Take a peek for yourself!

In this episode, I talk with the incredible Ann Humphreys! She was in Portland in March with her Two-Day Infinite Sphere Workshop. I just can’t gush enough about this lady! Not only is she beautiful and graceful (OK, she’s fucking hot!!!), she is so talented, sweet, generous, gracious, funny and one smart cookie!

She’s been traveling extensively since last summer and I know I want to be her when I grow up!

Post Infinite Sphere Workshop - PDX Hoopers Love Ann!

My favorite quote from our interview referring to the first time she saw Baxter:

“Hot guy, dancing in public, hula hoop…these three things don’t go together at all. But they’re all together suddenly, right now, in this soul dance, somehow.”

Now, as Ann recommends, give yourself permission to dance!!!

The Spinnerettes Debut

Photo of the Day

And speaking of dance…The Spinnerettes picked up a few gigs and were blessed with working with two very sweet and generous photographers. Scott Gerke & Pete Springer. We were honored with Hooping.org’s Photo of the Day on March 21st.

And stay tuned for a video from The Spinnerettes.

Ann Humphreys
http://lineandcircle.bigcartel.com
http://annhumphreys.wordpress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hushpuppymix2

Hoopless:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZmWFEk5tQ&list=UU65qt9LfkVhJXGxZI_hBTHQ&index=9&feature=plcp

Inner Space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Givne8OzgUA

Latest hoop vid, shot at Bax’s, with lots of fun stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2rfR3niDNE&list=UU65qt9LfkVhJXGxZI_hBTHQ&index=1&feature=plcp

And of course, Nooping! Yooping is Next!
http://youtu.be/2r9oNVODLhM

The Spinnerettes
Photo of the Day, March 21, 2012
http://www.hooping.org/2012/03/the-spinnerettes/

Pete Springer Photography
https://www.facebook.com/PeteSpringerPhotography
http://www.petespringer.com/

The Spinnerettes: Pete Springer Photography

Scott Gerke Photography
http://scottgerke.com/

The Hoop Path
http://www.hooppath.com/cms/

Jaguar Mary’s YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jaguarmaryone

The Art of Possibility – Benjamin Zander
http://www.ted.com/speakers/benjamin_zander.html
http://benjaminzander.com/

Stay updated:
http://hulahoopla.com/
http://hoopanista.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HulaHoopla
https://www.facebook.com/TheSpinnerettes
http://www.meetup.com/HulaHoopla-PDX-Hoop-Group/

Subscribe to my podcast!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hulahoopla-a-podcast-for-hoopers/id478629640

It’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re looking for work and rebuilding an engine.  Wait, is that just me?  I’ve been looking for work since August and it’s getting pretty scary.  I know I’m not the only one and hooping has really helped me keep a positive attitude.  I’d like to think that I’ve been very Zen about the whole brink of financial disaster thing but I actually had a panic attack.  I thought my heart was going to burst through my sternum and splatter on the inside of my mom’s car (I had to borrow hers while mine was in pieces).  No job, running out of money, going way over budget on an engine rebuild, low hoop class attendance.

So about this rebuild…I drive a 1977 VW Bus.  Love her!!!

But as with all older vehicles, the engine was getting tired and run down.  Rather than buying a new car or a new engine, I decided to do a rebuild myself.  A friend found an engine in a pick-n-pull this summer and by October I got the guts to start tearing it apart.

Beloved Hoop Hauler

Long story short, a couple of back-breaking months, a few meltdowns, one or two mechanical snafus and a couple thousand dollars later, I have my glorious camper and hoop wagon running again.  I missed her so much.  This rig hauls all my hoops and can carry everything I need to do a street fair.  And for those of you who sell hoops, you know that size DOES matter.

Now that it is March, I think I can honestly say that just a taste of sunshine does turn things around.  Interest in my classes has really gone up and I’m starting to sell hoops again.  AND I’m getting more wonderful opportunities to hoop in front of audiences.

My friend and fellow VW bus owner John Shepski of Fluff and Gravy Records  asked me to perform at the Secret Society in between sets for the Drunken Prayer record release party.  I heard that the Ukeladies were one of the opening bands and got it in my head that I would learn how to play a song on the ukulele and perform it in homage.  Then I was asked to bring a couple more hoopers and come up with a name.  My hoop troupe, The Spinnerettes, were born!!

There are so many amazing hoopers in Portland and I wanted an opportunity to perform with them.  So my thought with The Spinnerettes was to have several members who could be in several places at once, all representing the hooper community.  Finding an affordable place to practice on a regular basis is in the works.

In addition to the Secret Society debut, we’ve performed pre and post-play “Circle Mirror Transformation” at the Artists Repertory Theatre.  One of the characters is a hooper and the actress took one of my classes.  Circle indeed!  This is such a gorgeous space and we filled it with swirly light up and down the stairs, on the glass partitioned balconies and spilled into the lobby, giving audience and cast members hoops lessons after the show.

The following night we performed with our LED hoops on top of the bar at the Kenton Station for their 4th Annual Flaming Dr. Pepper World Record Bash.  The before the indoor flamage began, we performed with fire out in front of the pub.  Gorgeous night for it, too.

