Choose your retreat length: 6 days (June 10-15) or 9 days (June 10-18)!

Opt for the full 9 days to enjoy more workshops, relaxation, and time to explore the charming village, its beaches, and every delicious gelato flavour. 🍨

START OF THE RETREAT:
Wednesday the 10th of June at 15:00.
The retreat ends in the afternoon on the 18th.

The retreat will be happening at the village of Stromboli, Italy. 
CLICK HERE for the full description on how to get to Stromboli

Our classes welcome everyone — from complete beginners to advanced spinners. While we will cover tricks, the focus goes far beyond them. Even if you’re new to poi, you’ll benefit from workshops on body movement, flow, and coordination, and you’ll receive guidance on building the foundations you need.

Workshops combine group sessions with individual attention. At times, we may split into smaller groups based on skill level or interests so everyone can learn at the right pace and get the most out of each session.

To get the most from the retreat, it’s helpful to be familiar with some basic poi patterns such as 3-beat weaves (forward and backward), windmill, watermill, hip reels and turns, butterfly (same-time and split-time), and buzzsaw.

If these moves are new to you, no problem — we’ll cover them during the retreat. And if you’d like a head start, you can explore Vojta’s online tutorials at PoiTutorials.com.

We have props to borrow. These are daytime/practice props. We don’t have fire props to borrow, but you can always ask other flowmies if you aren’t able to bring your own 😉

PROPS YOU CAN BORROW: (for free)
– Staff Spinning Staff
– Double Staff
– Fans
– Poi. Although we suppose that everybody who comes to this retreat owns or is willing to buy practice poi, so please take them!

PROPS YOU CAN NOT BORROW:
– Contact Staff. There might be a few extra, but we can’t guarantee we have enough for everybody. So please bring your own (collapsible). In the worst case, you can use a staff spinning staff for the workshops, and practice everything at home with your proper contact staff. 

Food is not included in the retreat ticket. However, most accommodations have a kitchen or kitchenette, giving you the option to prepare your own meals. The island also offers a wide variety of restaurants, bakeries, markets, and small food stores to explore.

Some private room options include breakfast — please check the room description for details.

Breakfast
You can buy breakfast ingredients at local shops and prepare them yourself in your apartment, or visit one of Stromboli’s bakeries or cafés for a relaxed island breakfast.

Lunch Package
We offer an optional daily lunch buffet at our training space, Parco Parco, for €15 per day. The buffet includes warm, freshly prepared dishes with both vegetarian and meat options.

Still unsure about the lunch package? We highly recommend it. Our local chefs prepare fresh, flavorful meals using ingredients from their own garden. After a full morning of workshops, it’s incredibly convenient to have a hearty lunch waiting for you. Eating at restaurants on the island usually costs more, so the buffet is both practical and good value. Of course, if you prefer to cook your own meals, you’re welcome to skip the lunch plan.

Dinner
Evenings are a chance to explore the island’s food scene together. Some nights we might order pizza on the beach during a fire jam, while on other evenings we might head to the Libreria Bar for a small show and a community jam.

Can I share a room if I don’t know anyone?

Absolutely! You don’t need to know anyone to share a room. Most people actually come by themselves, so you’ll be in good company. If you’d like to share, we’ll match you with another participant based on your preferences, such as room type and whether you’d prefer to share with the same or a different gender.

Sharing a room is a great way to reduce costs and connect with new people during the retreat!

If you’d like to share a room with a friend or partner, there’s no need to book together or purchase all tickets at once.

You can each reserve separately and buy your own ticket. Just leave a note during booking that you’d like to share a room, or send me a message on WhatsApp at +33 6 34 56 02 33 to let me know who you’d like to share the room with.

Most of the time, flying with your fire and LED equipment will be hassle-free. We’ve travelled the world many times with our gear and have rarely encountered significant issues. The key is to be prepared and follow a few simple guidelines to minimise any potential problems.

