Flow arts are one of many facets that create the beautiful, eclectic and expressive rave community that we all know and love and make up a part of. It can be said that we all inspire each other in one way or another – from fashion to flow to music and everything in between– and that all builds upon each other to create a real life tapestry of extremely talented people who are brought together by the love of the music which manifests in all kinds of ways.
Everyone expresses themselves in different yet similar ways, which is why there are so many forms of flow out there and perhaps more than we know, and they’re all valid and absolutely needed in this world. Flow arts are not just a way to express from our hearts and souls but they are how energy is able to take a physical form which is a very powerful thing to understand.
For example, to many–including myself–the flow arts that I gravitate to and excel at are the ones that heal me the most and where I feel the most connected to the music. When I am shuffling, dancing, whipping or using the staff, I am having a very spiritual experience where I am able to transcend and connect with the energy of, dare I say, the universe. It’s the same feeling as when you lock eyes with a stranger during a drop and just feel that collective energy course through your entire body as you lock hands and start headbanging – and there is nothing more special than that connection at a show or festival.
From shuffling or cutting shapes to gloving/tutting to hooping and wands – the magic that is released through the music combined with the movement is something that makes music festivals and raves so unique. Here are a few of our favorite forms of flow!
Gloving/Tutting
Your hands are quite literally one of the main energy meridian points of your body – this is a very powerful flow art and one that takes a lot of skill and practice to master. Finger tutting is when you make various shapes in intricate and oftentimes choreographed movements with your fingers to go along with the song and the way the song feels to and is expressed by you – it truly is such a beautiful form of flow.
There are also entire teams dedicated to melting your face at raves full of people who dedicate so much time to just mesmerizing people and making them smile. Glovers are some of the kindest people and are so talented! From whips, to tutting, to tunnels – it takes a lot of time, dedication and FINGER STRENGTH to master this flow! Check out our gloves + accessories here!
Shuffling
This form of flow is a lot more leg dominant than gloving, however, you can incorporate your gloving and tutting skills to elevate your shuffle flow once you get the hang of your basic running man and figure out which form of shuffling you like the most. There are so many different styles of shuffling, and no style is better than the other – it’s all about expressing to the music the way your body and soul feel called to express.
Some shuffle styles include: cutting shapes–which has a lot of little moves like: Miami Step, Scissor Kicks, W-Step and more that don’t really have official names yet but we’re getting there! Others include Melbourne Shuffling, Malaysian Shuffle and so many others however if you truly pay attention, a lot of the moves are different variations of the most basic moves like the T-Step, Charleston and the Running Man.
However, it’s not that simple either, and there could be an entire article on the history of each different shuffle style such as the Melbourne Shuffle, Malaysian Shuffle, DNB step, etc. as they are tied many times to different cultures and periods of time. Footwear is also very important, and knowing the right shoe to wear for where you’ll be dancing.
Shuffling at a festival like Electric Forest might require different footwear than what you’d need to wear at the raceway for EDC. Here are a few suggestions, although if you’re a newer shuffler – we’d recommend staying away from platforms unless you constantly practice in them! Shuffling in platforms is fun and some platforms actually give you the right amount of bounce depending on where you’re dancing and what your preferred style is!
Levitation Wand
The Levitation Wand is super fun and very lightweight, although it’s by no means easy to master. Mastering the wand requires a strong and engaged core, arms, legs and tons of practice! Just like any other flow art, making sure to take the time to perfect your craft and practice to music you truly connect to is important to connect to your specific flow.
You can learn different techniques and tricks online, and as you master this flow art you can see that the reason it’s called a “Levitation Wand” is because when done correctly, it looks like the wand is just levitating around you as you use your hands to control the rope that looks almost invisible at night – it is truly majestic to watch.
Pixel Whip
The Pixel Whip is made of a handle with various strands of LED fibers that come in various different colors and settings which you can adjust to fit your mood, your outfit or whatever the occasion might be. The only downside to an LED Light Whip is that you almost always end up whipping your body! However, once you practice and take the time to master this flow you’lll become better at not whipping yourself as much but especially other people which is always a win.
When starting to learn how to whip, if you do take your whip to a show or festival make sure to check to see if you can bring your whip in the first place, but also try to stay away from the crowd as no one really likes to get whipped unless you’re a masochist in which case they can find you! Kidding. No whipping people!
There are various techniques and tricks you can pick up using the light whip, including tunnels, figure eights and other body tracing/lacing techniques, isolation techniques, etc.
Definitely check out tutorials on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to find and level up your flow! You can wear pretty much anything you want while whipping but outfits with long sleeves or pants are always a good idea in order to minimize the fiber lube oiling up your skin too much or whipping yourself!
Hooping
Hooping is a really beautiful way to flow with a beautiful history tracing back to ancient Egypt in 1000 BC. It became a lot more popular in the 1950’s and has evolved into so many different forms of art from the islands of Hawaii to Native American dances to festival stages across the world. Just like with staff and Poi, there is also Fire Hooping and it’s just as if not more hypnotic than the LED Hoops.
Hooping comes very easily for some people, but takes a lot of practice and dedication. You can practice tricks with regular hula hoops of all sizes to find the perfect center of gravity for the tricks you’re learning, and then invest in the LED hula hoops to add that level up to your flow!
Poi
Poi might be the most difficult to master, as it requires tons of arm strength and core, as well as major bi-lateral coordination in order to create shapes and be able to move your body in relation to the weight of both of the poi balls at the end of the ropes. Just like hooping, whipping, using your wand or gloving – you can create mesmerizing light trails with LED Poi.
You can also do the same with Fire Poi, although that is definitely a lot more dangerous. However you choose to spin Poi, it’s important to learn about its origins and history in order to truly appreciate the art form in its entirety. Poi can officially be traced back to 1815 and was created by the Māori people of New Zealand as a way to not only entertain themselves but to commune with the divine and would combine it with certain chants to manifest peace for their people during tumultuous times.
It then became a popular form of entertainment once tourism began to pick up in those regions and that is how it spread to performing arts and music festivals around the world!
Other Flow Forms
Aside from the flow forms mentioned above, there is also the Orbital, the LED Staff, Hand/Silk Fans, and as of recent: Flowstars. There really is something for everyone! What is your favorite Flow Art? Make sure to tag us in your flow videos @iheartraves!
