Uncategorized Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Caroleeena's Circles Of Joy

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…

The Six-Pack vs. the Three-Pack: The Importance of Hooping Both Directions

By Caroleeena December 15, 2011Hooping, Uncategorized5 Comments

Most of us have a favorite direction for spinning our hoop while hooping. To determine your dominant direction, look down at the hoop as it rotates across your belly. When it is full and open in front of you, notice which way it is heading. If you were a clock and…

Mastery and the Beginner’s Mind

By Caroleeena December 13, 2011hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedbeginner mind, beginner's mind, caroleeena, mastery1 Comment

Sometimes I hear a new hooper who is rushing breathlessly to learn the next trick say, "I've mastered everything but this..." and I have to smile. Mastery? Really? I've been hooping since 2003 and I don't feel like I've come anywhere close to mastering any aspect of it. I just keep…

Aspects of Dance: Notes from my Curriculum

By Caroleeena December 10, 2011hoopdance, Uncategorized

This the the outline of the class I've been teaching on Integrating Dance into Hoodance along with some additional resources for continued study. I can't share all the exercises but hopefully this will help people remember them and remember these concepts. It was my pleasure and honor to teach this class.…

Creating Lines in Hoopdance

By Caroleeena December 9, 2011hoopdance, Uncategorizedcaroleeena, creating lines, dance, hoopdance, lines, poi dance1 Comment

In hoopdance we don’t often think of creating lines. Hooping is round and we tend to relate to it with a round mindset. There are many ways we can utilize lines in hoopdance though. We can travel in lines, we can create lines with our posture, our arms, our legs, we…

The Big Finish!

By Caroleeena December 8, 2011hoopdance, Uncategorizedbig finish, caroleeena, hoop dance, hoopdance, ta da ending

When it come to polishing your dance, few things shine as much as "The Big Finish". The Big Finish is one of the things that differentiates between dancing and performing. It's also one of the things that distinguishes between a hooper and hoopdancer. The Big Finish is comprised of three parts:…

Winter – The Time of Roots Growing beneath the Soil

By Caroleeena December 7, 2011hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedcaroleeena, growing, growth, hoop, hoopdance. hoop dance, hooping, hula hoop, movement arts, poi, roots, time, winter3 Comments

When we look at trees in winter, we think of them as dormant. But they are not dormant. Even if, to the naked eye, they do not appear to be growing, they are growing. After bursting forth with new growth in springtime, trees bud and blossom, burgeon and bloom, branch out…

Meet a Master Hooper with almost 40 Years Experience

By Caroleeena December 6, 2011Hooping, Uncategorizedmat, matt plendl hoop master

In the above video, Mat is hooping last month at the World Diabetes Day Extravaganza on 11-14-2011. The following one is of Mat in 1975 on Dinah Shore:

The Subtle Dance of Musicality

By Caroleeena December 5, 2011Dance, hoopdance, Poi, Uncategorizedbeat, dance, hoopdance, hoopdance. musicality, melody, musicality, rhythm1 Comment

Musicality is a major aspect of all kinds of dance, including hoopdance, but absorption in tricks, technique, choreography, even costuming can get in the way of dancing musically. Even people who have taken dance classes often struggle with the concept of musicality. It can be hard to define and even harder…

Cultivating Non-Comparison

By Caroleeena December 2, 2011hoopdance, Hooping, Poi, Uncategorizedcultivate, non-comparison5 Comments

There are a lot of great hoopers in this world. We see them at festivals, in the park, on YouTube. Watching other hoopers can be helpful if we use our observations to learn and become inspired and try new things. It can be hurtful if we compare ourselves and judge either…