It is May and 4 months of 2015 have already flew by. The snow has finally melted, and the weather is beautiful. Now if only I had a proper yard to hoop in! Soon it will be time to get back out to Sunset Point for some evening hoop jams. I can't wait.
I have not hooped every day, but I do hoop most days. Hooping is never far from my mind.
Two and a half weeks ago was Hoop Path. Initially I didn't think I would be able to go to any of the days over the two weekends that Baxter was teaching in Toronto, which was a little disappointed. But last minute my schedule rearranged and I was able to attend 2 out of 3 days from the Masters weekend. It was so great to take a break from my Dream Chest Circus practice and go be with the Toronto Hoop Community, even if it was only for a little bit. I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, so I still feel a little shy when I'm around them and tend to stick to myself, but I am happy enough to just share their space and their energy. As always they are friendly and welcoming. And as always Baxter was a joy to listen to and learn from. I love how much attention he pays to simple movement, and exploring dance and music as opposed to drilling tech all the time. It inspired me to let go and just dance. I'm so thankful to have been able to attend even just a little bit of his Toronto workshops.
Most of my time this year was spent coming up with and practicing my choreography for Aerial Silks Collingwood's Dream Chest Circus production. The theme of the show was very dream-like, with the main character experiencing all these wonderful circus acts in her dreams. My hoop act was upbeat and playful, and I spent a lot of time trying to come up with something that would wow the audience but that I would still be able to pull off effortlessly. I would have loved to have thrown in some crazy tricks but I didn't want to do anything that I would be too worried about messing up. I think I came up with a good combination of dancing using both one and two hoops at different points in the routine. It flowed nicely and was fun to dance, and hopefully was fun to watch as well. I was nervous but not as nervous as I thought I would be. My biggest fear was tossing one of my hoops at someone in the audience. The whole experience of being in the show was amazing, and my routine went off without a hitch. I was so thrilled with how it went. I also performed a bellydance routine as well that I choreographed with the help of my bellydance partner, Lisa. That went well too and the whole show was a huge success.
I had spent so much time focusing on my routine that I started to find myself in a bit of a hooping rut. My hooping only seemed to revolve around practicing the routine, and it was getting a bit stale otherwise. Now that the first show is out of the way I've been able to relax and let go a bit, and my hooping has opened up and blossomed. That is usually the way, periods of rapid growth following periods of plateaus. I am loving my hoopdance and flow more than ever.
We have another Dream Chest Circus performance coming up on May 22 in Barrie, check out the Aerial Silks Collingwood website for ticket information and don't miss it!
So that is what I have been up to in 2015 so far. Classes have continued to run and will end at the end of May, and then outdoor hoop group will start. Stay tuned!
Monday 4 May 2015
Friday 2 January 2015
Day....???? Hoopy New Year! 2014 in Review
I guess I can stop writing what day of the year it is, since 2014 has come to an end. And you know what? I did it! I spun my hoop every.single.day for an entire year. A few days barely counted, but the intention was there and I made sure I never went to bed without having picked up my hoop that day. 365 days of hooping. Hooping 365. Can I do it for another 365? Only time will tell!
So tonight, just a few minutes ago, I was spinning away in my living room, thinking/hoping/wishing I could do more with my hoop(s). More skills, more tricks, more flow. For a moment I felt discouraged at the thought of all the things I still don't know how to do, all the things I wish I could do. All it took to break that negative train of thought was to remember where I was a year ago, and everything I have accomplished this past year.
One year ago I made a commitment to myself to hoop every day. One year ago I had never been to a hoop workshop, never worked with a professional hooper, never spent time around any number of hoopers, never even made a hoop. In one year I have done all those things and more. Let's take a look back and see what happened in 2014:
In February I started Hoopla Hula hoops and embarked on the journey of learning how to make my own hoops.
Also in February I had the opportunity to attend 3 days of Hoop Path with Baxter.
In March I started teaching hooping at the YMCA.
