Poi
Hoop
Architecture
Things realted to architecture.
Hoop Isolations Class – Code Red Circus Conspiracy
The isolation scientists are at it again, this time bringing their technical skills to the hoop dance community. This is a unique opportunity to study isolations with two of the most skilled object manipulation style hoopers in the world.
Code Red Circus Conspiracy is Brian Thompson and Matt McCorkle. They live and play at the Vulcan in Oakland, CA. Together they create unique entertainment by using a blend of juggling, dance, theater, comedy, and object manipulations.
This class will introduce you to object manipulation (OM) style hooping.
Mar. 7th, 2009
City Dance Studio
10 Colton Street, San Francisco
4:30-6:30 PM
$40
An incomplete Manifesto for growth.
This morning I found Bruce Mau’s Manifesto (through Bre Pettis). Bruce Mau is graphic design genius. In college I was infatuated with his ability to redefine the issues of architecture. I’ve plucked the parts applicable to spinning here:
1. Allow events to change you.
You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
2. Forget about good.
Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth.
3. Process is more important than outcome.
When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.
4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).
Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.
5. Go deep.
The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.
6. Capture accidents.
The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.
8. Drift.
Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.
12. Keep moving.
The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success. Resist it. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.
13. Slow down.
Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.
14. Don’t be cool.
Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.
16. Collaborate.
The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
17. ____________________.
Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.
18. Stay up late.
Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.
19. Work the metaphor.
Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for.
20. Be careful to take risks.
Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.
21. Repeat yourself.
If you like it, do it again. If you don’t like it, do it again.
22. Make your own tools.
Hybridize your tools in order to build unique things. Even simple tools that are your own can yield entirely new avenues of exploration. Remember, tools amplify our capacities, so even a small tool can make a big difference.
32. Listen carefully.
Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.
33. Take field trips.
The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set, or the Internet, or even a totally immersive, interactive, dynamically rendered, object-oriented, real-time, computer graphic–simulated environment.
34. Make mistakes faster.
This isn’t my idea — I borrowed it. I think it belongs to Andy Grove.
35. Imitate.
Don’t be shy about it. Try to get as close as you can. You’ll never get all the way, and the separation might be truly remarkable. We have only to look to Richard Hamilton and his version of Marcel Duchamp’s large glass to see how rich, discredited, and underused imitation is as a technique.
36. Scat.
When you forget the words, do what Ella did: make up something else … but not words.
Hoop Dome
What the hell does hooping have to do with architecture anyway? Well me for one thing… but also this dome, designed by Mass Studies.
“The Ring Dome is a dome-shaped structure with a diameter of 8.65m, composed of about 1000 plastic hoola hoops. The hoola hoops, each with a diameter of 80cm, are randomly layered, fastened together by about 10,000 zip ties, increasing structural integrity until a dome is formed. This structure was designed to be easily assembled by non-professionals such as students, artists and other volunteers, taking advantage of common objects. Designed for experimentation, adjustments and an almost primitive assembly method, this project’s main objective was not the final result but more the celebratory, shared experience of constructing the piece in the vein of the annual Burning Man Festival. The Burning Man Festival ends by burning the final product of collective effort, and likewise the Ring Dome was simply dismantled by severing the zip ties. The hoola hoops were then distributed not discarded, returning them to their original purpose in a more environmentally-friendly conclusion.”
- Mass Studies website
Isopop 1: Advancement of Isolations – CLASS FULL
Isopop 1: Advanced Isolations
I’m very excited to share this class! My background is in architecture and has highly informed my hooping. This workshop will explore a method of thinking about the hoops motion in space. We will be focusing on a how we can sharply transition between motions in order to create strong visual forms. These contrast points can then be used to emphasize the beats, rhythm, or tempo within our hoopdance.
2 class series. Each class will last 1 hr + 30 minutes of jam where I will be available to ask questions. Small hoops encouraged. Seats are limited. Pre-requisite: be able to do an isolation. Class fee is $50.
