kahunahula

i contacted the healthy building network to ask if they could recommend a good alternative to pvc with similar properties.  a representative wrote back to say that, “PE (polyethylene) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene)…(are) still petroleum-based but less toxic throughout the product life cycle.”  so, good news for all of you hoopers who love the lighter hoops, most of which seem to be made using hdpe.  personally, i wish hdpe weren’t so rigid, but i’m glad to hear that the life cycle is a little less evil.

still looking for a better alternative, but thought i’d share the news.

my fire troupe likes to joke that our motto is “safety third”, even though we take safety pretty seriously. i daresay that part of the mystique of playing with fire is the perceived danger involved.  in my experience, being mindful and proactive in terms of your own safety needs can go a long way to minimize the potential hazards.

that being said, there is one safety topic that i haven’t seen discussed anywhere, probably because most hoopers are simply not aware of the dangers involved.  at the risk of opening a big ‘ole can of worms, which seems sometimes to be my purpose in life, i’d like to express some concerns about using pvc as hoop tubing, particularly for firehoops.

before i dive in, let me say that my purpose in bringing this up is to build awareness, to protect all of you, and to encourage innovation, not to mess with those wonderful peeps who make and sell hoops.  also, i am not a chemist or biologist.  what i want to share is based on info from other sources.  if i’ve gotten something wrong, please let me know.  i want accurate info available to everyone.  lastly, i realize that the fuel we use is toxic as hell, but it is obviously toxic- you know when you see a gallon of white gas that you probably shouldn’t be inhaling it or bathing in it.  a piece of hoop tubing simply does not look like something inherently dangerous.

alright.  grabbing my can opener….

one of the things that i really liked about hooping from the get go was that making a hoop is so easy.  all you need to do is go to your local hardware store and grab some irrigation tubing, a connector, and tape.  heat up the ends with a hairdryer, slam the connector in, tape to your hearts content, and, bingo, hoop!  simple.  accessible.  given the flexibility, weight, cheapness and availability of pvc, it seems pretty ideal for our collective hoop needs.

unfortunately, pvc, or polyvinyl chloride (aka vinyl), is one of the most toxic compounds on the planet.  it is made with stuff toxic to us (like chlorine), gives off stuff toxic to us (like mercury and lead), and either poisons our land and water as it stays alive forever offgassing in landfills or creates poisons when it is incinerated (like hydrocholric acid).  i am not exaggerating when i say that we are putting our bodies and our environment at risk by using this plastic.  given the mounting evidence linking severe health issues with pvc production and use, countries around the world are severely restricting or banning it altogether.

and, yes, pvc is everywhere, in computers, food containers, toys, clothes, etc.  we are all exposed to it with alarming regularity, unaware that this stuff is offgassing all around us.  to give an example, a study referenced in the story of stuff found that 108 volatile chemicals were released from a pvc shower curtain over the course of 28 days.  108!  from a shower curtain!  brings a whole new meaning to the term “bath”.  and, if your shower curtain is that dangerous, what about that gaggle of hoops hanging out next to your closet?  i know they don’t look too dangerous covered in sparkly, multi-colored tape and all, but unfortunately, pvc offgases.  so, hoops offgas, too.

that’s probably enough to make anyone take pause, but the main problem i want to address here is that when pvc is burned it releases dioxins.  ever hear of agent orange, the defoliant used in the vietnam war?  yep, that’s a dioxin, the use of which resulted in the killing or maiming of 400,000 people and 500,000 birth defects.  dioxins are the nastiest of the nasties.  these poisons build up primarily in fatty tissues over time, and have been linked to all kinds of serious health problems, including cancer and the disruption of hormonal systems.

now think about those flames licking your firehoop while you take a deep breath…. pretty scary.

so, what do we do?  i’m not about to give up firehooping, but i’m also not anxious for any of us to get cancer, or for any of us to poison our unborn children.  so, here are some of my thoughts on minimizing the risks:

1.  don’t store your hoops in close proximity to a heat source.  really, you shouldn’t be doing this anyway with a firehoop given the possibility of fuel residue igniting, but this goes for all hoops.  when i first became aware of the evil that is pvc, i realized to my horror that i was storing my hoops directly across from my heater.

