Category: Workshops & Events

Despite a huge population to draw from, Tokyo’s hoop community is rather small. How can we increase the number of hoopers in Japan?

That was one of the topics discussed at the inaugural session of the Japan Hoop Instructors Conference. Six hoop dance teachers, representing five different hoop groups, met yesterday for a half day to share ideas, concerns, and inspirations.

It was one of the best hoop events I’ve attended in Japan because it opened channels of communication, allowed us to set common goals, and proved that our community is maturing into an attitude of cooperation to improve hooping for everyone in the nation. I anticipate great things in the coming year from all of us – fun classes, more students, rocking events. Lots of hoop love.

Aside from discussing how to broaden the community, we explored dancing to unusual music, worked in teams to create a performance, figured out some great ideas for the World Hoop Day dance, talked about how to make our hoop jams more interesting and discussed promoting our various classes and events to the community as a whole.

We’ll meet in about six months to share in person again. If you’re teaching hoop dance in Japan and want to come along, let us know.

I’ll be leading a session of the Finding Flow workshop outside Pittsburgh as part of Caroleeena’s three day workshop intensive August 19-21. Join me Sunday, August 21 from 10 – 12 to release into flow through technical and meditative hoop exercises.

Caroleeena’s lineup of classes looks spectacular and I am excited to be part of this event organized by Sirkel in Greensburg, PA.

Each two-hour workshop is $30, but if you register for four workshops during the weekend, the price drops to $25. Details and registration information for the weekend are available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206076749428617 or contacting Lisa Ciarimboli by phone – 412-610-4639 or thru email at wastingawayingoodolpa@gmai​l.com.

Saturday 6
Edogawa Hanabi Hoop Picnic
Hoop dance, fireworks, picnic on the banks of the Edo river.  Although the official fireworks display is canceled this year, let’s make our own with LED hoops and all of our glittery, sparkly electric toys! (And some fireworks, too, thanks to Tod.) All flow arts welcome and there’s no need to hoop. Bring your family & friends and a delicious picnic.

Where to meet:
Point 1: 5:30 pm. Iidabashi eki, Sobu platform, middle of the train.
Point 2: 6:05 pm. Koiwa Station.
Point 3: After 6:30. Edogawa Ground. Around the baseball grounds, north of the hospital, south of the bridges. MAP You can try to call me; no promises that I will be able to answer. 🙂 090-5439-0036

Saturday 13
Finding Flow workshop
The first Spin Matsuri workshop in the US! Discover the sweet surrender of hoop flow with Tink from Tokyo. Two hours of guided hooping at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center in PA will help you release into a blissful state of movement as we explore technical and meditative aspects of flow.

The doors open with music at 9:30 am; workshop begins at 10:00. Cost is $30 and includes class materials and a CD of music used in the workshop. Please bring your favorite hoop. Details and registration info at Whirligig Hoopers: http://whirligighoopers.co​m/?page_id=127

Sunday 28
4th Sunday Spin
The monthly Spin Matsuri hoop jam at Yoyogi Park. Free and open to all hoopers and flow artists. Starts at 12:30 on the Harajuku side of the park; ends at sunset or when we all get too tired to hoop any more. Every month there’s a surprise and even we don’t know what it is!

Also this month, check out Hooplovers’ Hoop Lounge at Super Deluxe in Roppongi. Friday August 12th from 7 – 11:30 pm. Stylish hoop dance party and performances. Free!

Flow is about surrendering your mind and your ego to the hoop and allowing your body to control your movement automatically. This workshop explores some of the barriers to flow and help you find ways to overcome them.

Smooth Transitions
Transitions are key to flow. Your mind (and the evil Inner Critic) turns back on instantly when you get stuck in a trick and don’t know how to flow into another move. “Hey, I’m doing this reverse weave thing really well…but, um, now what? Right, I suck.” In this workshop we’ll explore a variety of transitions, hand grips and sequences that you can play with. Train your muscles to do them without thinking and your flow will expand. We’ll tell the Inner Critic to shut up, too!

