Here we go. Week 1. If this blog goes according to plan, then it will be a resource for us... a way to look back, remember our growing pains and be proud of how far we've come. We aim to honor the process and support one another as we work to reach our goals. This is only the beginning...
First up: Partner Burns. Here we have Abby & Jess, Kiyla & Shellie. The principle here is 'Interaction'...
I think that we sometimes forget to be cognizant of our fellow performance artists. We can also get lost in flow and lose sight of our audience. So, we've recognized the need to be more aware - by dancing around each other, mirroring tricks and developing interesting formations and level changes.
Belly dancers use sounds and subtle movements to communicate with one another during performances. For example, a 'yip' could mean that a change is about to take place so watch me to see what's coming next. This enables the performers to stay in sync. It's worked well in the belly dance community for a long time... so, we're going to test this method in Week 2 and beyond to see if we can adopt a similar system.
Next, we have Shellie with Poi. This is her first burn with her new fire poi and I think she did a fabulous job. She's been playing with her practice poi and has lit up before, but this was the first time she burned her new moonblaze poi. I know that she aims to work on new tricks and more transitions as time goes on, but I think she's off to a great start:
Now for contact staff footage, with very little 'contact.' This is only the second time I've lit my new contact staff, and I have to admit that I'm a little embarassed about posting this raw footage. Quite frankly, I just want to be a badass, and 'badassery' is a long way away at this point.
Branching into staff is a humbling experience. I'm feeling all of the same emotions I felt when I first started hooping... excitement, frustration, elevation (when a new move is accomplished), inspiration (by watching videos of others who are masters at this skil toy), and sometimes pain (the staff hurts a lot more than the hoop when you hit yourself). My goal for this week was to simply light the darn thing and begin to develop a relationship with it... by learning about the burn time, and getting comfortable moving with my new dance partner:
I should also mention that being a beginner at staff is helping me to connect better with my hoop dance students. It's important to step outside of our comfort zones and push ourselves in new and exciting ways. Growing pains are beneficial because it makes the reward that much sweeter when it comes.
Next, we have Jess. She's working to become more experimental with her fire hooping. In this video, I noticed some moves that I haven't seen her do before with a fire hoop, such as the off-body breaks. The warrior moves and jump throughs look really smooth, too. Jess is working on a flaming pizza toss next... she almost did it in this video but hesitated at the end. I have no doubt that she'll nail it in Week 2.
Last but not least, this is my third attempt at twin fire hooping. The first time I did it, I had a decent burn. The second time, the hoops got locked together and I had a helluva time seperating them. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable with twin fire hoops, but I'm noticing such a big difference between my regular twins practice and fire twins. I'm anxiously awaiting the new Ninja Fire Hoop by Cosmic Fire. I'm saving up for twins, and I feel as though this will enable me to have major breakthroughs with my practice.
I'm trying to be patient with myself and not judge. It's progress, and we can only get better from here... I want to look back on these blogs in 6 weeks, 12 weeks, a year and think, "Wow! Look at how far we've come."
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Introduction and Goal Setting
"Practice makes... improvement. Love the process." - SaFire (Sandra Sommerville)
The intention of this blog and video log is provide support, motivation and documentation as we embark on the journey of learning new skill toys. We also aim to become more experimental and creative with our hoop dance practice. We've each set specific goals, in terms of what we'd like to accomplish. Once a week (or as often as our schedules allow), we will come together for 'fire night.' Here, we will record our practice sessions and support eachother as we improve, evolve and eventually become proficient in our areas of interest. The written journals and video log will assist in tracking progress.
Before diving into the first video and written log, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves and explain a little more about who we are and what we do. The active members of the Monster Hoop Troupe include eight hoop dancers and friends in Florida who share a genuine passion for the art of hooping. We have: Taylor, Kiyla, Jess, Matthias, Leda, Amy, Shellie and myself (Abby). Jodie is also a member of our troupe, but she is traveling with the Ringling Brothers Circus until 2010. Currently, she is in Italy performing with the Globe of Death (her family's motorcycle act) and hosting 'hoop fit' workshops before each show. Though we miss her dearly, we're very proud of her and anxiously await her return. We will also mention another 'Monster on the Move,' Kelly Schiller, later in this blog.
