Rolling It Back
February 20, 2012 in Community, Features
[Hooping.org's Editor Philo Hagen puts it in reverse.]
by Philo Hagen
Over the years as I’ve watched the hooping movement rise from the music festivals and underground dance community events and spin it’s way into a more mainstream world, I’ve always been aware of the fact that there was an “us” and a “them”. For those who started hooping more recently the thought may not have even occurred to you. What am I talking about? The answer can be found in our very use of the word “hooping” in and of itself. A decade ago we created our own language and dropped the hula to instantaneously let people know this was something different. This wasn’t your Grandma’s hula hoop. The hoops of today were customized, adult-sized and so ready to roll that anyone, anywhere, could spin one up. And we discovered, quite by accident, that hooping was actually great exercise too. When the news about that started getting out more people joined us inside the circle in pursuit of fun and fitness.
In the last few years, however, the differentiating line began to blur. Old school circus hula hoopers like Mat Plendl, Miss Saturn and Marawa The Amazing became our friends. With the rising popularity of hooping too, new school circus performers caught the bug and even started putting their acrobatic spin on it. Poi spinners and other object manipulators, originally reluctant to hoop, discovered they liked it too and began shrinking our hoops into smaller, light-weight circles for weaving and what not, making it easier on their hands. Then someone decided hanging upside down from an aerial hoop was hooping too and soon the Cyr Wheel and mini-hoops came rolling our way. They’re both hoop shaped so they count too, right? And as things expanded further and further the luminaries from the fringes cheered it on saying, “We need to keep pushing it forward!” And today I whole heartedly disagree. While Hooping.org has followed the hoops for years, in whatever direction they were traveling, the time has come to say enough and roll it on back. Here’s why.
1) One Size Does Not Fit All: Back in the early days of hooping we were very clear in telling people that toy store hoops were for kids, not adults. The community was collectively in support of a quest for every hooper everywhere to find the hoop that was right for them. Recently, and with increasing frequency, I’ve had conversations, mostly with women, who’ve purchased hoops online, from a variety of places, places I would’ve assumed would know better, who were told things like, “I guarantee this 34 inch hoop will be perfect for you”. The hooper was never asked about their body type. They were never asked their height or weight. They weren’t asked anything really and none of them were able to hoop with the hoops they purchased – and these are just the stories from those who’ve bothered to contact us afterwards for advice. How many countless others out there have simply thrown in the towel believing hooping really isn’t for them, that their negative “I can’t” self talk was right all along?
2) Negativity Is So Negative: In the early years our community was as inclusive as it was loving, probably because a) we were mostly hippies and ravers who were really all about the love anyway, and b) those who joined in the fun were happy, silly, playful people who were attracted to the fun we were having. There was a lot of mutual support and encouragement everywhere. So when hoopers leave comments on a video like, “She just did the same thing over and over again. I’d like the last 4 minutes of my life back!” – it’s clear times have changed. When popular hoopers post videos on Facebook making fun of others and people chime in tearing someone apart my skin crawls. If this is what we get with the continuing expansion of hooping, it’s no wonder some are getting turned off. In fact a dear hooping friend I love left the hoop world recently. Why? In their words, “What I used to love about it has changed. The hoop community, I feel, is going in a different direction. What was once pretty and sexy and fun has become mechanical and somewhat harsh. I loved, I mean loved to hoop, but all the other stuff has me getting too down on myself as a result.” Most of us, to varying degrees, have our own internal critic to contend with, a voice that can be more than enough of a challenge without any additional junior high school nonsense.
3) It’s Hard To See From The Inside: I love Revolva. She’s in all honesty and sincerity one of the most underrated hula hoopers out there, probably because she’s often silly and having fun while showcasing her incredible skills. While I admire her personal interest in always challenging herself in new directions, mine remains right smack in the center of the circle. I love hooping. Hoop dance spun it’s way into my life and it isn’t going anywhere. That’s why I have to disagree with something she said recently. At the end of The Revolvies, her personal hoop awards, in predicting an Acro Hoop Explosion (which involves doing yoga poses while being balanced by a partner and hooping) she said, “’I just dance with [a hoop] is so 2004″ while doing a cartwheel in your 40′s is so 2012. Excuse me? I know she was just being clever, but no one in my independent casual random survey of hoopers in their 40′s has expressed any interest in learning cartwheels. A few did, however, utilize the opportunity in my info exchange to ask for hoop dance advice. It reminds me that the problem with being inside the hooping community is that it’s very hard to really see it for what it is. What may seem very 2004 to someone who was hooping back then is still very 2012 to the one who hasn’t seen it before – which is still most people everywhere. Case in point: which video this weekend by a non-celebrity raked up a startling 12,000 views in a mere 24 hours? If this isn’t indicative that it’s time to roll the hoop back, I don’t know what is (furry footies optional).
4) Conformity is Boring: Every snowflake is individually designed to be unique. The same goes for people right down to our fingerprints. At Hoopcamp last year I taught a class called “Deconstructing Your Hoop Experience” where many expressed that they’d gotten caught up in trying to emulate and be someone other than themselves. They were so inspired by their instructor or a well-known hooper that they were trying to BE them, rather than taking what they could learn back into an even greater vision of themselves. The result of following too closely is almost always a loss of authenticity – the single most important ingredient our community cherishes. Think of the hoopers who have dazzled our world the most and they are all so uniquely themselves. If we’re all following along in a quest to move like so-and-so, or hoop in a hoop so small we’ve lost the freedom to dance and move, sacrificing the additional space we originally loved in a down-sizing quest to appease who the hell knows, then we’re losing the opportunity to be the bright, shiny hoop stars of our own creation, the one the Universe wants us to be.
