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Bozeman Hoopers

28 Aug


The Bozeman Hoopers meet up 4 blocks from our campsite in Bozeman…so you can imagine how excited I get on Friday mornings! We’ve been riding our bikes down there the past couple of weeks…and we’ll be here for one more session before we head West.


I’ve learned so much from these ladies! It’s so fun to hoop with different people everywhere we go because everyone has such different styles and each is interested in different movements.  I try to be very intentional about seeking out hoopers in the cities we visit for this reason. The Bozeman group is especially delightful because everyone is super new to hooping (just this summer)…so there is a different energy there than there is with a group that has been hooping for a long time. Love it. More photos here.

Questions of the day: Who do you hoop with? Do you have a hoop group that you meet up with? If it appears that you are the only hooper in your area…have you taken steps to start a group?

Bike + Hoop = True Love

20 Aug

I am in love with my cruiser. I am in love with hooping. So why not combine the two!? Matt recently rigged the Burley so I can carry all the hoops as I bike. In this photo, we were loading up to go to the Bozeman Hoopers Friday meetup. And it was so.much.fun!

It’s a group that just started meeting this summer…and it was such a blast to teach each other new moves and hoop it up on a beautiful summer day in Montana. I have a feeling I’ll be doing A LOT of hooping while we’re here 🙂

Hoop Technique Sneak Peak

9 Aug

My mind is still reeling from all of the amazing teaching at the Hoop Technique workshop I attended this weekend in Boulder, Colorado. Spiral and Rich were fantastic and I have MUCH to share! I have photos and video and will be working on those in the next couple of days…but I wanted to give you a little “sneak peak”.

The above video was taken during a break as Rich demonstrated some of his Isopop techniques. Enjoy!

Golden Hoops

23 Jul


We’re currently living in Golden, Colorado and I was thrilled to find out that there is a lot of hoop love happenin’ around here. I’m guessing that is partly due to the fact that String Cheese Incident got their start in Colorado, and some might say they are responsible for the rise of modern hooping (throwing hoops into the crowds at their shows). Speaking of SCI, they are playing just a few minutes down the road from us all weekend (at Red Rocks). Apparently there are hoopers coming in from all around the country for that event! I might have to sneak down there for a bit.

Anywhoo…this week we took some classes from Golden’s hoopin’ girl, Danielle Odette. She holds a kids class on Tuesday nights at the Golden Community Center and an adult class downtown at Buffalo Rose on Wednesdays. She also teaches in Denver…check out her website for more info. If you’re in the area, be sure to take her classes! She is an EXCELLENT teacher and an amazing hoopdancer…Bella came home from class SO excited about all her new moves and has been practicing since. Danielle inspired me in many ways as well and I can’t wait until the next class because we’ll be working on a lot of things that I want to learn! Yipppeee!


Lucy was enthralled with the girls…she’ll be hooping before we know it! 🙂


After the adult class was over, I asked Danielle to do just a short, 1-minute video clip for me to show you…and she happily obliged. I *love* watching her…she flows so effortlessly and has great “presence”! Enjoy! (click here to see it bigger on the Vimeo site)

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Harmony in Duality

26 Jun


This week we headed down to Denver for the “Discovering Harmony in Duality” workshop with Sam Salwei and Adelaide Marcus. Sam is one of the co-founders of YogaSlackers and Adelaide is an awesome dancer/hooper/performer and is part of the duo “The Shimmy Sisters” based out of San Diego. Sam and Adelaide are on a whirlwind summer tour, teaching slackline yoga, acroyoga, hooping, and more!


We didn’t know anything about slacklining before we got there, but we’re hooked! It was so much fun trying to balance…I can see how it could be addicting. It’s great for all ages and is an incredible workout! We had fun watching Sam and his amazing skills. It turns out Sam attended the University of North Dakota at the same time I did…such a small world!


Adelaide taught a great class…she demonstrated movements that were new to me…so that was exciting! Including a couple that I’ve been having trouble with.  I love learning from new hoop teachers…each one offers a little something in their teaching style that is different from anyone else. I left there challenged and inspired to try new things in my own practice.

It was also very physically challenging for me…I had gotten up early that morning to do hot yoga, and then did the slacklining and hooping from 4:30-7pm. Whew! Let’s just say I slept VERY well that night.


The next day, we were walking on Pearl St. in Boulder and saw a guy laying on his back on the sidewalk, holding someone up with his feet, while she was hooping with her foot in the air. Who else could it be? 🙂 Sam and Adelaide of course! It was fun to see them again. They were in Boulder for their class at Prana that day and then were hanging out with a photographer friend that night. Coincidentally, I follow the #hooping hash tag on Twitter, and I randomly saw their friend’s photos come through the next day. And THEY. ARE. AMAZING. Be sure to check them out!

They are headed to the Pacific NW next… check out the rest of their tour schedule and go see them if they are in your town! Check out more photos of the day here.

Hooping in the Heartland

25 May


As we left Austin, TX, I was sad because I didn’t think I would be able to find many “organized” hooping events in the Midwest. And while there aren’t as many meetups to choose from, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small community of hooping enthusiasts in Des Moines!

On our last weekend in town, I just happened to come across a card that a friend had given me for a free week of yoga at Firehouse Yoga. So I went to their site to see when the classes were…and LO AND BEHOLD! There was a hooping class scheduled for the very next day! I let out an audible *GASP* and ran downstairs to tell anyone who would listen 🙂 It turns out that the woman who runs the class is good friends with the friend who had given me the card in the first place. Ahhhhh the serendipity. Love it.


Dawn is the hooper extraordinaire who lead us in our spinning adventures on Saturday. She is a sweet soul who teaches new movements with ease and makes everyone feel comfortable, regardless of their skill level. She had just gotten back from a hooping event with Hoopmamas in the Kansas City area…oh how I wish I could have gone to that!


Dawn said that there will be a new hooping session starting this summer, and there will also be a yoga-hoopdance fusion class (see Firehouse site for details). So fun! If you live in the Des Moines area, be sure to get yourself and your hoop to her class. You won’t regret it! And besides, it’s next to Mars Cafe. You can’t go wrong a little iced caramel soy latte after class! 🙂

If you are new to hooping, don’t be afraid to seek out ANYTHING and everything hoop related in your area! Even if it’s just a few other hoopers getting together in a park…GO! You will be amazed at what you can learn. Everyone does their tricks differently and has a different “style.  Every time I gather with other people hooping, I come away inspired and excited…with a few new movements to work on!

To find other hoopers in your area, you can check out Meetup or check the regional forums on Hoop City. Or, as I have said before…START YOUR OWN GROUP! Here is a great “how to guide” from SaFire if you want to gather some local hoopers.

Thanks for the hoopin’ fun Des Moines!

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