In May I started and completed Deanne Love's online course to become a Hooplove Coach. I also held my first workshop that month.
Also in May I did a two day workshop with Hoopalicious.
In June I applied for and won the FlowBot Award which would allow me the opportunity to attend in the InFlow Festival. I also started my hoop classes at Head Over Heels Gymnastics.
In July I started weekly hoop jams at Sunset Point. Much of the time it was just me out there, but slowly people did start to join me towards the end of the summer.
In August I attended the InFlow Festival, a life changing experience for me. I got to have time to myself, and got the opportunity to connect with so many other hoopers. I learned from some of Ontario and Quebec's best hoopers, as well as the lovely Beth Lavinder from North Carolina. I got to try fire hooping for the first time.
In September my fall session of hoop classes began and I had a great turnout for the whole session.
Also in September I did a two day workshop with UK's Emma Kenna.
In December I had the opportunity to perform not only as a hooper, but as a bellydancer and an aerialist as well at the Circus Tribe production put on by Aerial Silks Collingwood.
In addition to all the hooping I have done this year, I have also started taking aerial arts classes which include silks and lyra. I absolutely love these activities and plan to continue them throughout this coming year. I have also gotten back into bellydancing a bit which has been long overdue for me.
And here I am, it is January and I am excited for all that 2015 has in store for me.
Some days I still don't know where my hooping is going to take me. I confess I am probably not as highly motivated as many other hoop dancers and instructors out there, I'm not pushing my classes or hoop sales aggressively. Rather I wait for people to come to me. I think I am ok with that little niche. I like being here when other hoopers need me. I love that I have inspired others to hoop and have started a small hoop community here.
It is winter and outdoor hooping, for the most part, will have to wait. But I am finding ways to hoop every day, and be inspired every day.
2015 is going to be another amazing hoopy year, I can feel it.
So tonight, just a few minutes ago, I was spinning away in my living room, thinking/hoping/wishing I could do more with my hoop(s). More skills, more tricks, more flow. For a moment I felt discouraged at the thought of all the things I still don't know how to do, all the things I wish I could do. All it took to break that negative train of thought was to remember where I was a year ago, and everything I have accomplished this past year.
One year ago I made a commitment to myself to hoop every day. One year ago I had never been to a hoop workshop, never worked with a professional hooper, never spent time around any number of hoopers, never even made a hoop. In one year I have done all those things and more. Let's take a look back and see what happened in 2014:
In February I started Hoopla Hula hoops and embarked on the journey of learning how to make my own hoops.
Also in February I had the opportunity to attend 3 days of Hoop Path with Baxter.
In March I started teaching hooping at the YMCA.
In May I started and completed Deanne Love's online course to become a Hooplove Coach. I also held my first workshop that month.
Also in May I did a two day workshop with Hoopalicious.
In June I applied for and won the FlowBot Award which would allow me the opportunity to attend in the InFlow Festival. I also started my hoop classes at Head Over Heels Gymnastics.
In July I started weekly hoop jams at Sunset Point. Much of the time it was just me out there, but slowly people did start to join me towards the end of the summer.
In August I attended the InFlow Festival, a life changing experience for me. I got to have time to myself, and got the opportunity to connect with so many other hoopers. I learned from some of Ontario and Quebec's best hoopers, as well as the lovely Beth Lavinder from North Carolina. I got to try fire hooping for the first time.
In September my fall session of hoop classes began and I had a great turnout for the whole session.
Also in September I did a two day workshop with UK's Emma Kenna.
In December I had the opportunity to perform not only as a hooper, but as a bellydancer and an aerialist as well at the Circus Tribe production put on by Aerial Silks Collingwood.
In addition to all the hooping I have done this year, I have also started taking aerial arts classes which include silks and lyra. I absolutely love these activities and plan to continue them throughout this coming year. I have also gotten back into bellydancing a bit which has been long overdue for me.
And here I am, it is January and I am excited for all that 2015 has in store for me.