Hoop dance rules uniquely. The night I discovered hooping I knew that I had found something incredible. Five minutes into it when all the chatter in my head began to silence and I found myself centered within my body, I came home. I exhaled. As a result I’ve rediscovered flow and joy and movement in my life. In every interview I’ve done with hoop dancers over the years, whenever I’ve asked the question, “How has hooping changed your life” the answers have been endless. There’s something incredibly powerful about a hoop spinning around the very core of our being. This very spin has the power to heal and transform lives as we have heard testament to time and time again. There’s always more for us to learn from the hoop itself. While I’m glad that the “us” and “them” lines were erased to allow our community to be even more inclusive of hoopers of all persuasions everywhere, at the fundamental core it’s very important for Hooping.org’s message to remain as simple and clear as it was when this site began, so that the marvel that is hooping can be enjoyed by all who hear the call.
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Philo Hagen is the Co-founder and Managing Editor of Hooping.org. He’s been spinning things up online and off since April 2003.
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joanw said on February 21, 2012
Can’t thank you enough for this article.
Hoopasaurus said on February 21, 2012
It’s sad that people critisize each other about hooping. I take yoga with an older crowd like 40-60′s so I won’t feel judged like younger women my age tend to do. I think people need to step back and realize that hooping is for the love of the hoop and the people in one of the most peaceful communities I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing.
kida said on February 21, 2012
I have so much respect and love for performers, innovators, prop manipulators of all kinds, and the average joe who like to do things with hula hoops and other other objects. I have only been hooping since dec of 2010 and luckily for me I have only ever experienced support and love from the hoop community.
I’ve never felt any pressure to do things a certain way, or follow someone else. I have always experienced it as something I just do because it makes me happy and because i love to play.
I 100 % support everyone with any hoop/hoops or object in their path to happiness. I say just do whatever it is that makes you happy whether its multi prop play or just hoops, respect everyone, love them, love yourself, and don’t take life to seriously. I think the hoop community is starting to blend in with other prop manipulation communities without loosing its identity.
One thing I love about our local community here is that it’s not just hoopers. It staff people, poi people, rope dart people, fan people, flag & rifle people, belly dancers, contact jugglers, jugglers, dancers, fire object people, slackliners, aerial silks people, etc. We all just get together and have fun playing and experiencing and sharing and supporting each other. It’s pretty beautiful. Many of the people in the community here do more than just hoop. I thinks its a love of play, movement, and flow.
I don’t think it is possible to roll it back on a community level at this point because the hoop community is so huge and has developed so many different paths. On a personal level i think it is possible to roll it back though because it is also a personal experience. But on a communal level I think forward is the only path that can happen.
I have so much love for you all! Thanks for sharing your article Philo and thank you to everyone sharing your comments.
Marigold said on February 21, 2012
I was thinking this morning (before reading any of this) that my passion for hooping came prior to any knowledge of the hoop community even existing, and how I have found myself distracted away from my own gorgeous, spontaneous private practice in some ways by becoming involved with the community. It’s very easy for me to become disheartened seeing the amazing skills of different or more experienced hoopers but at the end of the day, it is my responsibility to manage this tendency in myself to look too much at others and compare etc. and to bring myself back to centre so to speak. And this practice of centering, balanced with that of allowing and appreciating all others exactly as they are, is probably cultivating the most valuable perspective. Within these conversations I see the gift of us all learning to transcend any lack of love for self or others.
It’s all good
Hoopalicious said on February 21, 2012
Hi everyone! Wow.. what a hot topic, eh? I appreciate all the passion displayed here and thought I would chime in with my own thoughts on the subject.
This is sure complicated and has many facets. On the social level, when any community grows the number of voices increase and as such the potential for those voices to be dissenting also grows. Beautifully, we have a choice to celebrate the different lenses viewing the art of hooping as diversity rather than viewpoints that negate the other.
In terms of the art of hoop dance, Like Khan mentioned I don’t think that anyone ever SAID “do it my way because it’s better”, but there has been a trend to smaller hoops and as the glamorous star power hoopers have become more visible and are using (mainly) smaller hoops, it is a given that the psyche of the observer will determine, however unconsciously, that smaller is the way to be a skilled or “cool” hooper these days. I myself have had major insecurities because I saw these trends happen, yet I was still drawn to hoop mostly on the body. I am certainly guilty of subtly making these new forms “wrong” out of defense of my style. I have come to my senses thankfully and I take the opportunity to really own my expression without needing to down anyone else’s. I am a body rocker!! That being said I love to go off body as well and have taken literally YEARS to slowly size down to my current 35 inch 5/8th HDPE in order to develop the skill to continue to body rock in a hoop that could also accommodate the newer off body skills I have learned and am learning (it never ends). Everyone’s expression should be up to them. I mean if someone said “oil painting is way cooler that watercolor”, you would look at them like they were nuts!
