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A GLOWSTICK is a plastic stick/tube that has two chemicals in it. The chemicals are separated by a small glass type vessel. When you bend the glowstick this vessel ruptures and the two chemicals mix and the chemical reaction produces light
Apart from being a really robust form of lighting and a great way of getting attention when you want it, they can also be used to enhance dance.
There seems to be two main methods. The first is holding the glowstick in the hand and spinning it with the hand whilst dancing. The other method is attaching two of them to cords and swinging them similar to POI.
The first method is relatively safe but swinging them on a string does have some hazards if it swings around and hits you or someone else. Depending on your spinning speed these hits could cause bruises, however they are very safe compared to spinning fire or other heavy objects.
Run down to your local hardware, supermarket or camping store and purchase your glowsticks. Beware that not all glowsticks are the same. Your can get all different shapes and sizes. "Normal" size is 6inch or 150mm plus some glow longer than others. A standard good glowstick will glow for 8 hours plus. You can also get high intensity glowsticks which are very bright but only for a short while 10-30 minutes at most.
Any music you like really. Something with a beat that matches your spinning speed is best. You can always vary the speed of the spin with the music as you go.
You can also have fun with mixing colors. Put two different colors of glowstick together and you will get amazing blending effects tricking your eyes.
If you want to increase the brightness of your glowstick then place the unit in warm water before cracking and starting the chemical reaction. Because of the extra heat the chemical reaction will occur faster and produce more light.
If you want to extend the life of your glowstick, like say you have finished spinning but have only used a few hours of the lights life. You should place the unit in the fridge and the next day place in warm water and you can continue spinning to the end of the units life.
A quick search for POI on google will help you find many object spinning sites out there. One popular site is Home of POI which does have some free online lessons and a community of glowstick and fire performers.
Apart from looking really great visually, you normally get the following benefits.
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