2. pay particular attention to the well-being of your firehoop.  is the spine size or a damaged wick making the flame come into constant contact with the body of the hoop when you spin?  are you giving yourself a dose of dioxin every time you light up?  it’s time to fix that wick or consider a different spine size.

3. wear gloves when firehooping.  this is going to cramp some people’s style, but do you really want your skin in direct contact with this crap?

4. don’t use the hairdryer method for hoop building.  i’ve found the hot water method faster and easier, anyway.

5. help us all figure out another material to use as the basis for our hoops.  this is a very creative community- i’m sure we can collectively think of something else that has similar properties without wrecking the environment and our bodies.  is there a rubber that can be used?  or bamboo?  or some kind of super-intelligent textile/metal combo?  there must be something else that will work.  people began hooping long before pvc was concocted.

the more we all become aware of how bad these compounds are, the more we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from the toxic soup that is increasingly all around us.  here is a source of info on pvc.  i recommend the books, the story of stuff (leonard/conrad) and dodging the toxic bullet (boyd), as starting points.  please don’t just trust me on this.  do your own research.

again, i know lots of wonderful, health conscious, natural-fiber wearing peeps who are able to make some cash from making and selling great hoops.  i’m not interested in destroying their livelihood, but we need to facilitate change.  now.  the sooner we get pvc out of our art, the better.

discuss;-)

if you’d like some great inspiration for continuing to expand your hooping repertoire, check out the nominees for the hoopies at hooping.org.

while i still can’t quite understand how it is 2011 already, i can take solace in the fact that 2010 was a landmark year in my hooping world in many ways.  just the sheer breadth of hooping activities makes me smile.  let’s jump in the way back machine and take a gander at what was…

photo by fototaker tony, 2010.

2010 started with a great hoop path class.  thus inspired, i began several months of working on a groundbreaking hoop/poi duet with glittergirl (2x week/3-4 hours per day/months and months), while continuing to polish the original firish routine.  i also volunteered to step into a leadership position for solar flare for our annual quest for fire conclave at burning man, becoming the group’s shin, or fire mother, for the year.  separately, i made it into a brief spot on chinese news, to my surprise.  in march, i did my first movie-hooping in the flick doggie boogie:  i was filmed in two dream sequences, one in front of a tree of drumming hippies, the other spinning fire atop a hill overlooking san francisco.  by far my favorite gig during the first quarter of the year involved donning a fro for a disco party- only managed to have it fly off my head a couple of times.

in april, months of practice came to fruition with major performances with glittergirl and firish, in both the flow show and the fire arts expo.  i also took a great spin business/instructor’s training class from glittergirl and got to spin for urban planners at a spur benefit where larry harvey spoke.  in may, i helped open a hotel by spinning fire by the pool (where i was told i had to put a shirt on under my vest because my bare chest was too sexy for the crowd).  then played ecstatically with other pyro’s at firedrums.

photo by herm pugay, 2010.

in june, had the best campout of the year with solar flare at a nature reserve in sonoma county.  that was followed by firish at precompression and a summer solstice burn at sutro baths.  i spent several hectic days at the end of the month editing solar flare’s burning man fire conclave submission, which helped us secure a spot in the great circle.  in july, solar flare brought it to monterey for their burning man regional and to sand by the ton in oakland.

august was solid burning man prep, working with the 42-piece solar flare to make our performance amazing and beautiful.  in september, it all came together at burning man with our annual fire opera with salon soleil, followed by our performance in the great circle at conclave before a crowd of thousands.  at the end of the month, a few of us returned to sutro baths for a celebratory equinox burn.

photo by april mietz, 2010.

october saw solar flare at the crocker art museum in sacramento, where we brought fire love to their anniversary event with the vulcan crew.  then i spun just outside the powell bart station with temple of poi, sporting the new walrus look.  the end of the month was topped off by a halloween gig in which i had to pull some drunk lady away from our fuel depot.  she was looking for fake blood to play with.  gotta love sf.