I think there is a problem here though. I think what Philo is trying to point out is that there is a lack of education happening for newer hoopers. While clearly no-one can be expected to educate everyone who sees them hoop, I do think that those that sell hoops or teach hoop dance should be clear about the functions and uses of various sizes of hoops. I think that Philo is right in being concerned that some people may be walking away thinking they can’t hoop because they were sold, or tried to hoop with a too small hoop the first time. I am convinced that hoop dance got on the map because it became accessible to all due to the larger hoops that we were using. It would be a shame if through lack of education the number of people being lit up by the hoop for the first time EVER was drastically reduced. Just the other day we had an older man with a big belly come to our jam. He couldn’t keep up even a big, heavy 42 inch hoop. We gave him a partner size hoop and he was golden. By the end of the jam he was rocking and rolling on the hoop he couldn’t keep up in the beginning. Imagine if all we had were smaller lighter hoops? This poor guy would have walked away sad and frustrated.
For years I pushed against the notion that bigger hoops are “beginner” or “easier” and smaller hoops are “advanced” or “harder”. Then I realized it is a common notion because on one level it’s TRUE. Hooping on body is most accessible with a large heavy hoop (making it a “beginner hoop”) and MUCH more difficult with a smaller lighter hoop. It takes tremendous skill to hoop (not to mention dance) with a lighter smaller hoop on body, which is why I sized down super super slowly. However, when you talk about off body the inverse it true. It is MUCH easier to hoop with a smaller lighter hoop in the hand than a big ol heavy hoop. You don’t tend to hear that end of the conversation though. ☺ But just because it is more skilled or harder is not a reason to do it! A lot of people actually just really prefer the feel of a heavier or larger hoop. And that is totally OK. Hooping is about a lot of things, but living up to others perceived expectations of ones self is not one of them. THANK GOD!
Unfortunately it is human nature to prefer to appear as advanced rather than beginner. The off body stuff is just plain flashier and can appear more skilled than on body hooping. Hooping on body takes a ton of focus and dedication, but it really doesn’t look like much. It’s benefits are huge but really only for the hooper not the watcher. So the real issue here is pointing to the notion that advanced is somehow better than beginner. Sad really.. I mean is an adult “better” than a baby? Is a flower in full bloom “better” than a bud?
People will be attracted to what they are attracted to. We cannot control the flow of the art nor should we try. I think all of us teachers and hoop providers just need to be really aware of why we are doing this. If it’s to truly affect more peoples lives with the magic of hoop dance, I believe it behooves us all to know that different hoop sizes provide different functions, and when a person needs a bigger hoop OR smaller hoop to provide that. Teachers and hoop makers, bigger IS the easiest access to first time hoopers learning hooping on the body. Smaller IS the easiest access to hand hooping and off body explorations. There is nothing personal in any of this, it just comes down to mechanics. Lets bring the individual back when we provide hoops to new hoopers (and seasoned hoopers alike). What makes YOU tick?
Bonnie said on February 21, 2012
Thank you Thank you Thank you Anah! Hit the nail on the head.
Tilly Whirls said on February 21, 2012
Yes!!! This! Exactly this! Anah has boiled it down so well.
I’ve been hooping for just over a year. I created my website when I’d been hooping for about two or three months. I edited it today for the first time since I made those pages. On the page about hoops and hoop sizes I said something along the lines of (and this is simplifying) “The better you get the smaller hoop you’ll use. Most people work their way down to hoops as small as 30-32 inches.” I couldn’t believe I said that!!! MOST?! That’s insane! I also think I may have given a friend a hoop a few inches too small. She was really interested in it but hasn’t gotten the hang of it though she’s tried intermittently. I hardly see her and I’m sad that I didn’t make her a big enough hoop. (I was fairly new at the time I made it for her.)
While I play with hoops of all sizes and have hoops that are small and light, I’ve found myself pulling out my large hoops again more often because I realized I was losing strength by playing only with small hoops. I could hoop for an hour or longer with only water breaks with a 1/2″ or polypro hoop, but after about 20 minutes with a “beginner” hoop I was completely exhausted. I found a need to get back to basics and make sure I’m working with hoops of all different sizes.
In my classes I also realized I need to use a big hoop, like my students. I need to feel what they’re feeling as they work to execute moves for the first time. That way I know if they’re exhausted and need a break, if a move might leave bruises, etc. I wouldn’t be able to tell if I only used my small hoops.
Lastly, over the last year I often felt like better meant smaller. I felt like better meant sick isos and really technical and fast movements, and crazy awesome mini hooping. But that’s not me. I do a little of it, but I’m a flowy, dancy, twirly, groovin’ kinda girl. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I’m not a great off-body hooper because I just don’t love it like I love dancing inside my hoop. And that’s ok! That’s me.
I think Philo was trying to give us a slap on the hand and say, “Be nice hoopers! Don’t judge!” I also think he was trying to tell us to be ourselves, and try and keep an eye out for new hoopers. If you see them getting down on themselves because they “failed” at hooping because they started with a kids hoop and couldn’t successfully waist hoop, let them know to try to start bigger (and how that’s ok!). I feel like the timing of this is spot on. Just yesterday I was trying to decide which of my videos to link to on the local community center’s Facebook page (where I teach) and I was torn between choosing a video where I was using a big hoop, and one where I was using a small hoop. Because I didn’t want people to sign up for the class thinking they were going to be expected to be able to hoop with a small hoop! I almost felt like writing a disclaimers on it—I’m using a small hoop in this video but in class we’ll use larger adult hoops! You WILL be able to do it!
