practice

Hooping while concentrating on footwork

Footwork

Image posted on by jennabee25

Jenny has been working on my footwork while hoopdancing.  It’s been a fun and challenging thing to work on!

She taught me a basic grapevine step, and moved on to a ballet-y almost burlesque-y foot sequence that is very pretty to do. Doing the steps by themselves is fine, but adding the element of hoop dance is a whole other animal.

I decided to put the concept of footwork into practice on Saturday during some of the nice weather we actually got this weekend.  I put on some music, and hooped.  Here’s what I learned:

  • Hoopdance footwork is much easier on wooden floors rather than grass.
  • Hoopdance is also easier while barefoot rather than wearing sneakers.

I videoed part of my practice.  It was exhausting, as you can see I tried to do some hoopdance footwork with a polypro hoop, too, just to see how it would go.

Saturday Hoopdance from Jenn Dixon on Vimeo.

How did I do?  I think I did pretty well concerning the circumstances.

I encourage you to play around with footwork, too.  It’s freeing!  I’m able to move, at least in the studio with a lot more grace and find myself experimenting more with my feet.  It’s a new element of dance for me!

Steppin’ It Up

Image posted on by jennabee25

Photo credit:  Kenny Holston on Flickr  (Side note:  you need to check out his photos of our men and women serving in the US Air Force.  Great stuff!)

Close to a year ago, I had a class with Jenny where she incorporated an aerobics step platform into hooping.  I was doing moves while stepping, and then did waist hooping doing this the same thing.  It was hard.  Read about my experience in this older post.

Now that the weather has turned bleepin’ cold, I went out yesterday and bought a step platform of my own to practice moves, waist hooping, and get some general exercise while the weather is freezing.

I tried it out last night.  One thing, that while doing moves such as lasso and twirl, my posture is better while using the step platform.  I tuck that tailbone in and look straight ahead.

I did not try waist hooping….yet.  First, I don’t have a lot of room in my living room to waist hoop, and the hoop I use for indoor practice is a tad small for waist hooping, thought I can waist hoop a little with it.  That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try once I move some furniture around.

So, really, a step platform can add a whole new level of difficulty and newness to your hooping, at least it is for me.  When I get home tonight, I’m looking forward to experimenting more with it in the warmth of my home.

Carol

Posted on by jennabee25

I got to hang out with a new hooping friend on Sunday.  Her name is Carol, and we are in Jenny’s hooping class at Studio Spin on Monday nights.  The week before, she had wanted someone to hoop with, just for practice and such, and I told her I’m usually up for stuff like that.  We exchanged contact information.

Come last Friday night, she e-mails me asking if I’d like to get together on Sunday.  I said I would, and hooped for about an hour and a half on a hot and humid afternoon.  It was nice!  She is a new hooper and full of questions.  Carol also wants to excel and learn.  That’s exciting to see!  We found a great place to meet at a local park.  It beautiful, with lots of shade trees and open grass.

I hope to hoop with Carol soon again.