in november, my hooping world came to a crashing halt with a surprise back injury.  managed to pull something learning disc golf, of all things.  (wish it had been from something more dramatic, like pulling children out of a burning bus)  subsequently, i had to cancel several gigs, alas, but was able to channel my energy into co-authoring the new firish piece for 2011.

after weeks of healing, december brought another personal spinning celebration of the heavens with the lunar eclipse.  then, supported solar flare at a strategik nye party that unfortunately got shut down just before flame on.  despite the let down, managed to bring in the new year surrounded by my wonderful peeps;-)

photo by waldemar horwat, 2010.

by far, the best shut down by police had to be at an impromptu solar flare jam in soma.  we had two cop cars show up for that one- the officer i spoke with apologized, saying it was obvious we knew what we were doing.  my best costume failure was at sand by the ton when the entire crotch of a newly made pair of pants ripped wide open moments before a solo.  (yes, i went anyway.)  it’s difficult for me to pick out my best performance of the year; seems like there should be several categories to consider and rate.  the reality is i liked parts of a few different performances.  i will say that the flow show and fire arts expo were fantastic experiences- really proud of those performances and all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into making them happen.

if i had to pick one performance for the year, i would have to say that my solo at the fire opera had a lot of magic to it.   even though i botched my routine in several places, the crowd was with me from the get go and i gave it all i had- it was a mutual gift that i won’t ever forget.  funny how that tangible connection doesn’t necessarily translate well to video. but i digress…

yes, 2010 was amazing.  can’t even count the number of practices and jams that happened in support of all of the above, not to mention the hoops that were sacrificed during the process. (insert moment of silence here)

photo by bill taylor, 2010.

with the earth continuing its path around the sun, i’ve got lots of new hoop shenanigans already in the works: a new hoop duet with bene is in the planning stages; firish continues to practice our new piece; new solar flare routines are spiriting around in my head.  in addition, i’m almost done with the prep for my intermediate skills classes, and look forward to both putting some real work into a kickass demo reel and making vast improvements on my website (like, ahem, posting more often).  i look forward to new seasons full of possibilities; more practice, more jamming, more renegades, for sure; as many big gigs as possible; exploring new dialogues with other spinners.  continuing my path to completely release my inner kahuna in each and every spin.

one thing is clear.  without a doubt, i could not do all of this insanity without my peeps, who continue to inspire me, encourage me, share my passion, and teach me how to live the life of a rock star.  it definitely takes a village to raise a kahuna.  in particular, warm, grateful hugs to mayhem, pixie, glittergirl, khan, crimson rose, bax, ms. sim, steve w., jaden, maestro, super v, firekitty, memory, my solar flare crew (s.f.f.y!), my firish crew, camp nucleus, my bah peeps, strategik, my podlings, and fellow boddhisattvas.  thank you all for an amazing year!

ultimately, my hooping is always a gift to you;-)

kahunahula

photo by kylla benes, 2010.

hooping has definitely brought a number of positive changes into my life.  by far, one of the most important emotional changes has been gaining enough confidence to finally take off the ugly duckling suit i’ve been wearing since i was a child.  by this, i don’t mean i just lost a lot of weight hooping; what i am talking about is a fundamental change in my perception of my own desirability.  after decades of agony over this issue, i’ve finally reached a place wherein i can say to myself, yes, you are attractive.  i think it is easy to get so used to one’s costume that you forget it is just a costume.

it has been a process.  when i stepped out of my early private hooping shell and began participating in hoop gatherings, one of the hardest things for me to do was to simply take off my shirt- to expose my torso to the world.  it was so hard for me to do that i made a decision early on to always take off my shirt when hooping, so i could finally get past my hangups.  yes, this is my belly in movement!  with time, a ton of generous and positive feedback from others, and my shedding a supermodel in weight, it has gotten easier.  but even though i am arguably in some of the best shape of my life, it still isn’t easy.