Connecting to Music
I like dubstep but it doesn’t induce good flow for me. I love to sing along with the latest pop tunes, but they don’t put me into a state of bliss while I’m hooping. Sometimes the music you like and the music you flow with are very different. In this workshop we’ll get a chance to dance to a wide range of musical styles – slow, fast, vocal,instrumental – and discover which ones you connect with. We’ll also play with dance moves to inspire your flow.

Letting Go for Flow
To connect to the body, we must learn to quiet our minds and our egos. This session borrows some meditative techniques from hoopers and others around the world, including visualizations (Caroleeena), blindfolded hooping (Baxter/Hoop Path), ecstatic dance (OSHO), and dervish whirling (Sufis).  We’ll also hoop while pretending to be drunk (Brecken) which will put your ego in its place and get you laughing.

The workshop includes a 30 minute opening jam, warm up and cool down as well as the main topics. The workshop will be held in two locations:

Tokyo
Wednesday, July 27
7-9:30 pm. Yoyogi Park.
“Doors open” at 7 pm with music; workshop begins at 7:30. RSVP to info@spinmatsuri.com or on the Facebook event page. Please bring a hoop, if you can. Water to drink and bug spray recommended for the sultry summer nights.

Pennsylvania
Saturday, August 13
9:30 – noon. Ephrata Performing Arts Center.
Doors open at 9:30; workshop begins at 10. Hoop jam in the park afterward, weather permitting. Details and registration at http://whirligighoopers.com/?page_id=127

(P.S. Please ignore the dates on the flyer above; the series has been consolidated into one intensive session.)

I got a message from our friend Pania at the Peace Boat today. Peace Boat is a Japan-based NGO that’s been delivering hula hoops from Japan to kids around the world thanks to our World Hoop Day fundraising. Now they are helping out with relief efforts in Tohoku.

Let’s offer our support at this month’s 4th Sunday Spin with some supplies that they need. We are specifically looking for  cooking condiments on Sunday 3/27:

• soy sauce
• miso
• salt
• cooking oil

Bring them to the park during the hoop jam (or a monetary donation if you prefer – or both if you are feeling flush) and I will make sure they get to Peace Boat HQ in time for their departure to Tohoku.

If you can’t make it to the park on Sunday and would like to donate, please see the information in Pania’s message below:

Many people in the affected areas are still suffering for lack of food, with only bread or instant packaged food. Within freezing conditions, there is an urgent need to provide people with hot, nutritious meals. From March 23 Peace Boat will begin to provide 500 hot meals per day for people in evacuation centres in Ishinomaki City, and will continue to do this over the long-term.

For this reason we now urgently need monetary donations to buy provisions, and donations of the following material goods: Large tents, blue camping sheets, propane gas, propane stoves, portable gas stoves, gas cylinders, briquette fuel, water tanks, large saucepans, large woks, bowls, colanders, cooking knives, ladles, tongs, rice scoops, measuring cups, chopping boards, plastic containers, paper cups, saran wrap, aluminium foil, table wipes, towels, kitchen cleaning fluid, sponges, metal scourers, cooking condiments (salt, miso, soy sauce, oil, dashi etc).

Shipping methods: It is easiest if the items can be brought either directly or posted to the Peace Boat Center Tokyo (B1, 3-13-1 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-0075, Japan). If there are any items that are too big to be brought here, please contact us directly for collection.

Packing methods – packed in cardboard boxes (or in a way that is easy to carry if impossible) – only one category of item in each box – different items might be sent to different places – make sure the contents and amount is clearly written on the box – also include a detailed itemised list on A4 paper inside the box

Deadline
Cooking items: March 31, 2011 (Thu)
Containers: Anytime during activities

Details on the Peace Boat relief project and other ways to donate are available on their website.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and I’m looking forward to spinning with you on Sunday.

Do you express yourself through poetry as well as movement in the hoop? Why not submit one or two of your hoop-inspired poems for inclusion in a special poetry anthology?

Jenny Hill, hooper, poet and publisher based in the US (she’s also my sister), is compiling a chapbook of poetry about hooping:

“I believe very much in standing inside of a circle to look outward. You look out and see opportunities, make new friends,  become inspired to create. Consider this call for submissions a yawp from the center of my circle. Please write and share your poetry about hooping with us.”

Submit your hoop-inspired poem before May 2. Inquiries and details: http://hoopoetry.blogspot.com/