I think what Kent said holds very true for me, since I haven’t even been hooping a year yet, so I have to curb what I would normally play with during practice if I’m performing for people who expect me to be at least semi “professional”. The first time I performed, I went for the one shoulder move which I’d done repeatedly in practice and thought I had down, and I ended up flinging the hoop into the audience, so I guess nerves also have to be taken into account, IE: What level of difficulty can your nerves handle? And it also showed me I need to practice a LOT more. I thought I sucked, but the audience thought it was the greatest thing ever, and the girl I hit with the hoop told me she was thrilled to get to touch the hoop, ha. :) (This was an audience full of people who were used to seeing belly dance but had never seen hoop dance.)

Anyway, I love that you try to push the envelope, I show your videos everyone who takes even the slightest bit of interest in hooping, so they can see how many different and unique styles and techniques there are out there. I’m never sure if they’re as impressed by it as I am, but then most of them have never tried to do an isolation themselves!

This has gone on too long, I’m shutting up now. :)

It’s interesting how some of the experiences we feel internally are a lot different from how other people perceive them — like the how the crowd-pleasing moves may feel fairly mundane internally and the technically challenging ones fall flat.

Then there’s the other element of avoiding the extremely risking moves for fear of breaking the flow, and you end up in a little box. Anyway, I haven’t done any performing beyond friends and family, and so I’m curious to hear if you ran into that as well.

you’re an inspiration, rich :)

I’m getting way off track now and this really should be another blog entry but a large part of the reason I perform is to diversify the expectations of what a hooper is. Andy from Table Nectar helped Grant and I construct a shade area at Movement Play. We were being guys: ropes, caribiners, extension ladders. Andy didn’t know Grant hooped. An hour later Andy saw Grant in some frilly panties rockin it with his hoop. Andy said that it totally blew is mind that a man like that could move like that. I had the same experience the first few times I saw Grant hoop.

Performing is the ultimate opportunity to share that mind melt moment. By getting on stage with an audience, I get to break their stereotype of what a hooper is. Nonhoopers have a constantly reinforced stereotype of what it is that we do.

( I guess there are two stereotypes actually. The uninitiated are still thinking 50s hooping or kids hooping. Those who’ve seen modern hooping are often thinking hoop performers are attractive women in skimpy clothing, wearing leg warmers and a wig.)

I mean no disrespect if that is someone’s authentic expression but I get a pretty big kick out of breaking that expectation every time I step on stage.