And speaking of gorgeous…(nice segue, right?) Episode 5′s guest is Annie Weinert, also known as Annie Land.  I spoke with Annie at the end of November just before she moved to Utah for the winter.  We met in 2010 at the Hoop Convergence in Carrboro, North Carolina. I was definitely star struck because she was a HoopGirl Allstar.  Her sweet, smiling face can be seen in Christabel Zamor’s “Hooping: A Revolutionary Fitness Program” book and in the HoopGirl “Hoopdance Evolution: Intermediate Volume 1″ fitness DVD.  And her talent goes way beyond that.  She also designed many of the HoopGirl Allstar costumes.

Well, she ended up being my neighbor here in Portland and it was such a treat to get to know her.  There was always something creative and fun going on at her house.  We’d chat about our lives and sip wine or a creative cocktail while she added feathers to my hair, her dog Pickles barking with excitement before cozying up on my lap. Annie created a burlesque costume for my Chica Vroom persona and a sexy pair of ruffled shorts. I’m the proud owner of an Annie Land romper which incidentally, makes my ass look great!  She does aerial silks and makes fun accessories and just fills everyone around her with love and light.  She embarking on another creative adventure so keep an eye on her!

Find AnnieLand!
Facebook
Esty
Blog
Annie Performing at a Roller Derby Bout in SF
Annie Performing at Ruby Skye in SF
Learn more about all the good stuff mentioned in the Podcast:
The Spinnerettes
Fluff and Gravy Records
Ukeladies PDX
Artists Repertory Theatre
Kenton Station

And this is the televised hoop jam I mentioned in the podcast (better audio):
HulaHoopla on MORE Good Day Oregon

Episode 5:

So here’s what’s been going on with me…finished rebuilding a 1977 VW bus engine; learned how to play a song on the ukulele for a performance; put together a new hoop troupe called The Spinnerettes (more on that to come!); performed with said ukulele and hoop troupe with the new Atomic Pro; decided to declutter my life of belongings and create a living space in my basement.

So as lame as my promise may seem, my intent is still there!!  I PROMISE.

Watch it here.

And if you’re curious, here’s information on Buses by the Bridge.

Atomic Pro

I need to tip my hat to LED Heady Hoops for my very first LED hoop. I have since gifted that hoop to another hooper. I purchased my next two Trick Concepts hoops through The Spinsterz. Those are my workhorses. They go camping with me and have been to Burning Man twice. If you’re considering an LED, do your research and talk to other hoopers before making your choice. It’s a personal and exhilarating step in the hooping world.

This year I wanted to make a Christmas hoop for my yard.  Hooper Bonnie MacDougall posted a picture of hers in her front yard in North Carolina and I just thought it was the coolest!!  Well, intentions are always good, right?  I made hoops and I put lights out in my backyard for the first time ever but the two didn’t mingle.  Maybe I can find Bonnie’s picture and post it on the blog for some hoopy joy and inspiration to others.

I teach hoopdance classes in a ballroom near my home and right now there is a giant Christmas tree filling one corner of the room.  I love it!!!  It has such a festive glow.  I feel like my students are dancing around a Winter Solstice tree. I’m a sucker for the lights this time of year.  I don’t need the gifts or the pressures, just the lights.

OK, bear with me for a couple more episodes.  I’ve got the microphone figured out NOW but not before I recorded this interview with my friend, Jennaluna.

The Hoopanista & Jennaluna at SpartQuake '94

She and I go waaaaaay back, the early 90s I think.  I played bass in a band called Gravy back in those days and one of my bandmates taught at her high school.  She sang backup as one of the “Biscuits” (get it???) during our outdoor performance at the end of the school year.

As I got into hooping, I heard names of these mythical hoopers like Hoopalicious and Spiral and Safire but didn’t know their real names.  One of my favorites names was Jennaluna but I had no idea who this person was.  And during the same time, my friend (Gravy bandmate) kept mentioning that one of his students had really gotten into hooping down in L.A. and San Francisco.  Hmmmm.  I never put it together.

Then one day, out of the blue, a little email came my way via Twitter from Jennaluna!!!  We connect the dots, made plans to have breakfast together (she moved back to Portland) to meet face-to-face and have been friends ever since. Happy hoopy ending!

And don’t forget to support local businesses this time of year – that includes your community hoopers!  Buy hoops and t-shirts and other hoop-related goodies to spread the hoop love this holiday season.

HulaHoopla Hoops for the Holidays!
And don’t forget the HulaHoopla shirts!
Jennaluna HoopGirl Allstar Performance
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes

Watch it here!

Zipped up to Seattle on Black Friday to spend some quality time with friends over the holiday weekend. Checked out the EMP’s exhibit on Nirvana. I spent a lot of time driving to Seattle during that era in the late 80s and early 90s and went to hundreds of shows both in Seattle and Portland. For me, it was really moving to see the old photos and band posters mentioning places and dates of shows I had attended. Amazing time in my life. And now I’m smack dab in the middle of another amazing time in my life – my hooping life!
In this episode, I sit down with my original hooping mentor – my hoop mama, if you will – Merilieu. This woman is the reason I started hooping. She talks about her first hooping experience and where the hoop has taken her. From picking up the hoop for the first time to making hoops, creating playlists for hoop jams, performing at Burning Man and bringing the Hooping Life to Seattle are just a few of the topics we cover.

The Hooping Family Tree Project
Burning Man
The Hooping Life
The Northwest Hoop Gathering