i’m not a professional model, nor do i aspire to be one.  i think “sexy” commercial modeling perpetuates dangerous stereotypes that are ultimately hurtful to most people’s sense of self worth.  i also think increasingly men are being subjected to a similar kind of destructive body “ideal” that women have endured to a more marked degree for a long time.  i’ve certainly felt the pressure over the years even though i intellectually recognize it as b.s.

as an active hoop performer, i get photographed quite a bit, often in minimal form-fitting (sometimes outrageous) clothing.  truth be told, i’m used to generally being discouraged by the resulting photos.  invariably i end up with some weird expression on my face, or blurry edges that look like alien flesh tumors, or most often, a kwashiorkor belly.  i usually have to grit my teeth through twenty bad shots before finding one in which i think i look decent.  sure, once in awhile i get one that is absolutely fantastic, but that is by far the exception.  i’ve grudgingly accepted this, like “off” performances, as part of the process.  i just keep hooping, hoping that the good shots i want for documenting and sharing my art will come over time.  when i perform, i am much more concerned with tapping into my flow and connecting with the audience, than with whether i can grate cheese on my abs at any given moment.  it’s only afterwards that i experience the mild panic when i see that i’ve been tagged in a photo on facebook.

however, despite this relative truce with the process, i was reminded a couple of months ago just how tender an area grappling with my sense of attractiveness still is for me.  after a couple of strong performances, which resulted in both good and bad pictures (and at least one amazing shot), i had the opportunity to participate in a dedicated photo shoot with several talented spinners.  i was excited at the prospects of getting several really high quality photos in a single evening.

i don’t know how you feel about posing in front of a wall of photographers, but the reality of it was rather surreal- markedly different from my experience the night before performing in front of a similar wall of photographers that fronted the crowd.  i was advised that to get good shots it would take a lot of repetition of movement;  the name of this game was posing. i couldn’t just rock it in my comfort zone as i had anticipated.  watching the other artists begin to work it, i felt like i was about to take off my shirt for the first time.

in retrospect, posing for the shots in that environment in the way that i was seeing other artists do it was simply not authentic for me.  i tried my best, but it wasn’t anything close to comfortable or fun.  i kept thinking of some b movie i’d seen a long time ago in which the photographer kept saying things like, “show me the tiger! yes! you are a sexy tiger! growl for me tiger! hot, hot, hot!”  nope.  not me.

given the fact that i’d tried nonetheless to be expressive, to dampen the natural speedster in me sufficiently, and to find something close to a distant relative of my comfort zone in the situation, i have to say i was disappointed with the results.  despite pushing myself to stay active in the rotation, and braving the large phalanx of photographers, i ended up with only a few possibly usable pictures for several hours worth of work in the cold- none of which were particularly inspiring to me.  part of the problem undoubtedly had to do with the fact that there were usually at least two artists doing separate things at the same time- the photographers had to choose who to go with.  while i don’t think it was the intention of either the photographers or the artists,  it seemed like the spinners who were much closer to the ripped, slim, sexy “ideal”, and who were able to ‘show their tiger’, ended up with the preponderance of photographs, including some fantastic results.  don’t get me wrong, i was happy for them- everyone worked hard for it.  but, comparing the discrepancy in volume between the plethora of their photographs and mine, i found myself drowning in that old familiar space of, “of course there aren’t that many pictures of me- i’m just not attractive like they are.”

i recognize that with guidance and practice i could probably learn how to pose effectively and feel a little more comfortable with it.  i’d also probably end up with more shots.  but, just as there are moves, affectations, and methodologies that other spinners employ that i don’t, i doubt this kind of thing is really capturing what i’m about as a hooper.  the fact is that the best photos i’ve gotten recently have been action shots of me rocking the hoop on stage.  they weren’t all perfect, but they were true to me.  that was where my sexy came out.  and, i felt good about myself in the process, which is probably more important.

yes, it was a single night.  i probably shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater (where did this saying come from? was this an issue at some point?)  we’ll see how the future photo ops unfold- whether i can embrace and express something cool that doesn’t make me feel ridiculous and self-conscious, hopefully with good results; or, whether i just stick to doing my best to kick ass on stage and let the pictures come as they will.  i’d put my money on the latter.  maybe i’ll go to the next photo shoot and spin like the madman that i am and see what happens.

