Poi Archives - Caroleeena's Circles Of Joy

Dance Composition – An Introduction

By Caroleeena March 14, 2013Dance, hoopdance, Poi, Uncategorizedchoreography, composition, dance, hoopdance

"Choreography is simpler than you think. Just go and do, and don't think so much about it. Just make something interesting.” - George Balanchine The following is a synopsis of several aspects of the choreographic process. Over time I hope to elaborate on many of these concepts. This is the framework…

Choreography: Finding Your Hook, Crafting Your Dance

By Caroleeena March 12, 2013Dance, hoopdance, hoopdance, Poi, UncategorizedBetty Adorno, caroleeena, choreography, hoopdance, poi dance1 Comment

Dance tells a story through movement. When choreographing a dance, we are making decisions about which story-telling devices to include, how to order our story, where to start, and how to end. For this piece we will deal specifically with the first aspect of choreography, deciding which story-telling devices to include.…

Welcome To The Vegetable Circus (Triangle, NC)

By Caroleeena November 13, 2012hoopdance, hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedcaroleeena, raleigh, Vegetable Circus

We just started a chapter of the Vegetable Circus in Raleigh, NC. We present in-school, after-school, and kids programs that highlight healthy nutrition, movement, and play. Consider starting a Vegetable Circus in your community.

Honing Performance and Shaking off Anxiety

By Caroleeena May 23, 2012hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorized2 Comments

Someone recently asked me, "When did you stop being nervous before a performance?" I responded, "Stop? Maybe one day ... but I don't think they make calendars that far in advance." I am always nervous before a performance or speaking engagement or even before teaching my classes. I'm a shy person…

A Short Building Posture Ritual

By Caroleeena May 16, 2012hoopdance, hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedmovement arts1 Comment

It only takes a second to reset optimal posture for movement arts, to build a posture of strength in your full range of motion. You start from the ground up: Feel your weight in your heels. Lift and then place the ball of each foot on the ground, one at a…

Directed Gaze – Directing Energy in Dance

By Caroleeena April 27, 2012hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedcaroleeena, dance, directed gaze, hoopdance3 Comments

Directed Gaze is a dance concept, a way of directing focus, a way of directing energy. We can make people look at things by looking at them. Don't believe it? Go out on any street, stop and look up in the sky. Watch what happens. By directing the gaze, the…

Fire Performance at the new Museum of Natural Sciences

By Caroleeena April 20, 2012hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorized

I am very excited to be fire dancing with Mesmerizing Arts at the 24-hour grand opening of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh on Earth Day, April 20th, from 9 pm to midnight. There will be bands and many other activities, including LED performances from midnight to 1 am. They…

Sculpting a Performance

By Caroleeena April 11, 2012hoopdance, Hooping, Poi

Performance is more than object manipulation. When paired with music it becomes dance, it becomes story telling with the body. Once we know this, we can create a more powerful performance by pairing it with story telling devices. In this class we discussed sculpting a performance, prepping for that performance, stage…

Music for Learning the Three-Beat Weave

By Caroleeena December 18, 2011Hooping, Poi, Uncategorized

When you're learning the three-beat weave, whether it be with hoops or poi, it can be helpful to learn it to three beat music. Some slow waltz music is good but I have some personal favorites I thought I'd share. Here they are: · "Kiss Of The Rose" Seal · "Rainbow…

Spins and Turns: How to Prevent Dizziness and Maintain Balance

By Caroleeena December 15, 2011hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizeddizziness, dizzy, prevent, spin, spinning. turn, turning, turns3 Comments

Turns and spins are a beautiful part of hooping. However, there a challenges related to turns and spins -- specifically, keeping our balance, staying in one location, and dizziness. Let's talk a bit about each one. Sometimes in hooping it can be challenging to keep our balance. It can be even…