Staci "Misti" Cooper

Misti's fire dancing path began way back in her early childhood years.  Though never formally trained, she dabbled in several forms of dance including a brief stint with ballet, competed in gymnastics and baton, and was a member of the drill & dance teams in high school. After that, 7 years of higher education limited the time available to devote to dancing.

While pursuing her Master's degree in Portland, Oregon in Counseling Psychology and working as an intern, she met a lovely lady named Amy, who had recently started spinning and had some pics on her office wall.  Misti's curiosity peaked and Amy taught her a few moves in the parking lot on lunch breaks and then directed her to some helpful Web sites (which can be found on our links page). Only a few short weeks after finding this new passion, Misti moved to Boise.
 
While in Boise, Misti continued to practice her spinning and learn new moves. She was also (yes, its true) struggling to develop any kind of social life. No job, no friends... So she taught a class through Boise Community Ed, and the Fire Kittens were born!
 
With a constantly evolving energy, a passion to connect with the fire community and to discover and create new expressions with the flame, Misti has expanded her fire tools to include poi, staff, double staff, fingers, torches, and a hula hoop. A mental health professional by day, she is also on a journey to merge her two loves and is hoping to become certified as a firewalk instructor this year and explore the therapeutic possibilities of fire. She anxiously awaits the future....