Posts Tagged ‘HulaHoopla’
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4 More Years of Hoops in the White House
Well, where do I start?!!
First off, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Congratulations, Mr. President.
Our First Lady Hoops!
The First Family will be hooping in the White House for another 4 years. *happy sigh* Yeah, I know. Lots of work to do. Hopefully he’ll be kicking ass and taking names this term. No more non-partisan shit. That didn’t work so well. But I digress…
Hooping! yes, I’ve been hooping and have reached a strange crossroad. It’s been the one thing I do that makes me happy and has kept me sane through the unemployment, the financial disaster that is about to become my life. Folks are always amazed that I’ve remained so calm. Since I haven’t missed a mortgage payment, I haven’t hit full on panic – yet. But I am not making money doing what I love and I’m starting to struggle with that. If I end up counting on my hoop classes and hoop sales won’t that make my passion a burden? I’ve been feeling like removing the hoop making aspect of my business – getting the tapes and tubing out of my home and enlist someone else to make all of my hoops. It feels good when I think about it but if I don’t make them myself, are they really HulaHoopla hoops?
I took a couple of workshops recently with Brecken and Luna Breeze and it felt SOOOOO good to be the student again. I want to grow and pass that one to my students. My classes are still fun and rewarding. The rent is killing me but I know I actually have a good deal on the place where I teach. I think I need to ramp up the promotions.
And then there’s performing. I’d love to do more of that. Maybe get some corporate gigs with The Spinnerettes. Hmmmmmm….
I can’t be the only hoop business owner who has struggled with this. Maybe I need to start a collective where we can brainstorm, share our stories, help each other out.
I know I need to write more on this blog – I’m starting to feel better already!!!
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Episode 5 – I Heart Annie Land, Hooping for Zen & The Spinnerettes
Holy crap!
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 StationAnd this is the televised hoop jam I mentioned in the podcast (better audio):
HulaHoopla on MORE Good Day OregonEpisode 5:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Hooping at Buses by the Bridge