A brief history... The Monster Hoop Troupe was formed in February of 2008, though many of us met the year before. We decided to evolve into a performance troupe around the same time that Hoola Monsters (the company) came to be. Hoop dance is what brought us together initially. Kiyla saw a photo of me on Hooping.org one day and noticed that I lived nearby. She contacted me through MySpace, and we began practicing in my backyard every Tuesday night. I connected with Taylor on Tribe.net, after reading her post in our local (and very inactive) hooping Tribe. She was a welcome addition to hoop night, and the three of us started sharing tips and tricks.
Jodie was my office co-worker at the time. I knew she had a colorful history as a circus performer, so I invited her over to meet the girls, thinking she might have fun. As I suspected, she connected with the hoop and loved the girls. The rest is history :)
As for Jess, ironically, she's from my home town, but I didn't know her in school because of our age difference. My sister randomly showed me her photography website one day, and I was blown away by her incredible talent and creativity. I first contacted Jess, wanting her to take photos of our newly-formed hoop dance troupe. I invited her to hoop night so she could learn more about what we did. Jess had her first experience with the hoop that night and soon became a regular at our events and practice sessions. It wasn't long before she joined us as an official member of the troupe. (side note: Jess is responsible for most of the amazing photography featured on our website).
I should also take a moment to mention Kelly Schiller... Kelly is a beaming ray of sunshine with superb hooping skills. While she was only with us for a short period of time (a free spirit by nature, she was called to travel and explore the world), we still consider her a member of our troupe. Near or far, she's one of our hoop sisters and she continues to inspire us. We see her on hooping.org all the time - whether she's showcasing her mad hooping and acroyoga skills with her ElectroCircus crew in Austin, being featured in a Burning Man spin cycle jam video or rocking her Hoola Monsters tank top at World Hoop Day in San Francisco, she's a monster - near or far.
As time went on, Jodie and I started teaching classes after receiving our HoopGirl Workout licenses and certifications. This is how I met Leda and Amy... both were students who took their practice seriously. They flourished into beautiful hoop dancers and officially joined our troupe this year.
Our most recent additions are Matthias and Shellie. Matthias (Taylor's partner) started out as a 'closet hooper.' Taylor would discover him practicing when he didn't think she was around. She would often 'catch him' rocking out with the hoop as she came home from work or got out of the shower. Over time, Matthias evolved into a dedicated hooper who is now teaching us new tricks and moves. We are stoked to have a Monster Man in the group. Last, but certainly not least, we have our sweet hoop sister, Shellie. Shellie, too, was a former Hoola Monsters student (she took Jodie's first class series). Shellie embraced the hoop (and us!) wholeheartedly. So, when she called one fateful day from West Virginia, saying that she wanted to move back to Florida to join the Monster Hoop Troupe, we were thrilled. She is now a valued member of the troupe, my roommate, right hand woman who assists with the business and classes, a fellow hoop maker, and all-around awesome person. Shellie will also be writing some of the blogs featured here.
Needless to say, we are blessed to have such a supportive and wonderful troupe. Now, we are looking to embark on a new journey. Many of the performers in our troupe have expressed a genuine interest in pursuing other areas of fire dance, and we've each set specific goals, in terms of what we'd like to accomplish...
I recently made a practice contact staff, bought a DVD from Contact Arts, and invested in a fire staff. I was drawn to contact staff, after seeing Phoenix Rising perform during the String Cheese Incident show at the Rothbury Music Festival. I pretty much fell in love with Phoenix Rising at that moment and have wanted to learn contact staff ever since. I am also venturing into twin hooping and have taken four poi workshops to date. Additionally, I've been teaching hoop dance at Hip Expressions Belly Dance Studio for a year now, where I also take advantage of the classes offered there. Belly dancing is helping me to become more graceful and hone my performance skills.
Taylor has been taking lots of belly dance classes too and plans to invest in fire fans within the coming months. She's aleady full of grace, with a strong dance background, and I think that she'll be a natural with fans.