why share this?  because i know i’m not the only walking-wounded spinner when it comes to body image.  i’ve had a number of conversations with peeps who really struggle with it, both men and women.  i certainly have.  the more you hoop in public, the more likely you will have to deal with what you perceive about yourself from photographs.

reflecting on this experience has just underlined my conviction that the sexiest thing on the planet is you spinning with authenticity, whatever that means for you.  embrace it, treat yourself with compassion, and enjoy.  try not to get too lost in indoctrinated notions of attractiveness.  in other words, take pictures with a grain of salt.  they may indeed capture a moment, and that moment may be amazing.  but, to my mind the most beautiful flow is in the movement, and the most beautiful you is in the flow.

tiger.

made it into a short piece on cctv about fire spinning.  the footage is from a temple of poi jam i participated in.  big thanks to isa for making this possible.

my goals going into the winter have been: 1) to continue polishing my solo routine, 2) to do substantial work in developing routines with others, and 3) not to turn into a beached whale.  taking a look at the last few weeks, i’d say the goal realization has been going pretty well.

my solo routine has come a long way from the initial flawed performance at union square in december.  i walked away from that gig discouraged.  i’d blitzed hard in the preceeding weeks to complete my exciting new routine in time.  but the actual performance felt like a bit of a mess.  i ended up going off sequence early on, dropped my hoop, split my lip wide open with some freak mutant move i hope i never repeat, and had my wicks go out severely prematurely, before i’d gotten anywhere near the really good stuff.

when i finally got a chance to check out the video, i was relieved to see that the performance was far better than i’d remembered. not a complete disaster, after all.  considering the short time frame, i’d put together a good core, even if i was too lost in the technicalities while spinning.  even my recovery from the drop was decent enough that i was asked by a few folks if i’d done it on purpose.  i was once advised to learn a few solid recovery moves. really grateful for that advice.  sometimes you just drop it.

as i’ve mentioned elsewhere, post-spin self debrief is always a little harsh.  i often have to take a breath and recognize not only what went wrong, but what went right.  still learning how to do this well.  after all, no matter how far i end up going with hooping, it will always be about the process.  the journey is the thing; the performances are just snapshots.

since the awkward debut, i’ve spent the necessary time really practicing the difficult transitions, been through the entire routine a substantial number of times with only minor snafus, and have newer wicks available.  except for a sequence or two, i feel pretty rock solid across the board.  really focusing now on the overall flow, pacing my energy exertion throughout the duration, fine tuning angles/body position/timing, opening up the general showmanship, and relaxing into my flow.  looking forward to finding a good opportunity to perform the current evolution of the piece in the near future.

photo by norm mcallister, 2010.

in addition to the solo, i’ve got three routines in the works with my super-talented fire peeps.  i’m rocking a kickass duet with glittergirl (hoop/poi), upgrading the irish footwork in the showpiece routine with firish, and beginning to craft my duet with jaden towards our application to conclave with solar flare (hoop/hoop; possibly, double staff/hoop). really pleased to have the opportunity to work with such great people.  (when i first typed that sentence it came out, “pleased to have the opportunity to work such great people”.  i’m sure that will be true, both ways.)

i’ve said it before and i will say it again.  while there is certainly nothing like building a solid solo piece, i think it is really important to experience working in combination with other spinners.  i’ve found it crucial to making mammoth gains in skill, technique and expression.  it forces me to do things i would not normally do, to create unique sequences/interplay, to strengthen marginal skills.  i also highly recommend trying a piece wherein you are interacting with a different spinning tool than your own.  it’s one thing to play with another hoop; you can share the inherent fluidity of similar, familiar movement.  but a completely different tool means you have to learn how to play with the unique qualities of that tool in the hands of the person you are working with- it’s rhythms, range, flexibility, etc.  you cannot help but improve your own control, flexibility, and overall strength from this kind of work.

in my hoop/poi duet, for instance, we’ve had the opportunity to build a fresh vocabulary of hoop/poi interactions.  we are doing a number of things i’ve never seen done anywhere.  it’s incredibly fun to blaze new ground.  i’m already stronger for it and anticipate some of my best choreographed performances to date.

