Comments on: Jonathan Burkin (Baton Boy) Versus Polynesian Fireknife Dancer

By: Patricia Lavata'i

Patricia Lavata'i — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:19:32 +0000

Sorry – supposed to be 35 inches long for double wicks.

By: Patricia Lavata'i

Patricia Lavata'i — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:16:53 +0000

Yes – there is a great difference between the batons and the fireknife – but the correct specs for a fireknife (single) are:
length of knife – 37 inches from hook to end
wick must be 2 inches wide and 10 inches long
doubles must be 35 inches long and wicks must be .5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.
The other difference is that fireknife requires lying down and kneeling moves.
The time is minimum 6 minutes, which requires big wicks and white gas (or white gas mix) – a very hot fuel.
Add it up and fireknife requires much more stamina and pure strength.
That said – lots of fireknife dancers have added baton moves to their routines as they are easy to do and look impressive.

By: John

John — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:51:20 +0000

Great commentary on the differences. The only thing I would really give Jonathan Burkin credit for is that his presentation was more of a production. You always wondered what Jonathan was going to do next. Sure, you get that a bit with fire knife dancing, but there isn’t as much variation in what’s being done.

I’d like to see someone produce a fire knife show with a bunch of the best fire knife dancers all going at it at once. It would create an incredible visual effect along with highlighting the talent of fire knife dancing. Similar to what they do on a small scale at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:23:41 +0000

No comparison: Fire Knife is much harder, much more difficult than baton. I don’t want to take anything away from Burkin, but his routine was 2:00. Fire knife is pedal to the metal for 8:00-10:00 minutes.
A baton has a 2-3 inch wick on each side. On one side of a fire knife you have a machete blade. Add to that a wick, 4 inches thick and 8 inches long. On the other side, another about 5 inches thick and 4 inches long. Now soak them both up in fuel. It becomes a heavy and dangerous weapon. A baton with soaking is not that heavy.

By: Next 5 Members In the America’s Got Talent Top 20 | Pure America's Got Talent

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:15:43 +0000

[...] some work. His semifinal act was just awesome. It was amazing he never dropped it. I still prefer fire knife dancers to Jonathan Burkin, but he has definitely surprised me with what he’s done. Joseph Hall – I was so glad that he [...]