Some days I still don't know where my hooping is going to take me. I confess I am probably not as highly motivated as many other hoop dancers and instructors out there, I'm not pushing my classes or hoop sales aggressively. Rather I wait for people to come to me. I think I am ok with that little niche. I like being here when other hoopers need me. I love that I have inspired others to hoop and have started a small hoop community here.
It is winter and outdoor hooping, for the most part, will have to wait. But I am finding ways to hoop every day, and be inspired every day.
2015 is going to be another amazing hoopy year, I can feel it.
Tuesday 9 September 2014
Day 261 - The End of Summer
As summer comes to an end I am left reflecting on how amazing the last several months have been for me and for my hooping. I have made so many new hooping friends and connections this year, but especially over the summer. Between starting up my classes and hoop jams, and having the opportunity to attend the InFlow Festival, I feel like my hoop circle has increased 200%. It's no longer just me anymore, I'm no longer just a lonely hooper.
For over a year I walked my hoop journey alone, with no community or friends to share it with. I felt like somewhere there must be people who were as passionate about plastic circles as I was, and yet I couldn't find any. I was envious of other cities or towns that seemed to have already established a hoop community.
When I started out this year I had no idea where my path would lead, how many people it would bring me to. All I knew is that I loved hooping, and that I wanted to share it with people.
Looking back I can't believe how much I have accomplished in such a short period of time. Starting Hoopla Hula Hoops, becoming a Hooplove Coach, attending workshops with Baxter and Hoopalicious, InFlow Festival..... There is so much to be thankful for.
I would say that I did all of this for others, to share my love of hooping with the world, to reach out and enrich other people's lives through hoopdance. The honest truth is, I did it for myself. I wanted others to benefit from hooping the way I had, but what I really wanted was a community. And since I couldn't find one near me to join, I started one.
There were times when no one was biting. There were times when I thought I wouldn't succeed, that I wondered what the heck I was doing, why I was bothering trying to spread a love of hoopdance at all. There were times when I thought I was crazy. But this little voice inside of me kept saying, "Keep going.... People are going to join you... Just be patient". So I kept putting myself out there, week after week, going to the same places, promoting my classes over and over again.
And then, it happened. People started to take an interest. People started to come out, to come to classes, and hoop jams. Then I realized it, this was really happening. I didn't have to twist people's arms to come hoop with me, they were coming because they wanted to hoop.
I had a wonderful moment yesterday when I pulled into the parking lot for the final hoop jam of the summer, and saw my friend and fellow hooper already hooping away. I didn't have to be there first. I wasn't the only one out there.
Now I am seeing in them what I saw in myself, a desire to continue on this path, to grow and get better, to move, to spin, to lose yourself in the hoop. I knew it! I knew there had to be other people out there like me, I just had to show them what hooping was all about.
I can't honestly say I've ever wanted to be a teacher of anything. Even teaching hoopdance wasn't always something I wanted to do. I would have been just as happy if someone in this town already taught it and I could have joined their classes. But since there was no one, I decided to be that person. I didn't want others to walk this hoop path alone in the beginning, like I did. I wanted for others what I felt I didn't have, this hoop community, people to learn from and to motivate and encourage. If I can be that person for other hoopers, then I will have done my job.
I would have never anticipated that teaching hoopdance would be as rewarding as it has been. I have always felt like I already had the most rewarding job in the world being a mom. Now I feel like I have two rewarding jobs. Seeing my friends and my students love hooping as much as I do, and be as passionate about it, and want to grow and get better, has been the most amazing feeling.
The days are getting shorter and it is getting dark at 8pm again. I already miss the warm summer evenings where I could just pop outside for a hoop after the kids are in bed. I'm getting ready to settle for having to hoop in my dining room once again at home, and I already can't wait for next year. Another summer full of hooping, and laughter, and friends.
For over a year I walked my hoop journey alone, with no community or friends to share it with. I felt like somewhere there must be people who were as passionate about plastic circles as I was, and yet I couldn't find any. I was envious of other cities or towns that seemed to have already established a hoop community.