Kiyla is a phenomenal hoop dancer with more flight time than anyone else in our group, however, she still considers herself a novice in the realm of fire dance. She hopes to purchase a fire hoop soon, but will be using mine in the meantime to become more comfortable with the art of fire hooping. She has amazing flow, and is looking to eliminate fear from her vocabulary.
Shellie has been practicing poi regularly. She's connected with some of the poi spinners in our local community and is looking to take her practice the next level. In Week 1, you'll see Shellie light her fire poi for the first time. Double Minis are a focus of Shellie's too, and she aims to purchase some double mini fire hoops in the coming months. We look forward to watching her progress on this path.
Matthias is also interested in poi and double minis, and he's been doing a damn good job with both. In fact, Matthias and I took the poi workshops together, but he's far surpassing me, skill-wise. I love healthy competition. This is how we learn and grow. Matthias has had major breakthroughs in his hooping practice lately, too. He's embracing a style of his own, and it's amazing to watch.
Jess has set a goal to become more experimental with her hoop dance practice. She's pushing limits and working to execute moves that she's never done before. I'm always inspired by her grace too. She has the ability to nail tricks with super flow and beautiful transitions. This girl has no fear. A pizza toss from the knees with the fire hoop? Yep - that's on her list of things to do and she's ... this close :) I admire her perserverence and know she'll be able to accomplish anything that she puts her mind to. She's eventually looking to explore poi spinning as well.
Leda and Amy are just branching into fire hooping. We support them on the journey and hope that they will join us at a fire night soon.
The intention of this blog and video log is provide support, motivation and documentation as we embark on the journey of learning new skill toys. We also aim to become more experimental and creative with our hoop dance practice. We've each set specific goals, in terms of what we'd like to accomplish. Once a week (or as often as our schedules allow), we will come together for 'fire night.' Here, we will record our practice sessions and support eachother as we improve, evolve and eventually become proficient in our areas of interest. The written journals and video log will assist in tracking progress.
Before diving into the first video and written log, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves and explain a little more about who we are and what we do. The active members of the Monster Hoop Troupe include eight hoop dancers and friends in Florida who share a genuine passion for the art of hooping. We have: Taylor, Kiyla, Jess, Matthias, Leda, Amy, Shellie and myself (Abby). Jodie is also a member of our troupe, but she is traveling with the Ringling Brothers Circus until 2010. Currently, she is in Italy performing with the Globe of Death (her family's motorcycle act) and hosting 'hoop fit' workshops before each show. Though we miss her dearly, we're very proud of her and anxiously await her return. We will also mention another 'Monster on the Move,' Kelly Schiller, later in this blog.
A brief history... The Monster Hoop Troupe was formed in February of 2008, though many of us met the year before. We decided to evolve into a performance troupe around the same time that Hoola Monsters (the company) came to be. Hoop dance is what brought us together initially. Kiyla saw a photo of me on Hooping.org one day and noticed that I lived nearby. She contacted me through MySpace, and we began practicing in my backyard every Tuesday night. I connected with Taylor on Tribe.net, after reading her post in our local (and very inactive) hooping Tribe. She was a welcome addition to hoop night, and the three of us started sharing tips and tricks.
Jodie was my office co-worker at the time. I knew she had a colorful history as a circus performer, so I invited her over to meet the girls, thinking she might have fun. As I suspected, she connected with the hoop and loved the girls. The rest is history :)
As for Jess, ironically, she's from my home town, but I didn't know her in school because of our age difference. My sister randomly showed me her photography website one day, and I was blown away by her incredible talent and creativity. I first contacted Jess, wanting her to take photos of our newly-formed hoop dance troupe. I invited her to hoop night so she could learn more about what we did. Jess had her first experience with the hoop that night and soon became a regular at our events and practice sessions. It wasn't long before she joined us as an official member of the troupe. (side note: Jess is responsible for most of the amazing photography featured on our website).