Anyway, I don’t think Philo was saying forget the new styles, or anything like that. Just be aware that what you say and do (even jokingly) can have a big impact on someone who’s new to the circle and could potentially turn them off entirely.
Hoop love to you all.
Ann-Marie Phalen-Hartman said on February 21, 2012
My daughters convinced me to try the uber huge hoop… and it worked. 3 years later and I work the medium sized hoop… but it boils down to physics. I have convinced engineer types to try the hoop based on the premise that the hoop WANTS to orbit the person… only a larger hoop WANTS to orbit. From that fundamental physics lesson, the hooper learns to project gravitational pull.
Sue Wilkinson said on February 22, 2012
Anah, you took an element and you perfected it. No one holds a candle to you in a hoop when it comes to body rocking.
One of the first things that attracted me to you and your hooping when I started though was the evidently larger size of hoop you used. Like Caroleeena, you gave me confidence that I could perhaps do it. I was quite surprised at SWHoop how small your hoop was!
It’s probably good that you took that time out to realise that you had so much to offer as you were and that you were in fact your own trend and could happily stay there and still inspire and motivate.
Hoop Zombie said on February 21, 2012
thank you for this! well said!
Hoopalicious said on February 21, 2012
oh yeah and if you don’t know what body rocking is.. here is a little video: http://youtu.be/s7zevxPLqQA
Harlow said on February 21, 2012
GREAT article!
Hoopacabra said on February 21, 2012
I’ve kicked around the hoop world for about two years now, and some of my fondest memories are of Philo walking up to complete strangers at LA Hoop Jams and literally welcoming them with open arms. Ask me if I experienced that same sort of open, joyful, heartfelt connection by others at his level in the hooping community at larger gatherings. Not so much… And the coolest thing I learned at HoopCamp? That came from Philo’s workshop where for the first time ever, I heard someone say, “what’s wrong with T-Rex arms?”, or something along those lines. Such a different perspective–it really made me think. His message was about inclusivity, without competition, criticism or negativity. I was then, and remain today, impressed. Thank you, Philo, for keeping it real!
DaisyD said on February 22, 2012
I <3 my T-Rex arms
Philo Hagen said on February 22, 2012
You rule the school!
Jen Rose said on February 21, 2012
It’s obvious that the hooping world is having some growing pains. I think Philo hit the nail on the head when he discussed negativity. It is easy to compare us to others instead of comparing us to ourselves. 98% of my hooping is done alone. Sometimes when I interact with other hoopers I catch waves of the hooping collective and it usually throws me for a loop. These are just a few less-than-positive questions that have gone through my mind based on feedback from other hoopers.
1. “What the hell is polypro and why it’s better.”
2. “Is hoop tape out and sanding in?”
3. “Ohhh, that judge in hooping contest _____ just said she would like to see that contestant use a smaller hoop. Maybe my hoop is too big.”
4. “Shit, the weave is uncool now? WTF!”
5. “Did she just say my tape was inferior?”
Thanks, Philo, for starting this discussion!
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
LOLARAMA JEN! <3
Jenni said on February 21, 2012
Thanks for the great article. I’m very much a beginning hooper. I have been a beginner for about a year, and I still can’t keep the hoop going for very long. I’m a very plus-size hooper, and I have an amazing 54″ hoop that is all grip tape (black with skulls, because it’s cute). It’s getting really thrashed from dropping it on the concrete or at the dog park. But I love it. Hooping is making me happy in a way that I haven’t felt in years. I also love my mini hoops, and the few simple things I can do with them (Thanks Nicole and Sarah!) also make me very happy. I don’t care if I ever get “good” at hooping, I will keep doing it because I have a great time and it makes me laugh.
XOXO
Jenni
Hoopalicious said on February 22, 2012
YES! work it girl.
Philo Hagen said on February 24, 2012
Yay Jenni!
Maiki Nope said on February 22, 2012
hi, Philo!
i’m a super new hooper. this is acctually my 1st time on hooping.org. i’d like to share my take on your article with you. you listed a buch of amalgamations that have taken place in the hoop world over the years. you seem to be ok with “circus hooping” but when you mentioned poi spinners you said ” Poi spinners and other object manipulators, originally reluctant to hoop, discovered they liked it too and began shrinking our hoops into smaller, light-weight circles for weaving and what not, making it easier on their hands.” i’m a poi spinner and i like poi style hooping a lot. i kinda took this as a hint, people like me may be bastardized “y’alls” hoops (because you say “our hoops”) to suit our needs. (imo bigger hoops are way easier to weave with btw) anyhoo, you go on to talk about how “someone decided” aerial hoop was hooping too. that has a tone that suggest, atleast to me, if it were up to you to decide if lira got to be hooping you’d choose to exclude it. finally you say cyr wheel and minis rolled in as well. you write “they’re both hoop shaped so they should count too. right?” a rhetorical question that seems to beg the answer “no” as the answer “yes” wouldn’t really be in theme with the rest of the paragraph. you do after all end it by saying “And as things expanded further and further the luminaries from the fringes cheered it on saying, ‘We need to keep pushing it forward!’ And today I whole heartedly disagree.” now, i understand you’re not out right putting any of the aforementioned arts/styles down or excluding them. however, i do feel like the tone of this article is particulary tricky to get my head around.