General Tips for Flying with FIRE PROPSS

When preparing your props for travel, especially items with wicks, here are some essential tips:

• Cleanliness is key: Ensure your wicks are thoroughly burned off and contain no fuel residue. A good way to get rid of most smells is to leave them outside in the sun, where the sun will evaporate the remaining fumes and fuel faster. Or, soak in rubbing alcohol, and burn them off. You can get rubbing alcohol at the pharmacy.
  You can even wash your wicks with warm water and soap to remove most of the black soot and smell. Important: let them dry completely before packing! 
• Contain and conceal:
  • Place your poi and small props in ziplock bags to contain any residual smell. Or for staffs and other big props, use plastic wrap. 
  • Consider a second layer of “pink fluffy protection” that definitely doesn’t look dangerous! Wrapping your equipment in socks or adding staff covers to make it less visible and potentially less scrutinised by security personnel is a good idea. If there is still some smell at this point, a deodorant spray can come to the rescue.
  • If you have detachable poi heads with chains, you can even disconnect the chains and store them in separate bags for extra discretion.
• Check-in is best: We recommend putting your fire equipment in your checked luggage. Don’t lock your bag; if security needs to inspect it, they might break the lock. It’s a good idea to include a note inside explaining that it’s juggling/circus equipment and to provide your phone number.

Flying with Long Staffs and Oversized Luggage

Longer performance staffs can sometimes incur extra fees due to oversized luggage restrictions.

• Mind the measurements: After years of flying with my long staff, I’ve adjusted their length to avoid oversized luggage fees. While airline limits vary, a height of 152 cm to 158 cm is typical of the maximum before additional charges apply. However, there’s no universal rule, so always research your airline’s fare rules before booking.
• Budget airline considerations: Many budget airlines, especially in Europe, may charge a fee for any bag that doesn’t resemble a standard suitcase, regardless of length. Generally, the “nicer” the airline, the less likely they are to charge you extra for your baggage.
• Protect your staff: A thick staff bag provides excellent protection during transit. You might look for a fishing rod bag or a ski bag. 
• Check baggage fee charts: You can often find helpful worldwide baggage fee charts online (a good resource is farecompare.com/about/worldwide-baggage-fee-chart/).

Navigating Security at the Check-in Counter

Expect questions, especially if you have larger bags.

• Choose your words carefully: The most important rule is never to use the word “fire” or anything that could be associated with weapons.
• Speak the language of art: Instead, explain that you are a circus artist and that you do object manipulation or juggling. Talk about “batons” and “dance,” avoiding terms like “swords” or “martial arts.”
• Charm can help: Many airlines charge extra for sports bags (such as golf or kite-surf bags). With a bit of luck and charm, a positive conversation about circus and art might help you dodge those looming fees – though it’s not guaranteed every time!

Carry-On Luggage

• We don’t recommend travelling with fire equipment in your carry-on luggage. Contact Poi or LED Poi shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you encounter the wrong person, there is a higher risk of being questioned and a slim chance of a conversation.

Flying with Light Equipment (Lithium Batteries)

If you carry LED props with lithium batteries, there are specific rules to be aware of.

• Checked luggage limitations: As of late 2014, new rules apply to lithium batteries in checked luggage, limiting their voltage allowance. While most LED props (typically 3-12 volts) are well below these limits, the voltage isn’t often specified on the tools themselves, creating a risk of confiscation.
• Carry-on is preferred for light props: The same strict rules don’t apply to carry-on luggage. Therefore, we recommend travelling with all your light dance props in your carry-on luggage. We’ve tested this multiple times without any issues. For example, many light dance props have an average capacity of 3.7 volts/700mAh.
• Stay informed: For more detailed information on travelling with lithium batteries, consult your airline’s guidelines (e.g., airfrance.fr/common/image/pdf/en/Bagages_batterie_lithium_en.pdf)

The retreat fee is split into two payments: a non-refundable deposit and the remaining balance. The deposit can be purchased here on the website and the remaining balance is due at the start of the retreat.

Because the deposit is non-refundable, we strongly recommend having travel insurance in case you’re unable to attend. In many cases, your insurance may reimburse the deposit if your plans change for covered reasons.

We recommend choosing personal travel insurance that includes coverage for pre-booked events or activities.

As an example, you can check out Allianz Travel Insurance.

RETREAT PAYMENT
The retreat fee is split into two parts:

• Deposit: A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot. This must be paid by credit card.
• Remaining Fee: The remaining fee is due at the start of the retreat and can be paid in cash or by card. If, for any unforeseen reasons, you can’t come after you have paid, we will refund you the rest fee. 

Travel Insurance

We strongly advise all attendees to secure personal travel insurance. This is crucial to ensure you’re covered if unforeseen circumstances prevent you from attending the retreat, allowing you to claim a refund for your payments from your insurer.

When choosing a policy, please make sure it includes:

• Reimbursement for any pre-booked events or excursions (The non-refundable deposit)
• Cancellation cover specifically for Coronavirus-related issues.

You can see an example of a policy at https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/quote.