Thursday, May 24, 2012

Basking in the Afterglow

May has been one FULL month and June promises to be very packed as well! As I reflect on the last couple of weeks, I cannot help but fully bask in the afterglow of success and meaningful experience. I am sunbathing in that glow, rolling around in the grass full of recent memories and relaxing into a blanket of gratitude...

Electric Poncho was amazing! We rocked our show on Friday night and literally blew everyone away. People were talking to me for weeks afterward about how much they loved it. Tim DeMartin even wrote about it in his blog, BurnandPeel: "Among the noteworthy, was a special performance led by a tantalizing group of hoola-hoopers and fire-eaters known as The Hoop Unit. With almost supernatural abilities, they wove incandescent rainbows of color and fire through the night, while acrobats dangled like a chandelier above the fire dancers. On the first night of Electric Poncho, their performance uncorked the entire festival and was a highlight for many of the attendees." You can watch our show here and here. Apologies for the low quality. My favorite part of EP was probably the renegade waterfall set on Saturday afternoon. Cinnamon tore it up!

Hoop Unit Photo Shoot with Ciara Cusseaux
Very soon after Electric Poncho, came The Psychedelic Mirage Sideshow, the biggest event I have produced to date. As promised, it sold out completely before the day of the show. I want to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who was able to attend. It was hugely successful, thanks to you! I am grateful that you are supporting and enjoying local art, performance and expression. Before that show was even over I was already planning the next one in my head, so make sure to keep an eye out for that! It wont be for awhile, as I don't think it would be physically possible to do more than two a year. I learned a lot from the experience. Big ones are: follow your instincts (from the start!) and get everything in writing! Everything! Since I am an honest person, I assume everyone is the same, but I have been proven otherwise. Even the smallest things that you would think a verbal agreement would be sufficient for sometimes isn't, so every little thing needs to be written down. ALL OF IT!!! 

Bringing Sexy Back w/ Kristina Nekyia
I am so grateful for my supportive troupe members, amazing stage crew, professional performers and rockin' DJs who made producing that show a delight. Everyone rocked it! Here is Ringo's blog response to the show. There will be plenty of pictures and video available soon. For all of the stress that was associated with the prep, the show itself made up for it by being smooth as butter :) And the after party was awesome! The next day, Kristina Nekyia taught her "Bringing Sexy Back" workshop to a full room of sexy women! We had a blast! 

Only a week after filling the World Beat Center with over 350 audience members, I was off to the East Coast to teach and perform at Hoop Convergence in North Carolina. I went last year and had a life changing experience. My biggest realization last year was "...the profound uniqueness of each individual hooper at HoopCon. The variety of style and approach towards hooping was vast. And the support of everyone to be their own true selves was inspiring! To see an audience that equally cheered on such different people as KaytiBunny and Poki (just an example of two polar opposite, equally fabulous hoopers) was something I had not experienced before." 
Hoop Convergence 2012

Of course I felt the same thing again this year, but I think more than anything what struck me this time was the deep connections made. Over the last year I had been able to keep up with distant hoopers' lives and they had kept up with mine too. We got to see each other again after a long time but were able to catch right up. I felt like I strengthened old bonds and was able to make new ones! Something very exciting about connecting with people all over the country and all over the world, is the idea of touring Unity Hoops & The Hoop Unit across the country next summer. I want to go on a road trip teaching and performing, sharing and playing! Here's to BIG dreams!

Teaching Group Choreography at Hoop Con 2012
I taught a group choreography class and was able to really enjoy the process of preparing for it. I went through three years of old Hoop Unit videos and picked out the sections of choreography that worked the best. This allowed me to feel a lot of pride about my past accomplishments and so much gratitude for the experiences I've had. I am happy to have been given this opportunity of reflection! Thank you Julia Harstell Crews and Scott Crews of HoopDrum and Synergy Fire Hoops along with everyone who helped to make Hoop Convergence happen! Jessica Katharsys said: "It was really great to take your workshop and watch you perform this weekend at Hoop Convergence. What you do is inspiring and beautiful to watch. I really jived with the way you organized and structured your class, and you explained the way you choreograph in a really concise and clear way. The hard work and thought really show and come through in your dance."

Besides teaching my workshop, some highlights include: watching Julia spin double fire hoop to the live jam, performing my Belly Hoop Dance piece to "Familiar Ground" by Cinematic Orchestra in the showcase, watching Ninja Hoops from Oakland perform in the showcase, playing in the FlowJo afterward, becoming friends with Ariel, eating veggie burritos from the Mexican food bus parked on the street, painting Emma's eyes blue for her performance, drinking vanilla vodka/champagne/ginger echinacea cocktails (YUM) before the renegade, performing Hoop Burlesque with one of my all time loves Lolli Hoops in the renegade ("Wasssupppp!!!" and "Hello Boys!" - all taken from Bags' Poop Workshop) while wearing Hoop Convergence stickers as pasties, covering Lolli up with a blanket since she passed out in the living room, jamming out and listening to Scott drum as VJJMa and AliCat sang on the front porch and dancing with Julia, learning TONS of new hoop moves, Reverend Vulva and VJJMa's skit in the renegade, Rainbow Michael's dooping...oh wait, just Rainbow Michael in general, Snackrobatics (Tom Thumb and Zach) and so much more! 


With all of that amazingness it is easy to just focus on it, wallow in it if you will. Giving myself time to process is important and now I am ready, excited even, for what lies ahead! Being at this amazing retreat of hoopers made me super excited to go to Spin Summit in Colorado the first week of June! Woohoo! More time to share and absorb knowledge. More time to connect and play with a world of object manipulators. This one I haven't been to before so it should be a completely new experience with lots to learn. There is an EPIC line up of instructors so if you're even slightly inclined to such a thing, consider going! Buy your very reasonably priced tickets HERE.
  
Before Spin Summit, I will be vending hoops with Melodia Designs at Cairo Caravan on the Queen Mary as well as performing on the Luxur stage. Then after Spin Summit is the Keyhole Cabaret 2 year anniversary show "Prohibition Inhibitions" at Stout Pub on June 16th...flapper hooping anyone? I will be leading a week long Hula Hoop Summer Camp in both June and July for 1-3 graders and 4-6 graders at the New Children's Museum. I am also doing the same thing in July and August with Cuyamaca College. Do you have a kid that wants to learn Hoop Dance? Know someone with a family that might be interested? Spread the word! Thank you! 


The Hoop Unit will also be bringing our newest show "The Sultan's 10 Wives" to Elysium AND Unity Hoops will have a booth at the OB Chili Cook Off Street Fair the weekend of June 22-23. Don't miss me performing with Hell on Heels Burlesque Revue at Brick By Brick on June 30th for their Grind Show - A Carnival Burlesque Extravaganza. Speaking of Burlesque, I am starting a new Burlesque series on June 12th which is inspired by my trip to Paris earlier this year. The Can-Can Moulin Rouge Showgirl! Come play!