Poi With Claire de Luxe

I had been exposed to Poi several years ago and learned some of the basics. After that point, I found it progressively more difficult to continue teaching myself. Luckily, I ran into one of Claire’s collaborators beautifully spinning poi at FIGMENT on Governor’s Island. He recommended that I sign up for Claire’s class. I took his advice and have since finished Poi 1 with my last Poi 2 class tomorrow. Her instruction has been everything I could have hoped for and more! She is able to clearly dictate and demonstrate the various movements for her students while also giving personal attention in which she can quickly identify where we are going wrong. I look forward to continuing my Poi studies with Claire and highly recommend her to anyone else that is curious!

I had tried to learn poi a few times and it was always so confusing that I finally decided it just wasn’t for me. So when I stumbled upon Claire’s beginner class I figured I would take it as a last-​ditch effort, but expected that it would just confirm that I was no poi spinner. But much to my surprise here I am a year later and still spinning!
Claire has a real knack for breaking things down so they are easy to understand, while also pushing you to take things just one step farther from your comfort zone.
She is also incredibly knowledgeable about the craft… not to mention patient and kind!
I highly recommend her as a poi teacher. She’s great!

Yay for Claire’s classes! I really wanted to start playing with fire in my dance, so I took her class. She takes it step by step so you really get a slow and grounded grasp of the movement, and on the last class of the session, we lit the poi on fire! It was an amazing experience! I continued on with Claire for many sessions, and always had a great time.
I feel not only did I get a greater understanding of my physical body, and a relaxing workout, but my brain got a workout in logic, gravity and pattern, and my mind a workout in focus and finding that meditative space called the flow.

Most people checking out this Unilocal page will know that Poi is beautiful to watch, but it’s also an invaluable way to refocus, relax, and engage the brain and one’s motor skills in novel ways. Plus it’s something you can practice almost anywhere. Claire’s got a knack for breaking down complex and often counter-​intuitive movements in a way that gets students spinning gracefully and confidently from the get go. She goes beyond throwing tricks together and enables her student to think through choreography, even if you have zero background in dance or movement arts. After 6 months with her, I’m spinning fire frequently and comfortably, and still feel excited by new challenges each class. She’s organized, methodical, and enthusiastic, in addition to being one of the most sweet, fun and welcoming people I get to see each week. Check it out — you won’t be disappointed!

Woo, a Unilocal page for one of my favorite indie businesses! Claire is an excellent poi spinner and instructor for beginners and those curious about spinning fire, or just learning something that requires movement and coordination. She’s got motor skills training down to a T — starting with basic movements and drills, while slowly building complexity.
It’s been a treat to take several 10-​week sessions (from beginner to advanced) with her and grow as a poi spinner over these past two years! Classes are kept fairly small and in a convenient location and aren’t that expensive. Highly recommended.