peace,
maiki
Philo Hagen said on February 22, 2012
Thanks Maiki. I’m with you, I get it and I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I think it has to be hard to take in a decade of hoop community history in a single paragraph, particularly if you’re new and don’t really know it, but that’s what it was, a super-mini catch-up on the last ten seasons for those just tuning in. Back in the day there was an “us” and a “them” – old school hulas vs new school hoop dancers. Later that dissolved. I didn’t elaborate on poi-style hooping because it’s so much a part of the hoop world today. I assumed that was a given. Keep spinning things up!
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
WOW you guys GO FOR IT! Y’all should know that Uranus and Pluto are coming into square each other soon for a significant amount of time so this kinda bust the wall down REVOLUTIONARY talk n walk is well scheduled. We spin in this world but are we of it? Hope not! Let’s not allow our tribe fall simply and oh so complexly because we have grown large enough to split into factions. Intergalactic Space Babes UNITE in Bali @ Sacred Circularities where we immerse ourselves in the sacred circle irrespective of trends n styles. It’s about the LOVE yo! Decompression @ HOOP DREAM in the Desert of OZ mid July where you are free to spin and dance as you like BYO hoops and everything else you might need including your own workshops. It’s a DIY exercise in self-direction. Maybe some jelly wrestling @ Hoop Camp to sort it out? In all honesty, i’m gonna out myself right now. I stopped visiting California for a reason and kept myself in the Southern hemisphere and Bali in particular to take a different path for now. As much as i LOVE the hoop community so heavily anchored in the US and the HOT hoopness OH SO MUCH and cant get enough of pre/post Hoop Camp / Harbin Haight shopathon and still follow the scene from afar online (daily)… it was just too much. I found myself overwhelmed by the cult of personality celebrity parades >> hyperscheduled on the workshop front >> and just not interested enough to figure out how to make my hands do all those goddam 100 beat weaves!!! In class when my students come up and ask me how to do all those ultra tricky hand tricks that have most of my “advanced” students in wrist braces i just say, “i dont teach that… you might want to ask X when she’s back on board or go find a tutorial online.” To me the difference is a split between the mind and the body. Hoopdance is where we switch the body ON and turn the mind OFF. Basically it’s therapy for a world that i find quite frankly way too mental. Entertaining as they are and inviting to all the guys out there who feel too gay if they REALLY GET THEIR HOOP ON all those new tricks and trends in the hoop community are amping up the mind like it’s our next God. Hello Uranus!! And another trick to figure out like it’s the next best puzzle… and another one… and another one. I LOVE that it is my portal for getting little boys into the hoop! I don’t like that it’s become like some endless quest for the next best hoop hero. Forgive the tangental rant (it’s been a long 16 + year hoop journey >> it’s late at night >> my book is due out in 2013) … but I can’t help but feel that Philo has made some very right ON points EVEN THO one of my major hoop goals right now as i am about to turn 40 (sssshhhhh!) is to drop into a back bend possibly with a walk over followed by the splits. I <3 YOGA! So. IN essence… for me less is more. My first year off from Hoop Camp was an intention ONE WOMAN RETREAT in Bali after the first Sacred Circularities to rediscover my love for the hoop, to find my centre, to stop externalising and taking notes from others and to take note of myself. I had to eject. If i didn't i would have shrivelled up and turned bitter like Philo and Anah have experienced because they are so goddamn immersed innit and NEED TO GET OUT! Witch brings to me another recommendation – COME TO BALI! COME TO AUSTRALIA. FORGET BURNING MAN TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT YO! It's way too over the top anyway. Come to the desert of OZ. It's EMPTY! HOOP DREAM JULY 2012. Don't say i haven't given you enough warning as i threw it down @ Hoop Camp 2009 as my way of offering back to the hoop community. My message is clear – CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE! and learn how to direct yourself creatively in this world otherwise we are but mere lemmings ready to drop as the numbers dictate. I think i'm done…
Sue Wilkinson said on February 22, 2012
I love this Bunny. Can’t quite understand why, but I do. Follow your dream, take that break, revert to you. Be it. Don’t follow it.
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
Sue where’s the confusion?
Sue Wilkinson said on February 22, 2012
No confusion, just liked what you said because it was coming from you I think. Not sure, it just spoke to me. You are what I would class as a very famous hooper and performer and someone who has been up there running around all the events and things and therefore pushing it forwards yourself, yet you feel a need now to take a break, stand back, re-evalue and take stock. I guess I didn’t expect that from you. But I liked it when you said it.
I’m sick! I probably don’t make sense.