with firish, the emphasis has been on improving our irish dancing skills so that we can integrate more footwork into our piece.  we’ve already benefited from some great coaching and a lot of hopping around in unison.  by the time the gigs are upon us, lovers of light 2.0 will be fantastic. and i will have thighs of steel.

as for the final piece, i’m excited to work with my solar flarista sister, jaden.  she’s talented with many tools, including spinning a graceful double firehoop.  i don’t have a clue what we’ll come up with, but i know it will be amazing.

so, until mid-april when the big shows happen, i expect to be practicing the group routines a good 10-15 hours a week, at a minimum.  add to that my solo work and that’s a lot consistent wear and tear on our hero.  the lesson i seem to be learning now is how best to take care of my body when i am practicing at this intensity and frequency.  i’m usually conscious of water and rest needs when i practice or perform, but haven’t always been super diligent about stretching, massage, or simply making sure to promptly replenish electrolytes.  my body is being very good about reminding me that those things are crucial to being able to bring it to every practice.

as to the beached whale reference, last year after the fire spinning season ended i took a good-sized break from hooping, undoubtedly needed because i hadn’t been listening to my body’s needs that well.  i ended up doing a lot more eating than exercising (damn holidays) and put on some winter weight like a good mammal.  but, having recovered from type II diabetes a few years back, i need to keep my weight in a very healthy range.  i’m not generally too successful when it comes to new year’s resolutions.  it feels really good to have continued my progress toward maintaining fighting trim this time around the sun.  the only drawback from not packing on some extra poundage over this winter has been that i’ve been noticeably colder.  as a hooper i’m often outside, exposed to the elements, wearing a minimum of fancy, tight clothing.  never really understood to this extent what many of the women in my life endure routinely with being cold at night when out on the town.

anyway, after the big shows, i’m off to firedrums to celebrate, socialize, camp, and spin.  spinning for my collective fire tribe is a unique joy.  i always walk away from the weekend exhausted, smiling, and inspired, basking in the pungent aroma of smoke and burnt hair.  awesome.

until then, i’m going to work hard, give my performances my best, and earn that celebration.  paraphrasing the teacher in the old tv show, fame, “you gotta pay in sweat!”

one of the consistent requests i’ve gotten is to include some good video on this site.  the problem is, i haven’t had a good collection of recent high quality video of my performances.  i’m currently working on changing that with the development of a demo.  in the interim, i’ve finally assembled some decent video to share.

here is a video of my firehoop jam in a gig with solar flare at an art gallery recently.  i’m followed by my fellow solar flarista, don, weaving some magic with his poi.

though slightly different than i anticipated, it was a fun gig.  i’d been looking forward to rocking it hard with the music i brought, but the live drumming ended up being cool to work with. i like some of the impromptu sequences.  in the “on” meter, i’d say i fluctuated between a 5 and a 7 on my personal richter scale.  the funny thing is that just after don performed i returned with my hoop duet partner, karen, to more or less mangle the peice we did for conclave last year.  in my defence, we hadn’t practiced it since we performed it at burning man, but i have to admit it was totally my fault:-)

flow can be an harsh mistress, at times.

a big thank you to chris miloslavich for the video.

—

here is a second video of a firehoop jam i did at karen’s birthday bus traveling party.  i was actually pretty sick that night- had seriously debated going for a moment, but there was really no doubt i’d make it.  my peeps celebrating my peeps.  where else would i be?  then ended up missing several subsequent important friend things because i got sick again.  silly of me, i know.

while about six of us were spinning fire, two cars came speeding around the corner to screech to a halt just yards away from us.  joyriding teens stopped by rogue fire gang.  in one fell swoop they could have taken out most of hooppain.  there is some sick logic to that;-)

a big thank you to whit gurley for the video.

photo by jeremy sharp, 2009.

about a month ago, i decided to start choreographing a solo firehooping routine.  the main impetus behind the idea was to develop and own a solid, go-to routine; something that i could always have ready to break out when needed; something including a full range of expression from my growing firehooping repertoire.

