Glowsticking

Glowsticking is a form of object manipulation or dancing with glowsticks or other glowstick-like objects that share the same qualities: durability, consistency in light, safe to toss around, and the material of which they are made, often a soft and pliant plastic. Glowsticking has two broad categories, the use of strings attached to the glowsticks, or not stringed.

It has roots in the electronica and rave scenes, and has a cultural paradigm more in common with those scenes than those of other scenes. Some aspects include the culture of non-competitiveness, preferring sharing and performing in accordance with your observer, without any kind of negative statement implied. Because of this glowsticking competitions are frowned upon by most practitioners of glowsticking. Although glowsticking as a field can largely be practiced anywhere, the roots it has with raving has led to the adoption of most of the ideals of the rave scene. In recent days complete glow stick costumes have been created that attach to one's body, the two most popular being from Crayola and Glowstickables.

Both of these terms, freehand and glowstringing, describe the technical skills that relates to both. It is only when the practitioner intends to dance that it becomes glowsticking. Otherwise, they may be a juggler who is simply choosing to juggle glowsticks (in the case of freehand), or a poist who is doing poi with glowsticks. That is not to say that a juggler or a poist cannot dance if they so choose with glowsticks—just that glowsticking implies dancing.

Glowstringing is defined by a few factors: the use of glowsticks on a string, the swinging motion, and a large category of moves and concepts that share many of the same aspects as many other stringing related fields, such as poi, yo-yoing, and martial arts forms common with swords, flails, and rope darts, is typically done with glowstick or glowstick-like instruments tied with a durable string at the end of it. In some case, handles may be used, because of moves which favor the fact that the glowstick handle can be grabbed and switched with the swinging part. In some cases, because of the existence of handles which glow both ways, moves which "throw" can be accomplished as it can be grabbed on either side.

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Wikipedia