Advent Calendar: Day 7

By Circe -

As many of you know, despite knocking around in about a billion different classes, my actual dance specialty is flow arts. If you've ever seen people doing tricks with hula hoops at music festivals, that's part of it; flow arts, or spinning, also covers pretty much anything you can juggle or flap while dancing, including fans, staves, wands, poi, ribbons, banners, devil sticks, and a wide assortment of things that can be set on fire.

(I do not spin fire. I have three feet of hair and I want to keep it that way.)

Hoops are one of the more common props, mainly because they're cheap and easy to get. Dance hoops are not the same thing as toy hoops; toy hoops are light and flimsy, whereas dance hoops are made of heavier polyethylene plastic. You can construct your own out of irrigation tubing from the hardware store, if you're so inclined. They have to be pretty sturdy, because when you start practicing tricks, you're going to spend a lot of time accidentally bouncing them off of the ground, walls, furniture, your own head, etc. 

The trick to not dropping the hoop is not to chase it. Most people want to follow the spinning hoop around with their butt, hoping to push it in a circle. This doesn't work. The hoop needs to maintain a certain rotational velocity with respect to both you and the surrounding air in order to stay up. What I tell people is to pick a spot on your body, and whenever the hoop rolls over it, throw the hoop straight outwards. Women usually go full Shakira and throw it with one hip. Male hoopers, if you can find them, tend to pop it straight out with their abs.

For a few more details, and a charming antipodean accent, try Deanne Love, who has tutorials from beginner to advanced flow.

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