Montana Hoops August 24, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoops for sale, Making Hula Hoops, Montana, New Product, Public displays of hooping.Tags: adult hula hoops, hoop dancing, Montana
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A handful of people were hooping away last weekend at the annual Rockin’ The Rivers music festival near Three Forks, Montana. Hoops were provided by Diana from the Montana branch of Hermosa Hoops and they were a big hit with people of all ages. Her designs are awesome and delight many a hooper.
If you are in the Bozeman area and would like to purchase a hoop, contact me and I will put you in touch with the Montana-Hermosa Hooper!
MOSTE and hooping May 17, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.1 comment so far
Last weekend I had the pleasure and opportunity to participate in one of the most inspiring events of my adult life. I volunteer with the non-profit MOSTE (Motivating Our Students Through Experience) that works with LA’s most underserved students to provide a mentor and a clear path to college.
This weekend was the MOSTE retreat, where 58 girls spent 2 days at camp learning about community and exploring nature. I chaperoned and facilitated some of the activities at camp and learned so much about these girls in the process. It opened my eyes to see how a large number of these girls overcome challenges everyday to work towards becoming smart, well-rounded women. I could write a small book on the great things I saw this weekend, but as this is a hooping blog, I’ll bring it back to point.
I brought a handful of hoops with me this weekend and let the girls experience the joy that is hooping with a proper sized hoop. Seeing them try the hoops reinforced my belief that it is impossible to be sad or angry while hooping. Every single one of those girls had a smile on her face as she hooped away! The abilities ranged from keeping a hoop up for the first time ever, to mastering the beginning level tricks within an hour.
One of the mentors pointed out that the hoops brought girls together across schools. MOSTE works with 5 middle schools in Los Angeles as well as a variety of High Schools. A big mission of the weekend was to get the girls to intermingle and meet girls outside their schools. Since there were a limited number of hoops, the girls had to share and take turns hooping. This ended up forcing girls from different schools to hoop together and share an experience.
I would have loved to give every girl there a Hermosa Hoop. I hope to get together enough supplies next year to do a hoop workshop where girls can decorate and keep their own hoops. Not only is it great exercise, it is a fantastic way for these girls to get outside and away from those addictive electronics!
In honor of the MOSTE weekend, I’d like to offer everyone out there the opportunity to sponsor a MOSTE Hooper. For a $20 donation, I will make and deliver a hula hoop to a MOSTE Mentee. The girls will be able to choose a hoop and I will get them started with the tricks that make hooping so fun.
Please contact me if you are interested in sponsoring a MOSTE Hooper and thanks for reading!
Thanks!
HH
Rasta Hoop April 22, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in New Product, Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: adult hula hoops, New!
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I have had a couple of requests lately for Rasta Hoops so I ordered some new Red and Yellow Gaffer Tape last week. I am happy to say I completed my first Rasta Hoop last night and it looks great. The colors are so vibrant and the Vinyl and Gaffer tape combined provides a nice matte look.
Now you know, if you’d like a Rastafarian colored hoop, Hermosa Hoops can hook you up! 
Rasta Hoop
Chest Hooping April 21, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in hoop tricks, Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping, Public displays of hooping.Tags: chest hooping, drum circle, hoop dancing, hoop tricks
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My sister was in town this weekend, and I took her to the Free To Be Me drum circle so we could do some hooping. She is a natural athlete and in no time was mastering the liftoff. I am glad she got the move down as it is a pretty integral start to learning hoop tricks.
There were also a couple other new hoopers there and they asked me to show them how to do chest hooping. The best way I’ve heard chest hooping described is a square peg in a round hole. It is not an easy skill to master and can be SO frustrating, but once you get it, you’ll never want to stop. The lovely ladies on the beach were on their way towards chest hoopery, but ultimately it takes patience and perseverance to master this trick. Did I say patience? I should also mention patience. It took me about 3 months to really get the move down, and even now I have my moments where I can not keep the hoop from slipping up to my neck.
So to other beginner hoopers out there, Patience! You’ll get it eventually.
Hoop Video of the Month April 14, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoop Video of the Month, Hooper Video.Tags: hoop dancing, Hooping description, Video of the month
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When I was first starting out to hoop, I thought chest hooping looked so graceful and sensual. After literally months of practice, I can now say that I am a chest hooper!