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
Gotcha! And thank you for your sweet words. I might be standing back from the US hoopdance mecca way down here in the Southern hemisphere but i do so with a very ferocious hoop mission, not many breaks (unless we are talking hoop breaks in witch case they are busting loose all over my body / off body), my journal and my laptop. I love watching it and documenting it. I got my Intergalactic Space Babe eyessss onnit baby. It fascinates me beyond belief and i think is an incredible cultural revolution in itself. As a full time over time hooper it’s challenging to hold the passion for what was also once my hobby and now has become my job but that’s the ultimate right. It’s only that as with most things in life i take it as far as i possibly can and then a whole heap further resulting in often hard hits against the hoop wall. But i always get up for more. Try and stop me
This is an exciting time where hoopers are making a mark not only out in the bigger world but amongst themselves. Have we all just collectively stopped to consider WTF we are all doing here in this awesome circle. Hope so! Consciousness counts for a lot these daze. Trends tastes styles quips rants rustling feathers… it’s all part of understanding who we are and what we’re about. Our best teachers are those who stir us up. How friggn AWESOME that this is a SERIOUS discussion about grandma’s hula hoop. FIRST WORLD ISSUE ALERT! Spoiled brats the lot of us. Now lets get on with it and give it back to those who need it the most. There’s a larger purpose to this community than sizing each other up and squabbling about who’s got the bigger better hoop ON. It’s ALL GOOD! We are here to heal each other and all those who touch the sacred circle in wateva way that happens. New passion: Native American Hoop Dance! Very small hoops required 5-30 in number 
xo
Hoopalicious said on February 22, 2012
I love this so much Bunny! yes.. total third world problem! Just wanted to share that I did take about a year off maybe 4 or 5 years ago and wasn’t sure I was coming back for exactly the reasons (and some other personal ones) you stated. I came back when I found that it was still in my heart to hoop and I love this community! I think because of this break I am able to be at cause here without the sense of entanglement. AND I SO WANT TO COME TO HOOP DREAM!!! love you and can’t wait to see you in Bali!
xoxoxox
Philo Hagen said on February 22, 2012
Much love to you Intergalactic Space Babe and thank you for serving a very thoughtful and healthy dish for the soul. I think there is something awesome in here worth turning into a column for Hooping.org.
“If i didn’t i would have shrivelled up and turned bitter like Philo and Anah have experienced because they are so goddamn immersed innit and NEED TO GET OUT!” LOL, I really don’t think I’m bitter these days, though I did indeed spin out for a period a few years ago. Taking a step back to find my own groove again, to get back to my own authentic hooping self, reigniting the joy again while committing myself to not be all “immersed innit” was vital. My world truly revolves around the hoop running Hooping.org, but I’m clear the hoop isn’t my life, it’s a toy and a tool that gives my life the vibrance, radiance, health and wonder that I craved. These days I try to give from my overflow, rather than draining my cup filling others.
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
http://www.hoopdreaming.net/
Sue Wilkinson said on February 22, 2012
I am sitting here catching up with this in my pj’s even though it’s a Wednesday afternoon. I have an excuse. I am sick with flu.
I want to say “thank you” to Philo for posting this and stirring up this can of worms. I hope he’s not feeling too got at by some of the responses. But it’s great that he stuck his neck out and said it and started this meaningful and intelligent dialogue between so many people. This is a real flash back to Tribe and all I loved about it.
I understand what he meant and I understand what others feel and mean too because I can feel all of it. I can’t put it any better so I won’t try. There is a place for all of us. Some of my most idolised hoopers have entered this fray, many feeling a bit put out, but I would ask you all to just step back a minute because many of you are making your living out of what you do so you need to push it forwards to create an edge for yourselves. Pretend for a moment that you were brand new, look about you and see what you feel. Personally I would probably feel intimidated beyond the point where I might think I could start. How many web sites are selling 44″ hoops now? Not many. Yet I needed to start with that sort of size and I still have some hoops bigger than that for beginners to use.
It’s not down to group thinking, it’s down to all of us to be mindful of the new hoopers and to show them enough to inspire them, but to know when to stop before we overwhelm them to the point of leaving before they start or soon after. That can be a lot harder than we might think.
Hoopers really do rock though. The very fact we are having this discussion at all is proof of that.
Jen Raymond said on February 22, 2012
Haaah! You sound like a cranky old dead head! (in a good way) The scene will always be changing. You’ve just got to embrace your position in the wheel and show the newbies what keeps it real!
Deanne Love said on February 22, 2012
Interesting revolutions of thought, ideas and judgement swirling around here today/tonight.
Having spent a good hour on the phone to the delightful Bunny Hoop Star just now, giggling and gasping over comments made and opinions shared, I feel beyond blessed to have spent my mere 5ish years in the hoop swirling in the beauty of a very open, non judgemental and diverse community both in Japan and here in Australia.
I feel like I live a double hoop life sometimes though, previously heavily influenced by hooping celebs, visits to the Mecca and the stream of hoopness via the interwebs yet the communities I share with and teach generally wouldn’t have a clue what poly pro is, who invented the Isopop or that peeps would compete for a Hoopie. All they care about is the awesomeness that the hoop is bringing to their lives and the friends they are making. They keep it so very real for me. Isn’t that what it is all about? Maybe, maybe not. Each to their own.
I too have stepped away from “the scene” (read: stopped stalking hoop gods and goddesses online…except for Malcolm Stuart of course) and found so much abundance in celebrating the pleasure of following my own path, luxuriating in the amplification of my own practice/skills/flow (just like the very early days for me when I didn’t even know hoopers existed – woh come full circle) and celebrating/encouraging that in all hoopers I meet/teach. Feels to me like I am a much better sharer for it. Having said that I am greatly thankful for all the inspiration from all sources and adore the pushing it forward as equally as the old skool videos of hoop rock starz.