When I started out this year I had no idea where my path would lead, how many people it would bring me to. All I knew is that I loved hooping, and that I wanted to share it with people.
Looking back I can't believe how much I have accomplished in such a short period of time. Starting Hoopla Hula Hoops, becoming a Hooplove Coach, attending workshops with Baxter and Hoopalicious, InFlow Festival..... There is so much to be thankful for.
I would say that I did all of this for others, to share my love of hooping with the world, to reach out and enrich other people's lives through hoopdance. The honest truth is, I did it for myself. I wanted others to benefit from hooping the way I had, but what I really wanted was a community. And since I couldn't find one near me to join, I started one.
There were times when no one was biting. There were times when I thought I wouldn't succeed, that I wondered what the heck I was doing, why I was bothering trying to spread a love of hoopdance at all. There were times when I thought I was crazy. But this little voice inside of me kept saying, "Keep going.... People are going to join you... Just be patient". So I kept putting myself out there, week after week, going to the same places, promoting my classes over and over again.
And then, it happened. People started to take an interest. People started to come out, to come to classes, and hoop jams. Then I realized it, this was really happening. I didn't have to twist people's arms to come hoop with me, they were coming because they wanted to hoop.
I had a wonderful moment yesterday when I pulled into the parking lot for the final hoop jam of the summer, and saw my friend and fellow hooper already hooping away. I didn't have to be there first. I wasn't the only one out there.
Now I am seeing in them what I saw in myself, a desire to continue on this path, to grow and get better, to move, to spin, to lose yourself in the hoop. I knew it! I knew there had to be other people out there like me, I just had to show them what hooping was all about.
I can't honestly say I've ever wanted to be a teacher of anything. Even teaching hoopdance wasn't always something I wanted to do. I would have been just as happy if someone in this town already taught it and I could have joined their classes. But since there was no one, I decided to be that person. I didn't want others to walk this hoop path alone in the beginning, like I did. I wanted for others what I felt I didn't have, this hoop community, people to learn from and to motivate and encourage. If I can be that person for other hoopers, then I will have done my job.
I would have never anticipated that teaching hoopdance would be as rewarding as it has been. I have always felt like I already had the most rewarding job in the world being a mom. Now I feel like I have two rewarding jobs. Seeing my friends and my students love hooping as much as I do, and be as passionate about it, and want to grow and get better, has been the most amazing feeling.
The days are getting shorter and it is getting dark at 8pm again. I already miss the warm summer evenings where I could just pop outside for a hoop after the kids are in bed. I'm getting ready to settle for having to hoop in my dining room once again at home, and I already can't wait for next year. Another summer full of hooping, and laughter, and friends.
Monday 25 August 2014
Day 246 - Teach Elemental Hoopdance ~ One Hoop One Love
Shakti Sunfire at One Hoop One Love asked the question, "Why Teach Hoopdance?". Hoopers were challenged to answer this question in one sentence from the heart for a chance to win a scholarship to Shakti's next Elemental Hoopdance Teacher Training session. Since I already know that if you don't try, you can't win (2014 Flowbot Winner here!), I thought I would give it my best shot to try and win the scholarship. Here is my entry, trying to keep it simple as usual.
The other entries were stunning, and I think any one of them would be deserving of the scholarship. Best of luck to all the entrants!
The other entries were stunning, and I think any one of them would be deserving of the scholarship. Best of luck to all the entrants!
Friday 22 August 2014
Day 243 - Fall Classes
Fall hoop classes are a go!
10 Week sessions starting the week of September 15:
Hoop Foundations 2 - Mondays 7-8
Hoop Foundations 1 - Wednesdays 7:30-8:30
3 Payment options:
Early bird rate (before September 8) - $90 for 10 weeks
Regular session rate - $100 for 10 weeks
Drop in rate - $12/class
Classes are held at Head Over Heels Gymnastics in Collingwood. For the Monday group there is also the option to stay afterwards for their adult open gym. The cost for adult gym is $5 and you can use the time to practice your hoop skills, or use the gymnastics equipment to work on strength and flexibility.
