1) Poi as a vehicle for personal transformation

I believe poi can be a kind of "kinetic yoga:" a devotional practice that promotes physical health, mental development, and spiritual growth. I have made some progress with the first two, and just a little with the third...

The story of Playpoi begins with the adventures of wayward visionary Nick Woolsey, who was introduced  to dance, theatre, and martial arts at an early age. His experience with these arts helped him through some difficult times, and he became interested in the relationship between personal growth and body arts. He sought out teachers whenever his life of traveling allowed, believing that the right practice could be a vehicle for delving into the mysteries of energy and consciousness.

Have you ever wanted to improve your coordination, balance, and over-all physical ability? If you have, poi might be just the tool for you. Essentially, poi are weights on the ends of strings or chains. By attaching one to each hand

The Poi Studio was a 1,000sf dance studio on Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC. Leasing it may actually be the craziest thing Nick W has ever done...

( First published in Momentum Magazine, Summer 2001)

Eight years ago, I was called to explore physical movement. It could have been the Bruce Lee movies, or the stories about Shaolin Temple monks, or the Buddhist books about peaceful warriors, or maybe it was intuition...

The poi pendants are finished and available on homeofpoi.com!

This is one of my cherished projects from Bali. They are carved out of bone and horn by a sweet family of Balinese artists I met in Ubud (the cultural hub of Bali). The design ideas came via a series of visions and a lot of sketching, and were influenced by the people and events and art I encountered in Bali. The symbols have been a work in progress ever since Alex and I designed the first DVD. We'll add more symbols as the ideas evolve...

The Spinning Persons Institute (SPIn), is a not-for-profit, citizens research group dedicated to studying the art and science of poi and other kinetic arts. Nick Woolsey and several other members of Playpoi have been working with SPIn for several years...

In the spring of 2005, filmmaker Bob Narayan and his brother came to the Poi Studio to shoot a short documentary. He did a most excellent job. It features beautiful inodoor spinning with light and an interview with Nick Woolsey about poi and the Playpoi vision.

 Watch as .mov | Watch on youtube

Fimed by Camilla Griggers in February, 2005. Nick was unsure on whether to release it or not, as he's a bit shy. It really was a very unexpected interview, and was shot very early in the morning, just after a weekend of poi workshops, and just before Nick had to catch his plane. He doesn't always look like this.

Watch as .mov | Watch on youtube

This was filmed by Camilla Griggers in December, 2004. It includes some great Poi Studio footage and some LED Poi spinning, plus an explanation of the vision that brought the studio in to being. The Vancouver Poi Studio is no more, but it lives on in our hearts.

Watch as .mov | Watch on youtube

On Thursday, March 31st, 2005, I had an immigration catastrophe. I have been banned from entering the USA for any purpose until April 1st, 2010, at which point I will be able to apply for a five-year pass (a somewhat expensive and paperwork intensive procedure). I will have to re-apply for this pass every five years for the rest of my life, unless the laws change. If I am caught trying to enter the USA I would be risking criminal prosecution and a criminal record for life. There is a complicated and expensive procedure to get me in earlier, but it is currently beyond my reach (see below).