Chest hooping is a very impressive trick, and can be achieved with due diligence. I thought the hoop video of April should be a tutorial, since this seems to be the trick request I get from most people.
Watch the lovely SaFire give her hoop tips, then get out there and start trying yourself!
Enjoy,
HH
New Tape! April 14, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoops for sale, Making Hula Hoops, New Product.Tags: glitter tape, hoop dancing
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Hello!
Very exciting news! I have ordered a bunch new colors and styles of tapes! They should be arriving early next week, and I’ll be able to turn out some very pretty new designs. I’ll post more soon on the different colors, so you can start designing your own Hermosa Hoop.
Best,
HH
Phish tickets? April 2, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: phish, tickets
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This isn’t really related to hooping, but it is something I am interested in, so I am posting it here.
I managed to get extra tickets to the Thursday night Phish show at the Greek Theater in Berkley, CA and I am looking to trade them for either Friday night or Saturday night tickets. If you have extra tickets, or can’t go on one of those nights, I’d love to do a trade!
Let me know if you can help me out.
Rikki
Choosing a hoop size March 26, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoops for sale, Making Hula Hoops.Tags: adult hula hoops, hoop dancing, Hooping description, Thoughts
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Hello,
Since I am handmaking all of my hoops, I am able to create custom sized hoops for people when they ask. The standard hoops I make are 42 inches in diameter, but I’ve made them smaller or larger depending on the person ordering.
Today I found this great description on Sharna Rose’s website, of how to choose your hoop size. I hope she does not mind me using it in my post as a guide to my readers.
If you are interested in buying a hoop then please consider the following points carefully: 1) Measurement The basic measurement should be in inches from floor to navel. 2) Body Size. If of average waisted size this measurement is generally suitable, however if you consider yourself larger than average – add a couple of extra inches, if smaller than average then you could subtract some inches from your hoop. 3) Tubing requirements: My hoops are made from 25mm and 20mm (outer diameter) black polyethylene water pipe or 20 mm PEX -A tubing.
I would recommend a larger heavier hoop for a beginner and a smaller faster hoop for someone who has dedicated time to their practice and whom incorporates more off body hooping
Hoops for sale by Sharna Rose
I use a similar, American version, of the tubing she uses in the UK. I am 5’3″ and use a 40-42 inch hoop which has been great for me. I feel that I am stronger now, and can probably move up (down?) to a 38 inch hoop, but I would not recommend that for a beginner hooper.
If you have any questions, leave me a comment below and I will try to help you figure out the best hoop for your style!
HH
Making hoops in Montana March 25, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Making Hula Hoops.Tags: adult hula hoops, glitter tape, Montana
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Last week I went back to Montana and was able to make some hoops with my mother. It was nice to get to teach her something for a change! She is always teaching me these great sewing tricks, so it was a fun change to get to show her something new and different.
We made three hoops using the Pink Prism, Blue Gaffer, and White Electrical tapes. Personally, I think they turned out great! She left one on the porch of a friend of mine in town and hopefully she was pleasantly surprised when she came home from work that evening. I didn’t mention anything to her about the hoop when I saw her earlier that week, so I wonder if she even knows where it came from. Surprise! Hula Hoop!
I’m happy that people in Bozeman will now be hooping away with some Hermosa Hoops. It is such a happy, healthy hobby and I can’t wait to hear how they like them! Now if the snow would just melt…
Hooping Video of the Month March 24, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoop Video of the Month.Tags: adult hula hoops, hoop dancing, Video of the month
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Hello visitors!
Here is my hooping video of the month for March. I almost missed this month, but I am sneaking in under the wire!
The video this month doesn’t feature just one hooper, instead it is a news clip about finding health and happiness within the hoop. I thought it would be appropriate to put up since most of the visitors to my blog/website are new to hooping and might need a bit of encouragement to pick up that hoop and step inside.
**UPDATE** Ok, fine. I can’t get the embedded link to work, so I’m going to give you the link to ABC11′s website. The video is only a couple minutes long, so if you’d like to watch it, you should click on the link below.
Hooping Video
Best wishes,
HH
More Pictures – Coming soon, I swear! February 19, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in New Product, Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: adult hula hoops, glitter tape, Thoughts
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Since I got the new, fancy, sparkly tape, my hoops are turning out to be so pretty. Is this apparent on my website? Of course not.
