How did it all begin? Jasmine told us, "I first saw hooping at Burning Man many years ago. I happened to be at Center Camp one day and out of the dust emerged a group of absolutely adorable women hooping in the middle. I was transfixed by their grace and flow and by how feminine their expression was. I thought nothing of it until the next year when I joined Tribe.net and stumbled upon a small community of hoopers. In a flash I realized that I wanted to learn how to hoop immediately! I ordered a hoop and planned to pick it up at Burning Man 2004."

Knowing that the festival can make meeting up with anyone a challenge, I asked her if she ever got that hoop. She revealed, "Once I got there I kept riding my bike over trying to find my hoop. After many failed attempts, my hoop maker was finally home and I got to ride off into the dark with my new pink and orange darling. Everyone at camp was either asleep or gone and for that I am forever thankful. I proceeded to spend the next two hours alone in the dark learning to keep that darn thing up. It was a challenge, but I was so determined to make it work that I just kept picking it up and trying again. See, I don't like to fail at things, and my ego was facing itself each time the hoop dropped, but I got over that by just staying with it. Once I got it going, I didn't stop. All week I hooped every chance I got, waiting for the food to cook, talking with friends, even walking to a party nearby. It was exhilirating and addictive!"

You could easily say that hooping has changed her life. She told Hooping.org, "Hooping has brought more joy to my life and it has given me another way to move and express myself. It has joined me to a really wonderful community of people too. So many of my best friends are people I met through hooping. It brings me a great sense of peace, groundedness, and connection and it has helped me be more in touch with my body through dancing, sweating, and relating to the hoop."

With a little over 3 years now in the spin, Jasmine hoops almost every day for up to an hour at present, working on creating more of a regular personal practice. She said, "I find that a conscious practice unveils so many layers of learning, and it is exciting to discover what is there when I commit to practicing consistently. I have found so much more connection and creativity since I have started this, and I look forward to finding even more."

A favorite hooping memory took place in her life this Fall. Jasmine explained, "There was an outdoor DJ party at a beautiful park in Portland. There was a huge grassy field, a giant bridge overhead, a beautiful sun and amazing music. I must have hooped for at least 5 hours. I was jumping and dancing and playing like a child. I got to tandem hoop with my friends, share moves with others, and really settle into the music. I felt as if I could hoop forever, exploring the many dimensions that exist within the magical circle of plastic."

I asked her about her favorite hoop and was saddened to learn it had gone missing. "It just disappeared at Decompression in San Francisco, so I am now initiating my new favorite hoop. It is sparkly and fuchsia, my favorite color." You are likely to find her listening to deep house music while she's breaking it in too. "I love the speed of the beats. I like some breakbeats and funk as well. I also love to hoop to really slow music at times. One of my favorite hooping songs is Ice Forming on Glass by Bluetech.

The quality she most admires in a hooper is flow and expressive joy. What does she see as being her most marked hooping characteristic? She considered her answer. "Fluid flowing movements. and really connecting with the music and expressing it through my dance," she explained.

As for her new hoop clothing venture, I had to wonder if she was the designer as well. Jasmine said, "I design some of the clothes, and carry lines from other small designers too. I will be expanding the site over time to include more things including costumes for performance. I would love to hear from people about what else they would like to see on the site! And I am offering a discount for hooping.org readers, 10% through November! Just use code #HOD644."

In closing, if Jasmine had one piece of advice to share with someone picking up a hoop for the very first time, I asked her what it would be. She smiled. "If it drops, just pick it up and give it a whirl again. As long as you are smiling and having fun, that's all you need!

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You can find out more about Jasmine Patten at:

HoopClothes.com

The whirlyGirlz Hoop Troop

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