So how did it all begin? Shadjua explains, "My first hooping experience since childhood was at a party about a year and a half ago. There was a fire show and afterwards one of the performers, Laurie, who is now my very good friend, busted out a bunch of hoops. I remembered how much I loved hooping as a kid so I decided to give it a whirl. You all know what happened next. Love at first flight!

Has hooping changed his life? He told Hooping.org, "This may sound cheesey to some people, but hooping has changed my life immensely. I hardly know where to begin. Most basically it has been a great means of physical excercise. It has helped me keep in shape and has gotten me much more in tune with my body and movement. However, it is the mental and emotional benefits of hooping that have been the greatest. It's an excellent stress reliever and it has done wonders for my self esteem. It is such a blessing to have a hobby that makes me feel good on so many levels. And perhaps one of the best things of all has been the community that I have met as a result of hooping, both the greater hoop community and the one that we have created here in San Luis Obispo."

Something Shadjua is currently working on is getting over his fear of performing. "I can be terribly shy and my anxiety can be very overwhelming. Yet at the same time I love to
entertain! This past weekend I did my first actual hoop performance with fire. I had to take a ten minute pre-show time out to keep myself from vomiting. It did the trick, and the show went perfectly. Now I can't wait to do it again!"

How often does he hoop these days? He said, "My practice ebbs and flows. Between work and school, it seems like I never get enough time." When asked about his favorite hoop he explained that he doesn't have one in particular. One of his favorite hooping memories came from hooping as a kid. He said, "Well, when I was very young we had a track meet at our school every spring. I absolutely dreaded it. Every year all the other boys kicked my butt at all of the events. All except for the hula hoop! It was the only ribbon I got, but I could always count on getting that blue ribbon for hooping year after year!" These days he gets a blue ribbon from Hooping.org for his grown-up moves in this recent video:

What music does Shadjua love to hoop too? His favorite hoop track these days is "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. "It always gets me going," he said, "but in all honesty, I'll hoop to anything!" When asked about a favorite hooping quality in others, his love for the community once again came through. He told Hooping.org, "Hoopers are amazing! Some of the kindest, silliest and most loving people I know." So what does he see as being his most marked hooping characteristic? His response, "I'm a silly queen with a lot of energy, I think that definately shows in my hooping." When asked if there was anything else he wanted Hooping.org readers to know he said, "Sure. Folks are welcome to check out our website at:
Fluid Luminescence.com.

In closing, we asked if he had one piece of advice to share with someone picking up a hoop for the very first time, what would it be? His answer: "Just give in. Let yourself go and have fun."

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You can find out more about Shadjua:

Fluid Luminescence

Shadjua on Tribe.net

Shadjua: Vertical Shoulder Hooping

Shadjua's Behind The Back Pass

Shadjua: From Your Knees To Your Hips