I have pictures that I’ve taken of my new, fancy hoops, but they are sitting on the memory card in my camera. I keep forgetting to put them up here, which is very unfortunate, because I’d love to share them with the world.
Hopefully this weekend I will find the time to upload some pictures, and then everyone will get to share in the joy that is sparkly Hermosa Hoops!
Happy Groundhogs Day! February 3, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: birthday
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Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday dear hermosa hooper,
Happy birthday to me!
(Yesterday)
New Hoops January 18, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoops for sale, New Product.Tags: adult hula hoops, New!, sale hoops
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I’m very excited to announce that my hoop-tubing supply has been replenished and I now have more Hermosa Hoops in stock.
If you’d like to purchase a hoop, please contact me and I’ll get you a hoop likely the next day if you are in the South Bay.
I’ll be posting pictures of pre-made hoops later this week, but in the meantime check out the Purchase Hoops page for colors and designs.
Have a lovely week!
HH
Introducing… Glitter!! January 12, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoops for sale, New Product.Tags: adult hula hoops, glitter tape, New!
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Hello!
I wanted to let you know that I have just received some fantastic new sparkly/glitter tapes and can soon start incorporating them into the hoop designs. I’ll be putting up pictures of completed hoops ASAP, but in the meantime look at all the pretty colors and designs I have now!
Holographic Gold Tape
Prismatic Pink Tape
Purple Sequin Tape
Sky Blue Glitter Tape
Happy Hooping!
Hermosa Hooper
Hoop Video of the Month January 11, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoop Video of the Month, Hooper Video.Tags: hoop dancing, Video of the month
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Hello!
This is my hoop video of the month for our brand-shiny new year, 2010!
What really struck me about this video was how much this girl is able to do in such a small space. She shows off some great hoop skills without ever leaving the confines of her room. Plus, Poker Face and Right Round are two of my favorite songs to listen to while hooping. Right Round is generally the first song I put on when I head out to the beach. It’s my Pavlovian cue that I’m about to do some fun hooping.
The hooping starts about 33 seconds into the video.
My 2010 goal! January 6, 2010
Posted by hermosahoops in Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: hoop dancing, Thoughts
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I started hooping back in May of 2009 and in these short 7 months I feel that I have grown so much. Not only have I learned some great new tricks I’ve also become more confident and calm when inside my hoop. Whenever I step outside and into my space, I find that my mind slows down and I become more focused on the now rather than fixating on all the other thoughts and concerns running around in my head. Time flies by and when I’m done I’m such a happier person then I was just moments before.
My goal for 2010 is to spend more time in my hoop and less time focusing on worries about the future. I want to take more time to appreciate just how fortunate I really am and being inside my sacred space helps me focus those thoughts.
Happy Hooping!
HH
Hermosa Beach Drum Circle November 16, 2009
Posted by hermosahoops in Public displays of hooping.Tags: adult hula hoops, hoop dancing, hoop with me!
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What a beautiful November weekend in Hermosa Beach! And what better way to end the weekend with hooping at the Free to be Me Drum Circle underneath the pier. It was great to see some other hoopers out and about and have a chance to pick up some new tricks.
I’m always so happy when people come over and try out my extra hoops. I particularly enjoy it when they are pleasantly surprised that they too can now hula hoop! The adult hoops are so much easier to keep up then the old plastic kids hoops, even though most people think they’d be more challenging.
Anyway, I wanted to express my happiness at hooping at the Free To Be Me Drum Circle again. I think it’s a great charity and they are so nice to allow me to play alongside them.
Phishin’ for hoopers October 28, 2009
Posted by hermosahoops in Public displays of hooping.Tags: hoop with me!, phish
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Hello!
I’m going to be heading to the Phish Festival 8 in Indio California this weekend and am hoping to run into some other hoopers. If you see a short blonde girl hooping away in the campgrounds, come over and say hi. It might be me!
I’m going to bring a couple extra hoops with me so I can share if you want to join in.
Have a lovely weekend,
HH
Favorite new video October 19, 2009
Posted by hermosahoops in Hoop Video of the Month, Hooper Video.Tags: Video, Video of the month
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Hello!
I found this video today, and it has become my favorite hoop video of October. I like it because it contains a couple things you don’t generally find in YouTube videos of hoopers.
