I cannot believe that I did not know about spin art until this week of my life. Not only am I a hooper (so naturally obsessed with mandalas and all things that orbit) but I had never set mine eyes on a spin art machine, much less even heard of it until I got a [...]

Over the last few months, no doubt thanks in large part to the incredible musical offerings of the MXP drum circle players on Sunday afternoons, I have been able to fuse my hooping with my dancing more and more seamlessly each time I enter the ring. Hoop-Dance fusion has always been my favorite ’style’ of [...]

Anyone that has a hoop or two or twenty has likely become well-acquainted with the nature of what I like to call hoop funk shui- the challenge of flowful transport & placement of your hoop/s in your abode or practice space. It’s quite humbling (and often frustrating) after a super fluid and inspiring session of [...]

This past month’s workshop with the talented acro-hoop instructors Marria & Zach of Hoop Ninja fame proved to be a super fun (and also an admittedly exhausting!) time. Three straight hours of inversions and one-handed cartwheels and carrying another’s body weight was way more strenuous activity than I’m used to in a given day. And [...]

I am pretty much in love with light, mini arm & hand hooping these days. My time in Chile just over a year ago really jump-started this relationship, even though I had done it a bit before the trip~ but without as much intention nor attention regarding the many positive & often subtle impacts it [...]

Recently I was asked in a circle of spinners to share my current favorite hoop move. My answer was actually: “Hoopstretching.” For those of us who regularly use a hoop to assist us in our various stretching practices, we know that there’s an ability to experience a broader range of movement in the rather [...]

Joe’s Movement Emporium is closed in honor and observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day~ therefore there will be no evening hoop class tonight. Happy hooping wherever you may be today. Please join us next week for more practice and play in the ring of revolution, and happy birthday Dr. King! In gratitude for those [...]

This is one of my all time favorite hoop shots for so many reasons (thank you Christine for taking it! and Carol for sharing!). The composition & lighting= my cup of tea. It a picture of my oldest friend on earth, Carol, whom I have known since the ripe young age of one. It’s a [...]

While I have yet to take a formal class on the New Zealand-born art of Poi, I have increasingly amp’ed up my own exploration of poi-inspired hooping techniques in recent months and it has proven more powerful for bilateral brain strengthening than most other movement paths I have explored in this lifetime. The basic motion [...]

Here’s a mildly fuzzy yet still super fun shot from De’Arra’s recent 3rd year of life birthday party in which I facilitated a HoopingPowers Hoopy Birthday jammy-jam-dance session of bliss with HOOPS! This particular moment captured was when we were driving around with hoops as our steering wheels, whirling up a storm of goodness. The [...]

I will be hosting a Mandala & Hoop-Making Workshop this coming Sunday the 25th of April in Baltimore City (Waverly neighborhood)- complete with tons of education & materials at your fingertips, refreshments, and the house cat, Ellsie, who rather likes herself a hoola hoop.
A hoop is an example of a mandala, or an expression [...]

Anyone who’s ever stretched and moved about with hoop in hands is sure to have felt the incredible benefits of this simple & most gloriously deep shape in ever-expanding one’s range of body movement/s. I have danced throughout my lifetime, but only in the last five years and more intensely in the last one or [...]

Just sayin… in case any of you DMV hoopers are extraordinarily hard core~ that I, am not. And Joe’s is closed. See you post-snowsanity! In the meantime, if I may suggest: make some hot cocoa, move some furniture, and getchur home-hoop a’spin! What better way to enjoy the day? With Love & Blinding White Light~ [...]

I have been in the countryside of southern Chile for nearly a month now. Here’s a shot of me just before a gay parade in Santiago my second day in South America~ donning an “I Love Myself” sign in Spanish- “Yo Amo A Mi Misma!”~ with my hoola hoops happily overhead. The modern hooping movement [...]

One thing that I like to share with others and try to remind myself of often, is exactly why the hoop is such a powerful mechanism for experiencing joy, clarity, and creative expression in a relatively safe place: inside the circle.
Most folks who’ve hooped before (as adults) recognize fast about the pure fun and [...]

This past month us Baltimorans had the great fortune of having the Hoopgirl team (led by the incredible Candice Schutter and JennaLuna) grace us with their presence for the first-ever East Coast Teacher Training. It was truly an inspirational weekend full of positivity and LOVE for all. When I was still living in Seattle and [...]

Sign your hooping-curious children up now for exciting revolutionary camps happening in both Baltimore and Mount Rainier, MD this summer! The Baltimore-specific information is as follows:
WHAT: Two 1-week camps (1.5 hours each morning) of Hooping Fun, hoop decoration, and HoopDANCE!
WHOM: Ages 7-11. Both girls AND BOYS are encouraged to join!
WHERE: Roland Park Country School, B’more [...]

We just wrapped up week three of our new & delightful Mindful Hooping class creation. During our class we’ve been incorporating quotations of writers who inspire us how to be more mindful, intentional, and joyful in our practice. What follows are the names and/or books of the people whose words we’ve been celebrating within the [...]

This month I was fortunate to meet and hoop with the lovely Rayna McInturf of Los Angeles’ Hoopnotica fame in my home city of Baltimore. It was awesome to get to spend time with such flowing and renowned hoopdancer as Rayna. Beginning this Thursday at Studio Edge in Mount Washington, I will be combining my [...]

For lucky aspiring hoopers in and around Baltimore, Maryland, I am pleased to announce my next beginner adult-oriented hooping class being offered on Monday evenings for six weeks this coming January-February. This class series will cover a number of topics, including basic waist and torso hooping, neck hooping, limb hooping, simple traveling, transitions, hoopdance, beginner levels, [...]

Hey beginner hoopers and hoopers-to-be: getchur hoop on this holiday season and new year! I am currently lining up my next six-week series of adult classes for January. Classes will either be a late-morning weekend time, or an early-evening weekday time. Feel free to email me at hoopingpowers@gmail.com with your preference, as I will take [...]

There are still 3 more Saturdays of hooping joy to be had in my adult classes taking place at the Load of Fun Studios. The building is at 120 W North Avenue intersecting with Howard (near the colorful bridge by MICA, across from Joe Squared Pizza). Here’s a picture of the view from the awesome [...]

I am pleased to announce a new and long-awaited series of adult hooping classes on the books in Baltimore set to begin at the end of this month. Sponsored by Fluid Movement, the classes are geared towards novice hoopers, and will cover the following topics: basic waist hooping, neck & limb hooping, transitions, traveling, levels [...]

Here’s a goofy shot from the 2007 Fluid Movement Water Ballet that took place just a few weeks ago in Baltimore City. I am hooping amongst my fellow canines, the Flying Basenjis! Check back in the next couple of weeks for info on my fall Baltimore hooping classes sponsored by the Fluid Movement Troop to [...]

Here’s a sweet picture of a recent work of hoop art along with the artists (some of the young people I instruct at Joe’s) that built it. For those of you who work with small groups of youth hoopers, this can be a nice way to change the pace and encourage team work to put [...]