid course covered all sorts of things including how to treat burns, chemical burns, breaks, sprains and dislocations, along with allergic reactions and poisonings which are not out of the realm of possibility when you are dealing with acrobatics, aerials, stilts, feats of balance, and toxic flammable liquids. We also had lots of fun, and got to meet some nice people.

We are psyching ourselves up for a lot of new performances in the works. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for upcoming events. Some of the ones coming up will be free public events so keep an eye out!

Our practices will be continuing over the Massey University holidays. The next Semester will be bringing a second Clubs' Day in July. Can't wait to meet new people! Come and find us!

In the fifth week of Semester Two (that's August 14-18) there is an Arts & Cultures Festival planned on campus which will be a wild time. We'll be cracking out the costumes (and the whips) and wowing people with our fancy stuff.

Just because you love us so much, check out our excellent trash selfies.

Warming Things Up

It's been a while since we had an update and people have been asking for pictures!

Us! @ Activity Centre, Massey University; Turitea Campus

We had an amazing turn out for our Showcase. Thanks everyone who came along and checked us out.

We are happy to welcome our new members! There has been an influx in people who are working with dragon staff, fans, whips, and poi, among other things. We are always happy for new members to come and share their enthusiasm and ideas. We are mostly self taught and love to share our skills! Everyone has their own particular style and it's loads of fun to watch people go from their first tentative tries with a toy or discipline, to developing competence and confidence, and wowing us all with their new found amazing talents and skills.

Jake WOWs the crowd with his dragon staff at the "Lido LuWow Day Rave"

We recently took part in the Lido Luwow Day Rave. When we spin at the Lido it is basically our only indoor fire gig we can do. Other indoor gigs are no-fire affairs... it's tough to get up on an indoor stage under hot lights without taking out the scenery so it's just not an option we'd consider, but surrounded by water we managed to heat up an already tropical event and had a great time. These kids are a super enthusiastic audience.

Tarah enthralls the audience with her glow poi.

Tropical action: Cole heats things up with his staff.

Tessa and Tarah, tunneling;
with glow juggling and glow poi.

As we are a student club it's also been really rewarding getting involved with student events on campus. On Wednesday, after retreating from the dismal weather, we were in the MUSA Lounge entertaining students, lighting things up to support inclusiveness on campus for the Day of Silence.

We are looking forward to getting some new toys soon, we will have more news of upcoming gigs that are in the works, and more information about some of the things we do, why we do them, and how!

If you have any burning questions (see what I did there.. *cough*) feel free to email us pnmufc@gmail.com

Antici.....pation!

A little magic

Hitting the gym normally means something completely different, but we have been doing just that, as we polish routines for our upcoming Showcase on Tuesday, 14th of March. We have a variety of acts, group and individual, as well as SPOT PRIZES and refreshments. Half the show will be indoors and there will be a fireshow outside for the second half. ... and it's FREE! so you have no excuses ;)

Downside up!

Aerial arts: Carolyn on lyra

Practicing without flames: Ardo and Cole work on staff moves

Daniel with the diabolo!

Come along and check out what we do at 7:45pm on Tuesday, in the Activity Centre of Massey Rec Centre.