Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Allyssa on July 24, 2012 at 11:21pm

You are talking about SaFire! She actually created this entire website and that video has inspired sooo many of us hoopers!

All I can tell you is it takes TIME :) I've been hooping for 2 years and I feel as though it's just been the last 6 months where I am starting to realize that people truly respect and love what I do because of the way I do it. Flow is so special because it is unique to each person! So just keep spinning, hoop love<3

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StudentPermalink Reply by Steph Webb on July 26, 2012 at 8:55am

It wasn't safire if was a different girl. I'm glad it took you a little while, it makes sense that you would have to learn some moves to dance with first.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsay F on July 26, 2012 at 2:08pm

I know the video you mean. SaFire's video is inspirational; that other girl, while she means well, comes across as judgemental.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsay F on July 25, 2012 at 3:33pm

Do you love the way you hoop? If so, then don't feel like you have to conform to some random youtuber's ideas of hooping.

Some people are trick hoopers, some people are dance hoopers, some people are zen hoopers...just like every person is different, so is every hoop style and every process. However, it's awesome that you want to expand yourself, so maybe try smoothing things out, incorporating some dance moves that make you feel good into your hooping, see how it goes! :D

<3

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StudentPermalink Reply by Steph Webb on July 26, 2012 at 8:55am

I'm not happy with it, there have been a couple times I've experienced my flow but it dissapeared lol. 

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StudentPermalink Reply by Steph Webb on July 27, 2012 at 8:21am

I do agreee with her I want to dance with my hoop not just pop off a lot of tricks with it!

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Permalink Reply by MayaAya on July 26, 2012 at 2:04pm

I have the same thing. I am not used to using a prop in my dancing and it makes it harder for me to just dance. But I do enjoy just doing a lot of tricks. I have fun with it, though it doesn't quite look great. :P

The only time I do it is when I get really into the music. So I guess it's just about forgetting what you're doing. With me, anyway.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Tangled Macrame on July 26, 2012 at 8:20pm

One thing to keep in mind is that there are a couple different ways hoopers use the word "flow."

On one hand, drawing on the work on Noam Chomksy, hoopers conceptualize flow as a mental state where daily worries, time, self-criticism, and doubt drop away. The hooper enters a mind-state where s/he is completely immersed in the moment, in their movement. Many hoopers describe this state as a kind of heightened awareness where they find themselves reaching beyond their normal limitations as they become one with the hoop. Artists in all different forms describe similar experiences and Chomsky studied those experiences to create his theories about "flow."

On the other hand, we also tend to use "flow" to describe a hooper whose skill, enthusiasm, and style communicate a sense easy grace or general bad-ass-ness. When someone appears to be totally blissing or rocking out, we say they have flow. In this case, we're describing fluidity, ease of movement, and flawless transitions. We're describing what their movement communicates to us, rather than their mind-state, because as much as a video can communicate emotion, we really have no idea what the hooper's actually experiencing.

So.....yeah. Just throwing that out there, because we all want to be bad-ass (flow in the 2nd sense), but far deeper than that we want to experience the power and bliss of flow (in the 1st sense.) And you can experience that blissful, psychological state at any point in your hoop journey. You cane experience it busting out super-tech tricks. You can experience it dancing. I 1st tasted it hooping to Bob Dylan when I knew only 3 hoop-moves. If I'd recorded that session, no one would have said, "That girl has flow." But I did, because flow is in your head. It's in your heart. 

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StudentPermalink Reply by rainingpink on July 27, 2012 at 7:45am

Love this reply! <3

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StudentPermalink Reply by Steph Webb on July 27, 2012 at 8:25am

This is such a beautiful response thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Born To Hula on July 27, 2012 at 8:19am

I was once so full of flow. While performing, I couldn't ever see the surrouding people. I'd be spinning so fast, all I could see was my hoop. My flow would bloom when loud music would blast to my ears. All I would focus on while hooping is the music. The drummer kept my feet on beat. The rest of the band would guide my tricks from start to finish. I always preformed freestyle, and I always rocked so hard. It was because I connected the music and moment with my movement. I rock differently on stage with a live band then I do in dance class with a recorded band. I love flowing.

I've hadn't had any flow since April. After my spinal cord injury, I can't run around in circles, I can't get lost in the music, I can only pratice tricks and work on my getting my left leg to work again. I miss the pure awesomeness of flowing with my hoop.

It's my belief that the reason I can't flow is because I have to hoop with my brain compeletly focused on my actions. I think flowing is where your body naturally takes over your phyiscal movements so you can relax your mind and flow. Maybe you should work on shutting your thoughts off while you're hooping.

Also I have my card for medical marijuana. It really helps slowing your thoughts down. lol.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Steph Webb on July 27, 2012 at 8:24am

That's sad I'm sorry. I hope you get back in the flow soon. Does it make sense that I would have to have the tricks down cold to be able to dance with them?

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