I am very excited to be teaching an entire weekend hoop and poi retreat in Birmingham next week. We're going to have a beginner hoop class, a beginner poi class, two intermediate/advanced hoop classes, an Integrating Dance into your Hoopdance class and Hoop Yoga. I'm also going to be offering a Hoop Instructor's Training! On top of all that, we are going to have a very fun, costumed up, led hoop jam Saturday night! Brandy Hughes of Aura Hoops set it up and it is going to be super fun. I am…

How old are you?

*21 on the 18th of March

When did you first start hooping?

*October of 2009

Would you call yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced hooper?

*Intermediate i would say.. i lack the level of flow i want

How often do you hoop?

*everyday for sure. no matter what the weather

Do you have an indoor hoop space?

*Luckily yes!! me and jenna either go up to her dads bakery where…

I read a discussion in the Vegan/Vegetarian group on this site about a woman that began hooping, watching hoopers online and the peace and happiness they put out into the world. When she went to her first meet up, there was meat everywhere. She was fairly dismayed, because she felt that with vibe that hoopers put out, she felt that they shouldn't be supported the killing of animals. I wanted to join the discussion, but it would mean I would have to join the vegan/vegetarian group. I figured…

Sometimes I hear a new hooper who is rushing breathlessly to learn the next trick say, "I've mastered everything but this..." and I have to smile. Mastery? Really? I've been hooping since 2003 and I don't feel like I've come anywhere close to mastering any aspect of it. I just keep learning how much more I don't know. It's humbling.

I think what people are really seeking is the next milestone, the next deliverable, the next thing to conquer, the next rush. It's the antithesis of…

I have to admit that I'm tired of tutorials... Not of learning stuff, of course, never tired of learning stuff....

I remember getting my first hoop in the mail last October... With it, I'd order a hooping video, hoping that it could teach me some stuff. The waist hooping intro was fine. Then came chest hooping "Just shimmy it up to your chest and there you have it!" and "Just relax and let it drop to your knees. There you go, you're knee hooping!" And all I can think is THAT'S…

I enjoy studying many different kinds of dance. I find that every kind of dance informs and adds elements to my hoopdance. I take classes in everything I can, rent and buy videos, take workshops at festivals, ask my friends who take classes to show me things, watch videos and So You Think You Can Dance... Every kind of dance has an element you can borrow to make your own dance more dancey.



Dance is made up of a lot of things -- lines, foot movements (or its big sister traveling…

Hoopdance is made up of more than just a hoop moving around your waist. It also includes armwork, directed gaze, gestures, footwork, characterization and, of course, hoop moves. For a new hooper, though, the first question is usually, "What do I do with my arms!?!"



In armwork, there are two basic categories of movements -- resting arms and active arms.



Resting arms include arm movements that are still or almost still and don't require a lot of energy or strength to…