{ Nick Broyd | Swhoop 2012 }

Nick is back with an awesome performance from Bristol, England's Swhoop 2012. 
The move at 3:40 makes me giddy.  One day I will get that wedgie down! 

And by wedgie I mean that sweet move where you use your legs

to flip the hoop up your body!

  

 

Keep hooping and have a rockin' Thursday!

{ Thriller | Starlight Hoops }

 

 

Hoopy Halloween!!

 

Gail O'Brien | Hoopcamp Showcase 2012

Gail is all sorts of bad ass. 
She lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK and totally rocks it out at this year's Hoop Camp showcase.  Hoopcamp is the largest yearly gathering of the hoop dance community, held at a Tibetan Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California.

  

Erin Sparrow | Mermaid Manifestation

I rewatched this video last night.  It's so simple and stunningly beautiful. 

 Just the hoopspiration I need to get through the rest of the week.

 

 

May your hopes and dream be manifested.

Hoopalicious | Bristol Performance

Today I bring you the mother of modern hoop dance, Anah aka Hoopalicious.  She lives in San Francisco and is a hoop master of dance.  She has been hooping for 14 years now! This video shows perfectly the kind of hooping I hope to achieve someday.

Hoop On!

Kiersten Marrs | $nugsteppin

This is Kiersten Marrs aka Spin Kitten from Kankakee, Illinois. 
 She has such awesome flow in the hoop. 

I came across her videos a little over a year ago and was memorized. 

She inspired me to slow things down and be more controlled and deliberate with my tricks and dance flow.



Isn't that Phoenix LED hoop from Hoop Daddy sooo amazing??!
Check out more videos from her YouTube channel here.  

Rich Porter | Pink Moon

Rich Porter is an amazing hooper from San Francisco, California.

 

He experimented with different hooping types that helped pave the way for the poly pro tubing we love today.  Using the lighter weight tubing helped Rich perfect his iso techinques:  isopops, isobreaks and reversals.





As an architect, he says he imagines drawing and tracing geometric shapes with the hoops.  Very cool! And at a very high speed!  Back in 2011, he and Spiral put together a fantastic DVD, called Hoop Technique that features beautiful hooping demos and instructional walk throughs.  He teaches workshops all over the world and is a three time Hoopie Award winner - 2010 Male Hooper of the Year, 2010 Photo of the Year, 2011 Instructor of the Year.

Check out more from Rich on his YouTube channel.

Also, this weekend, if you are in the Utah or Salt Lake City county area, you should come to Brewvies on Saturday at 3 pm for The Hooping Life screening!  It's a documentary all about hooping (it features my hoop sensei, Baxter!)  There will be hoop performances, prizes and 2 LED hoop giveaways!!!  Should be lots of fun.  I'll be there with friends :)  More information here.  Let me tell you, I am SO excited to see this!  Come see what hooping is all about :)

{Looking Back | HoopPath 5: For the Love}

Last year at this time I was returning from a magical experience!  I attended HoopPath, a yearly retreat that incorporates hooping workshops, gatherings, and a fire ceremony in Carborro, North Carolina.

This upcoming weekend is HoopPath 6 and I am very sad to not be joining my hoop tribe.

         "The HoopPath is a hoopdance curriculum founded by master hooper Jonathan Baxter.  The HoopPath method stands out in this new, dynamic movement modality as a unique blend of rigourous technique and deep introspection."  -via www.hooppath.com.

 I came upon HoopPath (HP) very early into my hoop journey.  This type of hooping has such a personal, spiritually level to it for me in improving and expanding my hoop dance.  So when I learned of the retreat, I jumped at the chance.  Before I'd even arrived there, I had made new friends online!  It was exciting to meet up with hoopers from all over the country, to meet the local HP tribe and to immerse myself in this hobby that has become such an intricate part of who I am.   

Going back through my notes, photos and journaling during the trip, I was immediately transported me back to the previous year.  The opening/welcoming dinner that first evening and  hearing what was in store for the weekend from our instructors:  Bax, Ann, Khan & Rich.  