First of all, the woman drops the hoop and misses a couple of her tricks. I like this because too many of the videos I find are of women doing amazing routines flawlessly. It is great to see a hooper that is obviously talented, but still learning and working on her tricks. Plus as she skips off to go grab the hoop, you can tell that her dropping her hoop didn’t bother her in the slightest. It is really easy to get frustrated and annoyed at yourself when you’re practicing a new skill, but I try and remind myself that I’m having fun, and hooping isn’t about flawlessly executing tricks.
Second of all, the woman in the video is older than the typical YouTube hooper. I love that she looks so elegant and beautiful as she dances and isn’t 28 years old. I’m constantly explaining to my coworkers, aunts and friends, that they too can pick up a hoop and learn how to hoop dance. I couldn’t ever hoop as a little girl; it would spin around me twice and fall to the ground. Three times if I was lucky. But as soon as I got an adult sized hoop, I found I could easily spin the hoop around my waist for 30+ minutes, no problem. It’s a skill anyone, at any age, can learn. Just have fun with it!
So now I share with you my favorite hooping video of October. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
What is Hoop Dancing? October 12, 2009
Posted by hermosahoops in Not-so-deep thoughts on Hooping.Tags: Hooping description, Thoughts
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When I tell people I’m a Hooper, I generally get the same reaction: A blank stare. As I go on to explain what hoop dancing is, most people still look at me a little sceptically but with a bit more enthusiasm.
I kind of like that the sport and form of personal expression isn’t so wildly known. On one hand, it would be wonderful to have more hoopers out there to play with, but on the other hand, it is nice feeling like a member of this sub-culture community. Especially in a place as large as Los Angeles.
But, in the interest of sharing, I thought I would paste in the description of hooping found on Wikipedia.
Hooping generally refers to artistic movement and dancing with a hoop (or hoops) used as a prop or dance partner. Hoops can be made of metal, wood or plastic. Hooping combines technical moves and tricks with freestyle or technical dancing, and is typically accompanied by music. Hooping describes the activity that unites the subculture of hoop dancers who practice this art, also known as Hoopers. In contrast to the classic toy hula hoop, modern hoopers a) use heavier and larger diameter hoops, and b) frequently rotate the hoop around parts of the body, other than the waist, including the hips, chest, neck, shoulders, thighs, knees, arms, hands, thumbs, feet and toes. All spaces both within and outside of the hoop can be freely explored. Modern hooping has taken cues from diverse art forms such as rhythmic gymnastics, hip-hop, freestyle dance, fire dance, twirling, and other dance and movement forms.
Hooping is part of the greater spectrum of Flow Arts, which are playful movement arts involving skill toys that are used to evoke the exploration of dynamic, flowing, and sequential movements. This movement, and the related mind/body state, is referred to as “flow“. Technically, hooping is a form of object manipulation and in as much shares some lineage with classical juggling.
In its modern incarnation as an art form, dance form, and exercise modality, the practice is referred to either as Hoopdance or simply “Hooping”. Hoop dance artists commonly refer to themselves, and the greater hoopdance community, as Hoopers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooping
Hooping generally refers to artistic movement and dancing with a hoop (or hoops) used as a prop or dance partner. Hoops can be made of metal, wood or plastic. Hooping combines technical moves and tricks with freestyle or technical dancing, and is typically accompanied by music. Hooping describes the activity that unites the subculture of hoop dancers who practice this art, also known as Hoopers. In contrast to the classic toy hula hoop, modern hoopers a) use heavier and larger diameter hoops, and b) frequently rotate the hoop around parts of the body, other than the waist, including the hips, chest, neck, shoulders, thighs, knees, arms, hands, thumbs, feet and toes. All spaces both within and outside of the hoop can be freely explored. Modern hooping has taken cues from diverse art forms such as rhythmic gymnastics, hip-hop, freestyle dance, fire dance, twirling, and other dance and movement forms.
Hooping is part of the greater spectrum of Flow Arts, which are playful movement arts involving skill toys that are used to evoke the exploration of dynamic, flowing, and sequential movements. This movement, and the related mind/body state, is referred to as “flow“. Technically, hooping is a form of object manipulation and in as much shares some lineage with classical juggling.
In its modern incarnation as an art form, dance form, and exercise modality, the practice is referred to either as Hoopdance or simply “Hooping”. Hoop dance artists commonly refer to themselves, and the greater hoopdance community, as Hoopers.