prior to this, i’d really only choreographed routines as part of duets, trios, etc.  when i’ve performed solos in the past, i’ve simply jammed.  i absolutely love the freedom of an improvisational jam.  that’s where the flow is strongest, i find.  but it has it’s drawbacks.  one is self-imposed; i always challenge myself not to repeat tricks when jamming.  i know this sounds a little extreme, but i think it has been a great way of pushing myself to continue learning new moves, to always reach.  i do follow this with a grain of salt, though.  for example, the transitions i use when breaking planes are limited in number; i have to reuse them just to do my thing.  so there is some repetition.

my first step with choreography is always to pick the music.  the music is everything.  it sets the pace, the mood, and for me, the movement framework since so much of what i do is tied to rhythm.  i have a playlist of songs “i’d like to perform to” that i’ve been building for a couple of years, but i’ve been feeling pretty sick of most of the songs, because i hoop to them all the time.

after a lot of consideration, i picked one of my newer finds, a great niyaz track, and started my process. for me, it is important to know the music well, to learn it by heart; to know the buildups, the transitions, the timing.  i map out the timing of each section of the song for reference.  i do this so i can sketch ideas in each section of the song with clear markers.  the audio map becomes the template for the movement play.

i like to use a whiteboard when doing choreography.  handy way to play with ideas in your hooping space.  because i don’t subscribe to some of the names people use for moves, i often find myself writing descriptions like “arm blender to alt back bend to front vert isolation”.  (sometimes this cryptic language is completely unintelligible to me later)  i brainstorm for days, trying sequences “live” with the hoop.  adding, subtracting, exploring options.  the whiteboard usually disintegrates into an illegible mess, but by that time, most of the routine has been etched into me.

i’d learned the niyaz tune intimately and loosely sketched out most of the sequences of the routine.  i began practicing in earnest.  then one night i heard a song on pandora that i’ve liked for some time and i was suddenly inspired.  when i tried hooping to it, it was obvious.  this was the song to work with.  immediate gear change.

since i’d already sketched out a number of ideas for the previous song, i had some nice sequences ready to adapt to the new tune.  i’ve spent the subsequent weeks developing beyond these building blocks to craft just about every section of the evolving 4 1/2 minute routine.  i’m trying to pull widely from my repertoire to build the best showpiece i can.

photo by jeremy sharp, 2009.

when i originally set out to choreograph a solo piece i didn’t have a specific gig in mind for the debut.  i’ve been working with the confidence that something apropos would come up.  to my delight,  it has.  my friend isa, of temple of poi fame, has invited me to rock a solo at the sf food bank canned food drive fire dancing show.  i’m grateful to have the perfect opportunity for the unveiling of my baby.  i’m also just excited to perform and, of course,  a little freaked.

as i write this, i’m two weeks out from the gig.  i’d say i’ve got about 85% of the routine worked out in my head, but doing it is a whole other story.  that’s more like 60% solid.  the difficulty i’m having has to do with timing and transitions.  some of the combinations i’ve developed are long sequences.  i’m still learning to hear the marker in the music where i should initiate the sequence.  this may sound straightforward, but since i allow for some jamming even within choreographed sections, i can get lost jamming in a “jamming” section and forget to initiate a complicated sequence in time.  then my fancy pop move is blown at the transition.  (does that make sense to anyone but me?)  the other thing is that i always include tricks or movements that i can’t yet do in my choreography.  need to have some things to reach for.  i’ve got a few new moves in this one that i really need to practice until they are rote enough that i can relax about them.   bottom line, i’ve got work to do.

i’d say the underlying challenge i’ve got for this gig is just that i’m going into the final prep a bit worn out.  i’ve just hooped incredibly hard for about 9 months straight.  i feel the keen desire for a week in a hot tub somewhere, with a masseuse and lots of sleep.  maybe that will be my treat to myself after the gig…

thanks to dirk wyse for these great shots.

photo by dirk wyse, 2009.

photo by dirk wyse, 2009.

photo by dirk wyse, 2009.