I think this calls for a Fleetwood Mac Remix turned way up, don’t you think? “You can go your own way
Go your own way” Sing it with me now…
Hoop love to all, no matter where you hoop it, how you hoop it or what you hoop it with! Push it forward, roll it back, get down low and go go go.
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
The CAPTCHA code in response to this Lady Love is Mala… 108 star blessings to you! Now whats all this Malcolm Stuart stalking about? If i ever return to the Mecca he’s MINE!!! We can fight over him at Mardi Gras darl
if i decide to join the mega bling circle again that is. SAY NO TO BOTOX! TAKE SLEEP INSTEAD! IS THAT MY BANNER??? OMG it’s the Madonna crisis all over again… as the other side of the world wakes up time to dream this dream further! Love ya XO
Deanne Love said on February 22, 2012
Well now, that requires a whole article unto itself. Wonder if you could get a regular guest appearance on H-to-the-org? Probably should really. I am telling you darl it is video response worthy.
LOVE LOVE xx
Wait what were we all talking about? Oh right, hoop love. Yes.
Well then I think we have sufficiently diffused the sitch don’t you? Sweet dreams
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
I will admit that this could be taking the tangent stream too far but then as an extremist i am prepared… i don’t just want more flexisexuality in boy body rockers (lets face it the ones who can rock are gay (except of course for Malcolm as stated ever so endearingly aw heart melt) witch is fine but just bend already OK dont they get IT) but i want a whole new sexual box actually – HOOPSEXUAL. Canya dig it? Now whose all US and THEM huh huh. Just to confirm: Uranus is caning me right now AND ITS SO MUCH FUN! Should we be texting?
Hoopalicious said on February 22, 2012
you forgot Baxter!! he can body rock like nobodies business and as far as we know he is not gay. not really he isn’t! heehee
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
Agreed! He’s the maestro for sure on the body rock, engaging with his prop, disrupting all kinds of flow for the sake of funking it UP. Fearless in owning the hoop in any and all ways. Now that’s HoopSexual
Sigh Baxter. My hoop crushes are endless… I should also make the distinction that in general Australian men are very different to all others on the planet. Generally speaking, most Australian men have a strong resistance to moving their body in dance let alone busting it out body rock hooping. It’s challenging :s
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
Unless they are gay…
Cassandra Oh said on February 22, 2012
This is a breath of fresh air.
Do not confuse the big picture for semantics, people.
A very eloquent, and frustratingly accurate account of how a LOT of us feel. Well written, and well-received on my end. Peace and Respect to you, Philo.
Sarah Starlight said on February 22, 2012
I’m reposting my comment from Facebook – These discussions are necessary for the growth of the art form. I am a visual artist and art teacher first; and, I taught art history for several years. The history of (European) painting began over 1000 years ago and is built upon “arguments” like this one. Without these arguments, discussions, and backlashes, we would all still be painting images of Christ for the Catholic church. The best quote on this subject as it relates to hooping came from Jonathan Livingston Baxter – (paraphrasing) “In the beginning it was all about making the hoop disappear, and then along came people like Rich Porter who said, ‘NO! The Hoop is right HERE!’. (*holds the hoop in front of the body*)” Point being, all artists have to challenge what came first in order to carve new paths, but artists should never discredit or discount their foundations. This is the exact reason why we still learn to draw the figure even though some of us really want to make abstract paintings.
Bunny Star said on February 22, 2012
Yes! Beautiful response
Maria/HoopME! said on February 22, 2012
Posted on FB:
I come from a hoop community in which only a few actually recall a hoop world beyond youtube and polypro. There is so much hoop love here, but there are also subtle conversations about hoop size and knowing tricks. It’s good to ask the question “Where are we headed?”
Listening to this discussion has helped me push through some walls and define what I need to work out. I often wonder, however, how much I project on others my own insecurities? I recently visited Carrboro and was SO intimidated and scared at the outset. I was greeted with nothing but open hearts and people so in love with hooping they didn’t have the time to or inclination to judge me. Which made me wonder about judging myself….and I had a total meltdown Beth’s barn and that’s another story.
This conversation is SO important to me not just personally, but in how I relate to my local community and to each person I hand their first hoop. I appreciate the voices new and seasoned that have taken the time to write here on FB and on hooping.org.
It was a good nerve to hit~I’m willing to bet this conversation will be referred to more than once in the years to come.
Savannah SassDragon said on February 22, 2012
wowzers, what a ruckus this article has caused!Good. might as well talk to each other and talk about it. The first time I picked up a hoop was late night festival when no body was around and a hoop had been abandoned. This was because I didn’t want someone to make fun of me. I still don’t want someone to make fun of me but I’ve realized since then that most hoopers are nice and accepting. I’ve also realized that mean people can be hoopers too. and there are lots of them, Just like in other facets of our lives we have to figure out how to ignore the mean people and befriend the nice ones.