Class descriptions:
Hoop Foundations 1 focuses on the basics of hoop dance like hooping on the waist, hips, and shoulders. We learn not only how to do these moves but also how to move and dance (or flow) while hooping. We will learn how to coil the hoops up and down our bodies, as well as different ways to bring the hoops on and off our bodies. In addition to on the body hooping, we will also learn many off body movements such as hand spins, passing the hoop around our bodies, weaves, isolations and more. Each week we will put together a short sequence to learn how to transition between moves and link them into flow sessions. There will also be lots of fun tricks in the mix as well. We will learn all this and more!
Hoop Foundations 2 builds on the movements learned in foundations 1. In this class we'll start to refine and smooth out our hoop dance movements and transitions. We will learn some more intermediate skills such as leg hooping and angle hooping, as well as some more interesting tricks and isolations. We will continue to put these moves together into sequences to help us dance with our hoops and unlock flow. By the time you are finished with this class you will truly feel like a hoop dancer!
Contact me for more information or to register.
martina_rae@rogers.com
Like Hoopla Hula Hoops on Facebook to stay up to date!
10 Week sessions starting the week of September 15:
Hoop Foundations 2 - Mondays 7-8
Hoop Foundations 1 - Wednesdays 7:30-8:30
3 Payment options:
Early bird rate (before September 8) - $90 for 10 weeks
Regular session rate - $100 for 10 weeks
Drop in rate - $12/class
Classes are held at Head Over Heels Gymnastics in Collingwood. For the Monday group there is also the option to stay afterwards for their adult open gym. The cost for adult gym is $5 and you can use the time to practice your hoop skills, or use the gymnastics equipment to work on strength and flexibility.
Class descriptions:
Hoop Foundations 1 focuses on the basics of hoop dance like hooping on the waist, hips, and shoulders. We learn not only how to do these moves but also how to move and dance (or flow) while hooping. We will learn how to coil the hoops up and down our bodies, as well as different ways to bring the hoops on and off our bodies. In addition to on the body hooping, we will also learn many off body movements such as hand spins, passing the hoop around our bodies, weaves, isolations and more. Each week we will put together a short sequence to learn how to transition between moves and link them into flow sessions. There will also be lots of fun tricks in the mix as well. We will learn all this and more!
Hoop Foundations 2 builds on the movements learned in foundations 1. In this class we'll start to refine and smooth out our hoop dance movements and transitions. We will learn some more intermediate skills such as leg hooping and angle hooping, as well as some more interesting tricks and isolations. We will continue to put these moves together into sequences to help us dance with our hoops and unlock flow. By the time you are finished with this class you will truly feel like a hoop dancer!
Contact me for more information or to register.
martina_rae@rogers.com
Like Hoopla Hula Hoops on Facebook to stay up to date!
Monday 18 August 2014
Day 239 - Never Bored
Remember when I was bored? Well, I am happy to say that I am no longer bored!
I think I was in a bit of a hooping rut. Ruts happen, whether it is in hooping or in life. The trick is to remember that it is just a phase.
Every since returning from In Flow I have felt like I have so much new and exciting material to work on, so I never feel bored! If I get tired of working on one thing, I move to something else. Sometimes I'll start to feel myself getting bored, and then I'll remember something we learned in one of the workshops and go "Oh Yeah!", and will get lost in it all over again.
Obviously I have been completely loving all the twin flow I've discovered and I've been working on that a lot too, but there has been so much more. One thing in particular that I've really enjoyed practicing is the balance work I learned in Tessa's workshop. I have to admit that while I absolutely loved Baxter's workshop in February, I hadn't been particularly inspired to work on balance. I don't know what is different this time around, but I have really been enjoying it. I've been trying to incorporate a little bit of balance into my practice for even just a few minutes every day, and you know what? Tessa was right! I'm already seeing improvement in just a few weeks! It's starting to feel more natural to balance the hoop on the back of my hands now.
