Hooping.org

[Bonnie MacDougall joins the Hooping.org team this week, just in time to help you get out of your current hooping rut.]

by Bonnie MacDougall

Has your hooping gotten a little stale? Last week I performed at a retirement home for a group of delightful men and women, who were more than generous with compliments at the end of the hour long set.  One beautiful woman even approached me to say, “Honey, I am an artist and that was wonderful.  Now I am going to go to my room and paint you.” I was humbled. Their praise left me feeling comfortable and satisfied that I had done my job of providing them with an afternoon of entertainment, but on a deeper, personal level I was disappointed.

Throughout the set I felt like I performed the same moves repeatedly and was unable to get out of this pattern. I found myself thinking too much while hooping and not enjoying what I was doing. The smile plastered on my face was purely for the audience, but inside I was struggling to find different ways to move with my hoop, my dance partner. Ugh, I was in a hooping rut, but what was I going to do about it?

When I came home my hoop sister, Lauren Currier, and I began brainstorming ways to move forward and I’m here to tell you that they really work. Here are our top ten ways to turn a hooping rut into a hooping channel for further growth and movement.

1. Hoop! Don’t give up. One of the first things many of us are inclined to do when in a rut is to put the hoop down and walk away. Don’t do it! Pick your hoop up, embrace it, and have confidence that this is just temporary and you will move through it. Then follow some (or all) of these other tips.

2. Remember you are not alone.  In my 9+ years of hooping I never met a hooper who did not at some point find themselves stuck in a hooping rut. You are not alone! You will get through this!

3. Change your music. Often something as simple as changing your music to a slightly different, or perhaps dramatically different, genre will effect the way you dance with your hoop and produce openings in your hooping you did not know were possible.

4. Drill, drill and then drill some more.  Work on things you are already do well and refine the movement.  Spend part of you hoop practice drilling a specific technique over and over and over again, bringing your attention to each part of the process. What are my feet doing, my breath, my hands, shoulders, my head, etc.? Be very aware. There is no such thing as perfection, so you can always improve and develop new skills. Drilling is often the time when breakthroughs arrive.

5. Hoop in your non-dominant direction (second current).  It is important to stay balanced on both sides of your body, but often hoopers forget to hoop in their second current.  Spend a song, or entire hoop session working in your second current.  Hoop on your waist, shoulders, legs, or anywhere on your core in second current and see what opens up.  Likewise with off body hooping, switch hands so that you are hooping with your dominant and non-dominant hand. This type of focus balances your body and range of skills.

6. Hoop blindfolded. Baxter of the HoopPath introduced this method of hooping “blind” years ago and it has caught on for a reason.  When you are blindfolded there are no distractions from the outside world, allowing the hooper to go deeper into his/her own practice and work on the intricacies of their movements with the hoop, as well as have a more meditative practice. When one sense of the body of the body is removed other senses become heightened, allowing you to connect with your hoop in new ways.

7. Hoop with other people.  The energy that is created when people get together to hoop is bound to put a smile on your face.  Hooping with others creates an opportunity to learn to skills, build community, and share your hoop knowledge.

8. Find a class.  If you live in an area with local classes, sign up for one!  This is great way to learn new ways of moving within the hoop that can help you climb out of your rut.  If classes aren’t possible, look at the 281 free online tutorials here on Hooping.org that can also teach you and add to your library of moves.

9. Teach someone else! Whether you are teaching someone else how to waist hoop or a more advanced skill, teaching others is a valuable way to realize how far you have come. Giving back to the community can help you break moves down in simple steps that may improve your own hooping.  Teaching others often will open up your own hooping to new movements and improve your current repertoire and skill set.

10. Do something creative outside the hoop.  Write, bake, paint, draw, sing, play an instrument, dance without your hoop, and the list goes on! Opening your creative channels in other areas can foster a positive influence on your hooping when you step back into the circle. So whether you hoop then take a break to do another creative exercise, then hoop again, or set the hoop down for a day and create in a whole new way, just remember to keep creating, holding a space for your unique potential. Creativity breeds creativity.

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Bonnie MacDougall of HavenHoopDance has been in the spin since 2003. She lives in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

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