A Samoan’s mission to bring the ancient fire knife dance to Hong Kong
Masoe Hogan Toomalatai, 41, says fire knife dancing will help raise confidence and foster cultural exchanges among people with diverse backgrounds
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The couple behind Hong Kong’s first Polynesian fire knife dancing school
Driven by his love and passion for the Samoan culture, Masoe Hogan Toomalatai is bringing the ancient art of fire knife dancing to Hong Kong by teaching children and adults how to twirl, nimbly throw sticks and handle flames.
Toomalatai, 41, moved from Samoa, an island country in the south-central Pacific Ocean, to Hong Kong in 2007, where he is committed to sharing his culture as a tribute to his family legacy.
“I started fire knife [dancing] when I was nine. Most of my family are entertainers and fire knife performers. We have a dance group,” he said.
“When I moved to Hong Kong 17 years ago, I was thinking of starting a new performing art here. That is my passion for sharing our Samoan culture to the world,” he said.
Toomalatai established Seiileafi Fire Knife Hong Kong in April last year, which offers classes for Polynesian dance and fire knife dance. He said he believed the art would help build participants’ confidence and foster cultural exchanges between people with different backgrounds.