I can also see how this type of practice is going to help with other aspects of my hooping as well. I have been working on body rolls for awhile now, and while I have been getting them, I haven't felt like they've been as clean as they should be. Now I think I have approaching it in an incomplete manner, and have been using momentum to fling the hoop across my chest/shoulders instead of using balance to guide it across. Not that what I have been doing is completely wrong, I was just missing the balance portion of it. I'm hoping to have some cleaner, more fluid body rolls on the go soon.
There are so many things I learned from the workshops that I have been incorporating into my everyday flow and practice. I find that Tegan's style of moment jives so well with my own that I'm always using moves I learned from her in my dance. I've also loved many of Beth's moves and flow, especially this break and reverse type of move that involves changing the direction/flow of the hoop behind the back while spiralling up and down. It's hard to explain, but it's a really lovely movement that has been working really well for me.
I love that my hoop practice has been renewed, and that I'm feeling good about my dance again with all these refreshing new movements. It's a good feeling.
I think I was in a bit of a hooping rut. Ruts happen, whether it is in hooping or in life. The trick is to remember that it is just a phase.
Every since returning from In Flow I have felt like I have so much new and exciting material to work on, so I never feel bored! If I get tired of working on one thing, I move to something else. Sometimes I'll start to feel myself getting bored, and then I'll remember something we learned in one of the workshops and go "Oh Yeah!", and will get lost in it all over again.
Obviously I have been completely loving all the twin flow I've discovered and I've been working on that a lot too, but there has been so much more. One thing in particular that I've really enjoyed practicing is the balance work I learned in Tessa's workshop. I have to admit that while I absolutely loved Baxter's workshop in February, I hadn't been particularly inspired to work on balance. I don't know what is different this time around, but I have really been enjoying it. I've been trying to incorporate a little bit of balance into my practice for even just a few minutes every day, and you know what? Tessa was right! I'm already seeing improvement in just a few weeks! It's starting to feel more natural to balance the hoop on the back of my hands now.
I can also see how this type of practice is going to help with other aspects of my hooping as well. I have been working on body rolls for awhile now, and while I have been getting them, I haven't felt like they've been as clean as they should be. Now I think I have approaching it in an incomplete manner, and have been using momentum to fling the hoop across my chest/shoulders instead of using balance to guide it across. Not that what I have been doing is completely wrong, I was just missing the balance portion of it. I'm hoping to have some cleaner, more fluid body rolls on the go soon.
There are so many things I learned from the workshops that I have been incorporating into my everyday flow and practice. I find that Tegan's style of moment jives so well with my own that I'm always using moves I learned from her in my dance. I've also loved many of Beth's moves and flow, especially this break and reverse type of move that involves changing the direction/flow of the hoop behind the back while spiralling up and down. It's hard to explain, but it's a really lovely movement that has been working really well for me.
I love that my hoop practice has been renewed, and that I'm feeling good about my dance again with all these refreshing new movements. It's a good feeling.
Tuesday 12 August 2014
Day 233 - Twin Love
Right after my reverse three beat weave success I decided to try and tackle the Fountain. It is another two hoop move that involves moving from a forwards double weave, to a backwards double weave, to a windmill overhead and back into a forwards one. Three beats are spent in each move to create a fluid motion where the hoops travel across the body and overhead in a circular motion, all the while spinning on the hands. I must admit this move looked easier than it actually was.
The first tutorial I watched to try and figure it out was by Caroleena, but I didn't find it helpful at all. In fact I found it really confusing. So I looked for another one and ended up finding one that was long, but that broke it down in a way that made a bit more sense. I can't remember who made the tutorial. The girl explained what each hand had to do individually and that really helped, but I was still really struggling with figuring it out just by watching the tutorial.