A thought on “rolling back”- The first person I ever got into hooping was my then roommate and by damned she needed a hoop shortly after the introduction! In a time where we didn’t know how to buy one we googled it and found Jason Unbound’s instructions (and subsequently hooping.org) and made them ourselves (about 6 of them lol) It was a great experience, made me feel like I had some emotional attachment to the big old bruise inducing beast of a plastic circle. The point being,it was like hooper initiation to make those first hoops, it made me feel “part of it” to share the akward menards/home depot stories of workers thinking you’re insane. So to me rolling back is teaching newbies how to make their own hoop, sized correctly to their body, instead of buying it. I mean let’s be real, it costs just as much for one pre-made glitter taped hoop as it does to make yourself 6 (give or take). So let’s dig our big hoops out bring ‘em to the park and say “hey you want one? Let me teach you how to make it!”
Philo Hagen said on February 25, 2012
Wise observation Savannah.
shimarella said on February 22, 2012
I wanted to thank you, Philo, for writing this article. I think that as a community we are in general super-welcoming and open…but I sometimes do feel like the trend towards smaller and smaller and lighter and lighter and more manual manipulation ( while gorgeous) has sometimes left me feeling like perhaps I’ve lost my flow and don’t deserve to be out there performing/dancing when I can’t get these cool new moves…I think I’m coming to realise that I like my flow the way it is
and I want to keep hooping with and for the people who are OK with that. I’m glad the conversation is open here on many fronts with this article, no matter what aspects people here agree with or not.
xxo Shimarella
Hoopalicious said on February 22, 2012
Addendum**
I am writing this as a response to something brought up by several people. In the line where I say “Hooping on body takes a ton of focus and dedication, but it really doesn’t look like much..” Many feel that I am downplaying on-body hooping and saying that it isn’t as amazing as it is. What I was referring to when I wrote that wasn’t the “oh my god, that hooper is totally getting down!” moments. Because saying THAT doesn’t look like much is like saying dancing your ass off doesn’t look like much! I was more referring to plain basic body hooping. What I was trying to say (which didn’t really come across) was that the technique and skill required for on-body hooping can be harder to see so is more easily passed over. Some people “get” it right away, mostly through just feeling the bliss of the hooper they are watching, but many don’t reeeeallly get it until you have more of an understanding of hoop dance.
Ok, on to the part where I have a breakthrough in insight.. When I added “It’s benefits are huge but really only for the hooper not the watcher.” I unwittingly fell back into seeing my art as “less than” the other forms. Thank you all so much for pointing this out! I have done a lot of work in this area and am committed to healing it completely so I can shine fully as the bad ass body rocker I was born to be. SO yes, this line was totally off the mark. While the internal benefits ARE huge, the benefits of watching someone let go completely into body rock magnificence are huge also. And as Rayna mentioned, that can be said for anyone fully in their true authentic flow, no matter what form it takes. Bottom line, hoop from the heart with no apologies and we all win!
joanw said on February 22, 2012
One of the reasons I LOVE watching you hoop is because you do keep the hoop on your body much more than other professionals. You stand out for this and It’s awesome. I didn’t read in your comments that you were downplaying on-body hooping.
Just my thoughts……
Philo Hagen said on February 25, 2012
I’ve been waiting for this breakthrough and to see it arrive is a very beautiful thing. Now go be the super goddess rock star that is the one, the only – Hoopalicious!
Jessica Bessette said on February 22, 2012
Thank you, thank you, thank you, philo! i will continue to “roll it back” in the classes I teach, handing people those giant shoulder- and chest-high hoops so they can succeed and relax!
Lovely article. I’m glad you wrote it, glad for the conversations it sparked. Timely with conversations here in MN, too. <3 You're a bright star, philo, and we are lucky to have you. It's both 2004 and 2012 to acknowledge what a HUGE gift you are to the hooping community. Much love and respect.
meridian said on February 22, 2012
Some are seeing this piece as divisive, promoting one form of hooping over another. I didn’t read it that way – I think it’s a call to the hooping community to remember our roots, and to do our best to behave as good ambassadors to hooping. Whether you rock the hoop off-body or on, or you fall somewhere in between, if you make it a point to remember what it felt like to be new to hooping, you can better serve those who want to give the hoop a spin for the first time.
My takeaways: Give new hoopers the right tool(s) and guidance for the skill they’re learning; be supportive of each other; and recognise the value in all styles/skills, no matter the (perceived) level of difficulty. I think that’s a pretty good message.
As an aside, I’ve been caught up in the whole ‘Damn, should I know how to do that? Am I behind?’ thing lately, and when you approach hooping from that mindset, not only does it take the fun out of it, it creates a false premise that there is one ‘right’ way to hoop. This post serves as a refreshing (and timely) reminder for me to go back to my own roots, and to let the answers to the question of why I hoop serve as my primary guide when choosing where I’d like to go next on this hoop journey.
Thanks, Philo.
~Anne TMH
Tilly Whirls said on February 22, 2012
Anne I can totally relate. When I first started hooping I’d learn three to five new moves a week and the past couple months I haven’t learned much new at all (I just had my one year hoopiversary this past weekend). Lately I’ve spent a lot more time focusing on making moves I already know better, and learning things that are little and subtle but can still make an impact. But I’ve wondered if I’m not keeping up or if I should be pushing myself to learn more. I think the answer is do what feels right. If it becomes frustrating or forced, go back to what you love.