Fiery spirit and flame-lit knives combine for a unique ...

Fiery spirit and flame-lit knives combine for a unique experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s 16th Annual World Fireknife Championships. The Polynesian Cultural Center's 16th Annual World Fireknife Championships kicks off in a blaze of glory this Wed., May 14 through Sat., May 17, 2008. A record 73 fireknife competitors ages 8 to 43 from as far as Japan, Samoa, French Polynesia and Florida are set to battle head-to-head for the supreme title of World Fireknife Champion in their respective categories. The event is the second cultural event of PCC's 45th anniversary year and is shaping up to be the most exciting with more than 10,000 visitors expected this week. The art of fireknife dancing is one of the most intense, skillful, but beautiful Samoan traditions in which dancers twirl a sharp knife with both ends on fire at high speeds and with acrobatic finesse. The fire is very real, and dancers often make contact with different parts of their body with only a short lavalava wrap around their waist. As any fireknife dancer will tell you, they do get burned, as competitors use no other form of protection. To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/fireknife/33243/