Meeting and rooming with these three lovely  ladies:  Cally from Wyoming, Jane from Florida 

& Kaydi from Indiana.

We had a lot of fun together and still keep in contact.

The poolside party, with Meagan from Pennsylvania and dancing at the bar with Ria from New York.

The morning guided meditation of soothing music and introspective words. 

 "It's [hooping] an inward journey that starts with an outward expression of love."

                                    -Jonathan Baxter

Our transportation, the bass thumping, neon lit "pimp bus".  A cool bus driver and LOTS of dancing.  

Yes, dancing on the way to more dancing!

                                                                                       photo credit:  Kaydi McMahan

The workshops that were exhausting, enlightening, and energizing. Incorporating the theme "For The Love" into authentic movement.  Remembering that you either move towards fear or love.
Learning to be vulnerable, to be present, to get over yourself and to be authentic.
Your authenticity can be a gift.

photo credit: Kaydi McMahan

The evening at Beth's home, meeting in her meadow and dance barn.

hippies sign photo credit: Kaydi McMahan

The bonfire, the kava blessing, the sharing amongst our colorful mini tribes, 

dancing to live drums into the darkness, and learning to fire hoop.

fire hoop pic credit: Marta Sasinowska 


Hoop Church.

video credit: Shon Nelson


All culminating to the Hooper's Ball, dressing up fancy, dance off's and collaborations.
Staying up all night waiting for everyone to depart back home, one by one.

photo credit: Kaydi McMahan

This trip reaffirmed the importance of hooping to me.  The journey of self healing, self awareness and self expression that the little plastic hoop has and continues to take me on.  
I am so grateful that it came into my life and to the friends and teachers that I have met along the way.
I am sad that I won't get to be a part of the experiences happening this year but know I will be there in spirit and hope to reconnect at the next HoopPath event!

Nick Guzarrdo | Shifting Levels

I don't even remember how I came across Nick.  

But this video, Shifting Levels, blew me away when I first saw it.  At this point, he'd been hooping for less than a year O.o  

Nick Guzzardo, from Castle Rock, Colorado, very quickly picked up the art of hoop spinning after he saw it at Burning Man in 2009.  He now is a hooping superstar that teaches classes all over, was awarded the Newbie Hooper of 2011 and was nominated Male Hooper of the Year in 2012.  He has a fun go-go style dance and rocks the head hooping!  I was so nervous and intimidated to go to my first hoop workshop in Boulder cause Nick was gonna be there.   
But you know what?  
He was so nice and even hooked my phone up with a hula hooping cat widget :) 



Check out all his videos on YouTube here.  

Christina Brittian | Healing

I like Christina's unhurried style. It inspires me to work on my on body hoop control and flow.

For more, check out her YouTube channel here!

Movin' & Groovin': Check the Rhyme | Zach Boutilier

Happy Wednesday!!  The week is half over and I'm looking forward to the weekend. So, until then, here's some mid-week hoop inspiration.  Meet Zach Boutilier.  His style is kicked back, smooth and has as he calls it, swagger. 

 I first came across his tutorials, which are awesome.  Lots of fun, advanced moves to check out.  I will be using this video to work on getting elbow passes and breaks worked into my hooping.

Check out more from Zach on his YouTube channel.

Hannah Flett | Hooping Idol 2012

This is Hannah Flett aka Green Fairy Hoops from Exeter, England.  She is the 2012 Hooping Idol winner. She is absolutely adorable!! Her finale video has me smiling the whole time.  And even though I was cheering other friends and competitors on, it was easy to see why Hannah wins.
Her dancing is infectious and fun.

 

To learn more about Hannah, check out this article at hooping.org or to watch more of her video's check out her YouTube channel here.

Hoopin' | Chad Forsberg

I love Chad's hooping, especially the on body and off body folding and helicopters.  And his shoulder/chest rolls are so smooth!   Chad also came up with a new hoop move he calls "Corteo" where he rides the hoop a la cyr wheel style.  Check him out!  
He lives in Boulder, CO.