November 12th, 9:00-10:30 PM
November 19th, 9:00-10:30 PM
City Dance Studio
10 Colton Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Email rich.gporter@gmail.com to sign up or for questions.
Nov. 12th Class Itinerary:
9:10 – 9:15
Intro
9:15 – 9:30
Talking Point – Contrast:
The visual excitement we register in hooping comes from contrast. In the late 50′s early 60′s, the hoop just wen around the waist with very little contrast. Now we switch speeds, elevations, scale, patterns, direction, etc. We constantly change what it is we are doing. Generally, the higher the contrast, the more visual interest is created.
Intro
9:15 – 9:30
Talking Point – Contrast:
The visual excitement we register in hooping comes from contrast. In the late 50′s early 60′s, the hoop just wen around the waist with very little contrast. Now we switch speeds, elevations, scale, patterns, direction, etc. We constantly change what it is we are doing. Generally, the higher the contrast, the more visual interest is created.
Talking Point – Concept based motions vs. kinesthetically learned:
Generally in hooping we focus on the hoops relationship to our body. In this class we’re going to be exploring the hoops relationship to space rather than the hoops relationship with the body. Learning this capacity opens the door to moves that don’t yet feel right and no one else is showing you is possible. It also frees us to focus on the diagrams we draw with our hoop and with our body. This tends to be more common in poi and staff spinning.
Drill – Point Isolation
Mime Wall
Partner fixed point movements
Hoop w/ Tape point
9:30-9:45
5 basic isolations:
Inside 1-hand
Inside 2-hand
Inside 2-hand cross
Outside 2-hand
Outside 2-hand Cross
Isolations:
0) 2D – Static – Hoop isn’t moving.
1) 2D – Center Point Isolation – any variation on the 5 basics. Hoop appears to be stationary while rotating around it’s center.
2) 3D – 2 point isolations or axial isolations – Two points remained fixed. Ie. door move.
3) 3D – Point Isolation – Anytime the hoop revolves around a single point, regardless of where the person touches the hoop. Spinning on the hand is (almost) a point isolation. Additionally, we can chose an arbitrary point and rotate around that point.
4) Fictitious point isolation – isolate a point not on the hoop
9:45-10:15
Talking Point – Combinations:
Off body hooping is (loosely) either isolation, transition, or a combination of the two. From a visual perspective, spinning the hoop around ones hand is isolating your hand. The standard isolation is isolating the central point of the hoop.
Motion:
Weave w/ antispin pop
Motion:
Samurai Grip backhand role
Motion:
Antispin Quadrant
Antispin Flower
Motion:
Two Hand Isopop
(more advanced, sequential pops)
10:15-11:00
Studio Open for play.
Nov. 19th Class Itinerary:
9:10 – 9:30
Review Nov. 12th class. Motions: 5 basic isolations:
Isolations:
0) 2D – Static – Hoop isn’t moving.
1) 2D – Center Point Isolation – any variation on the 5 basics. Hoop appears to be stationary while rotating around it’s center.
2) 3D – 2 point isolations or axial isolations – Two points remained fixed. Ie. door move.
3) 3D – Point Isolation – Anytime the hoop revolves around a single point, regardless of where the person touches the hoop. Spinning on the hand is (almost) a point isolation. Additionally, we can chose an arbitrary point and rotate around that point.
4) Fictitious point isolation – isolate a point not on the hoop
5 Basic Center Point Isolation
Weave w/ antispin pop
Antispin Quadrant
Antispin Flower
Two Hand Isopop
9:30-10:00
Talking Point:
Diagrammatic clarity. Observers perceive the independent diagrams clearer if the contrast point between the two motions is clear and distinct.
Motion:
Quadrant Isopop
Motion:
Isobreak
Motion:
Quadrant Isobreak
Motion:
Draw diagram
Isobreak to Flow-In
Isobreak to Break-In
Motion:
2 hand Isolation to Slide Up
Motion:
Weave to Slide Right
Weave to Slide Left
Motion:
Isobreak to Slide to Isobreak
Talking Point:
Contrast Elements – SPEED!!!! Scale of movements, Direction (breaks), Isolation point, Elevation, etc.
10:00-10:10
Drill: Lead quadrant Isopop and Isobreaks.
Group: Isodance
10:10-11:00
Jam Time