I should also take a moment to mention Kelly Schiller... Kelly is a beaming ray of sunshine with superb hooping skills. While she was only with us for a short period of time (a free spirit by nature, she was called to travel and explore the world), we still consider her a member of our troupe. Near or far, she's one of our hoop sisters and she continues to inspire us. We see her on hooping.org all the time - whether she's showcasing her mad hooping and acroyoga skills with her ElectroCircus crew in Austin, being featured in a Burning Man spin cycle jam video or rocking her Hoola Monsters tank top at World Hoop Day in San Francisco, she's a monster - near or far.
As time went on, Jodie and I started teaching classes after receiving our HoopGirl Workout licenses and certifications. This is how I met Leda and Amy... both were students who took their practice seriously. They flourished into beautiful hoop dancers and officially joined our troupe this year.
Our most recent additions are Matthias and Shellie. Matthias (Taylor's partner) started out as a 'closet hooper.' Taylor would discover him practicing when he didn't think she was around. She would often 'catch him' rocking out with the hoop as she came home from work or got out of the shower. Over time, Matthias evolved into a dedicated hooper who is now teaching us new tricks and moves. We are stoked to have a Monster Man in the group. Last, but certainly not least, we have our sweet hoop sister, Shellie. Shellie, too, was a former Hoola Monsters student (she took Jodie's first class series). Shellie embraced the hoop (and us!) wholeheartedly. So, when she called one fateful day from West Virginia, saying that she wanted to move back to Florida to join the Monster Hoop Troupe, we were thrilled. She is now a valued member of the troupe, my roommate, right hand woman who assists with the business and classes, a fellow hoop maker, and all-around awesome person. Shellie will also be writing some of the blogs featured here.
Needless to say, we are blessed to have such a supportive and wonderful troupe. Now, we are looking to embark on a new journey. Many of the performers in our troupe have expressed a genuine interest in pursuing other areas of fire dance, and we've each set specific goals, in terms of what we'd like to accomplish...
I recently made a practice contact staff, bought a DVD from Contact Arts, and invested in a fire staff. I was drawn to contact staff, after seeing Phoenix Rising perform during the String Cheese Incident show at the Rothbury Music Festival. I pretty much fell in love with Phoenix Rising at that moment and have wanted to learn contact staff ever since. I am also venturing into twin hooping and have taken four poi workshops to date. Additionally, I've been teaching hoop dance at Hip Expressions Belly Dance Studio for a year now, where I also take advantage of the classes offered there. Belly dancing is helping me to become more graceful and hone my performance skills.
Taylor has been taking lots of belly dance classes too and plans to invest in fire fans within the coming months. She's aleady full of grace, with a strong dance background, and I think that she'll be a natural with fans.
Kiyla is a phenomenal hoop dancer with more flight time than anyone else in our group, however, she still considers herself a novice in the realm of fire dance. She hopes to purchase a fire hoop soon, but will be using mine in the meantime to become more comfortable with the art of fire hooping. She has amazing flow, and is looking to eliminate fear from her vocabulary.
Shellie has been practicing poi regularly. She's connected with some of the poi spinners in our local community and is looking to take her practice the next level. In Week 1, you'll see Shellie light her fire poi for the first time. Double Minis are a focus of Shellie's too, and she aims to purchase some double mini fire hoops in the coming months. We look forward to watching her progress on this path.
Matthias is also interested in poi and double minis, and he's been doing a damn good job with both. In fact, Matthias and I took the poi workshops together, but he's far surpassing me, skill-wise. I love healthy competition. This is how we learn and grow. Matthias has had major breakthroughs in his hooping practice lately, too. He's embracing a style of his own, and it's amazing to watch.
Jess has set a goal to become more experimental with her hoop dance practice. She's pushing limits and working to execute moves that she's never done before. I'm always inspired by her grace too. She has the ability to nail tricks with super flow and beautiful transitions. This girl has no fear. A pizza toss from the knees with the fire hoop? Yep - that's on her list of things to do and she's ... this close :) I admire her perserverence and know she'll be able to accomplish anything that she puts her mind to. She's eventually looking to explore poi spinning as well.
Leda and Amy are just branching into fire hooping. We support them on the journey and hope that they will join us at a fire night soon.
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