Contact staff is one of the most widely used prop in the flow arts community. The staff is spun around the body in a variety of patterns, and it can be used to create beautiful and flowing movements. The “contact” part of “contact staff” refers to any techniques or tricks to flowing with a staff without using your hand to hold onto it.
The history of contact staff is a bit murky. Some people believe that it originated in China with the fei-cha, where it was used as a martial arts weapon. In this way, contact staff and dragon staff have a shared history (see What is a Dragon Staff). Other communities it pulled inspiration from were bo staff spinners and baton twirlers. Whatever its origins, contact staff became popular in the flow arts community around the 1990s. Contact staff also became popular as a fire prop, and it is now one of the most popular fire props in the world.
There are many different styles of contact staff. Some people focus on creating intricate and complex patterns, while others focus on creating more fluid and dance-oriented movements. There are also many different techniques that can be used with contact staff, such as rolls, wraps, and pinches.
Although it can be a challenging prop to learn, there are many beginner friendly staff spinning moves you can do which don’t require doing contact. This way you can sprinkle in new contact moves into your flow as you learn them. If you don’t have a contact staff already, check out what we have in stock here!