The following day I decided to just go outside and work it out for myself. I took it one step at a time, first teaching myself how to move from the forwards weave into the backwards one. I tried it one hand at a time, then with both. That section wasn't too difficult to figure out once I got the hand switches down. Figuring out how to move from the backwards weave into the windmill was trickier. The right hand was no problem as no surface switches were necessary, but my left hand kept getting tangled somewhere. I had to really think about where my hand needed to get to in order to start the windmill portion.
After keeping at it for awhile it finally clicked initially, and I was able to begin to put all the moves together, surface switches and all. It still took quite a bit more practice to get it right consistently though. My hands kept tangling up and my hooping kept knocking each other all over the place. Quite often I'd get the correct switch from one hand but not the other hand, which would cause me to knock my hoops and drop them. This move took a lot of concentration and coordination.
But finally, FINALLY, I got it! It started coming more consistently. It's a funny move though, because I would get on a roll and do it smoothly for a few minutes, then I'd stop and when I started again I wouldn't be able to do it. It was somewhat frustrating! Now after a few days of drilling it, I can do it quite fluidly. I do find one part still a bit tricky, it is the part I had a hard time figuring out where my left hand needs to move through the backwards weave and into the windmill. I'm working on my wrists but the hoop still goes a bit wonky. Still I am getting it which is awesome! This move does take a lot of concentration though to keep up with all the turning and the surfaces switches going on at the same time.
The Fountain is a really cool move. I have to say it looks just awesome. I love that I can incorporate it into my twin flow.
I am really addicted to my twin hoops right now. Now that I'm learning more of these types of moves, I am finding a lot more flow with the twins and am finally starting to feel like I can dance with them more.
Here are some double/twin videos I've taken recently. One is from a few weeks ago with my minis, and the other is from the other day after I learned the Fountain and started using it in my dance.
The first tutorial I watched to try and figure it out was by Caroleena, but I didn't find it helpful at all. In fact I found it really confusing. So I looked for another one and ended up finding one that was long, but that broke it down in a way that made a bit more sense. I can't remember who made the tutorial. The girl explained what each hand had to do individually and that really helped, but I was still really struggling with figuring it out just by watching the tutorial.
The following day I decided to just go outside and work it out for myself. I took it one step at a time, first teaching myself how to move from the forwards weave into the backwards one. I tried it one hand at a time, then with both. That section wasn't too difficult to figure out once I got the hand switches down. Figuring out how to move from the backwards weave into the windmill was trickier. The right hand was no problem as no surface switches were necessary, but my left hand kept getting tangled somewhere. I had to really think about where my hand needed to get to in order to start the windmill portion.
After keeping at it for awhile it finally clicked initially, and I was able to begin to put all the moves together, surface switches and all. It still took quite a bit more practice to get it right consistently though. My hands kept tangling up and my hooping kept knocking each other all over the place. Quite often I'd get the correct switch from one hand but not the other hand, which would cause me to knock my hoops and drop them. This move took a lot of concentration and coordination.
But finally, FINALLY, I got it! It started coming more consistently. It's a funny move though, because I would get on a roll and do it smoothly for a few minutes, then I'd stop and when I started again I wouldn't be able to do it. It was somewhat frustrating! Now after a few days of drilling it, I can do it quite fluidly. I do find one part still a bit tricky, it is the part I had a hard time figuring out where my left hand needs to move through the backwards weave and into the windmill. I'm working on my wrists but the hoop still goes a bit wonky. Still I am getting it which is awesome! This move does take a lot of concentration though to keep up with all the turning and the surfaces switches going on at the same time.
The Fountain is a really cool move. I have to say it looks just awesome. I love that I can incorporate it into my twin flow.
I am really addicted to my twin hoops right now. Now that I'm learning more of these types of moves, I am finding a lot more flow with the twins and am finally starting to feel like I can dance with them more.
Here are some double/twin videos I've taken recently. One is from a few weeks ago with my minis, and the other is from the other day after I learned the Fountain and started using it in my dance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)