| |
| HOME | WORKSHOPS | TEACHERS | SCHEDULE | LODGING | REGISTER | |
|
Hoop Convergence -- Friday April 11 - Wednesday April 16, 2008 teachers
Here's our list of confirmed teachers. Click on any teacher's name to see bio and specific workshops they are teaching.
Ali Cat -- A Full Circle
Ammon & Marria -- Boston Hoop Troop
Anah -- Hoopalicious
Annie Weinhart -- AnnieLand
Ariana & Laura -- Hooping Harmony
Caroleeena -- A Full Circle
Christine & Patika -- The Ember*Ellas
Jewels -- A Full Circle
Kara Maia -- Mandala Hoops
MelMacPink
Michele
Revolva
Sandhi
Spiral
Stefan -- GrooveHoops, NYC
Ted Brancu
Tracey Oliveto
|
|
| OVERVIEW | SCHEDULE | WORKSHOPS | TEACHERS | LODGING | LINKS | REGISTER | |
|
|
Alley'Oop is a Hooper hailing all the way from Newfoundland Canada, and now a resident of beautiful Vancouver B.C. She began her spinning career after suffering a debilitating boating accident, which left her short one finger and without much use of her right arm. After a year of intense physiotherapy she regained some mobility, and was at this time first introduced to Poi. Poi proved to be a great tool that allowed her to stretch and work her injured muscles in a fluid motion. Intrigued, she then began to use ridged hula hoops, which became an amazing tool for regaining lost muscle and range of motion, while providing an artistic outlet for her physical frustrations.
Ali Cerulli, aka Ali Cat has been a passionate environmental and social activist for twelve years. She has studied conservation issues and ecology in multiple countries and has a masters degree in sustainable design/permaculture. She has lived off-grid, growing her own food, building structures out of natural materials, making her own fuel from recycled vegetable oil, and teaching others how to live in a sustainable way for many years. She has always had a knack for putting things together and an eye for design and detail. When she discovered poi in New Zealand, learned to spin with Caroleeena, and then learned the hoop from Caroleeena as well, she strives to take her roots in activism and service to reach out to the commuity locally and internationally to spread joy and health through hooping. She enjoys performing with A Full Circle and the Kaivalya Hoop Dancers, playing, and teaching hoop dance to adults and children.
Ammon EP: Perhaps it is his background in Martial Arts that
gives Ammon EP balance & his past-time as a DJ that
helps his rhythm. Either way, when this guy gets
a hoop in his hands, he's an unstoppable juggernaut of
hooping! He's been called the "secret weapon" of the
Boston Hoop Troop, because you don't expect this guy
to move & rock the way he does! Besides performing
at various events & parties, and practicing with the
troop, Ammon teaches hooping with Marria at the Dance
Complex in Cambridge. When the editor of the Cambridge
Chronicle asked Ammon if he had any special hooping
talents, Ammon replied that he excells in off the body
moves, speed & his token move, "The Hurricane". Ammon
also is a member of Sonic Beating & runs his own
record label, 
Anah Hoopalicious is widely regarded as one of the leading Hoop Dance performance artists in the world and the originator of hooping as we know it on the west coast. Incorporating all over body, athletic hooping, outstanding hoop tricks, mesmerizing dance forms and heart-wrenching emotional presence Hoopalicious will blow your mind!
Annie Weinert, creator of Annieland and professional hoopdance
performer, combined her passions of costuming and hoopdancing into a "hoop couture" company called Annieland. The comfort, beauty, and functionality of her designs enhance the joy of hoopdance for both spectator and performer.
Ariana Shelton is a dynamic and inspiring motivational speaker and workshop leader. As a holistic health practitioner, life and spiritual coach, for over twenty years she has been assisting people around the globe to experience personal transformation, health, well-being and freedom within themselves and their lives. Since childhood Ariana has demonstrated unusual clairvoyance and healing abilities which led to a life path that included becoming a Reiki Master and receiving training in therapeutic massage, Johrei, Tui Na, Acupressure and was the head trainer for the International Breath Institute for three years. Helping to unleash the Divine spark within each individual is one of her greatest passions. Using the multi-faceted transformational tool, the hoop as a way to get there is her greatest joy.
Carolyn Mabry, aka Caroleeena, a hooper with over five years
experience, will be leading the hand and armwork workshop. Carolyn has
studied flamenco and many other forms of dance, including bellydance,
classical Indian dance, bollywood, hula, and modern dance. She is a
poi dancer as well as a hoopdancer and she teaches Hoopdance at Ninth
Street Dance in Durham, NC and in workshops throughout the state. She
also performs with A Full Circle.
The Ember*Ellas are Patika Starr & Christine Geiger. They represent a celebration of life through performance art, dance, and sisterhood. Take a pinch of cutesiness, a dash of lace & feathers and twist it with an edge of mischief & noir.
Julia Hartsell (aka Jewels and Julah Hoop Flower) began hooping nearly 7 years ago after completing a degree in Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in mysticism and Art history. For her, hooping has become a holistic practice for creative expression, meditation, fun, social outreach, community building and wellness. She considers hooping a revolutionary mysticism that has tremendous potential to open individuals to states of bliss, revelation, insight, transformation and healing through rhythmic meditation within the circle, a symbol of wholeness and unity. Julia also combines her art and activism sharing the hoop with people of all ages locally and abroad. She has found in her travels to Mexico and Haiti that joy and smiles can transcend language, cultural and political boundaries. She has been developing her hoop dance, craft and teaching techniques for nearly 7 years. Julia currently teaches regular classes for individuals ages 4 through 84; performs solo, with her rhythmic partner Scott and with A Full Circle; sells her handmade Julahoops; organizes community events and studies the various healing potentials of hoopdance.
Kara Maia Spencer is a licensed massage therapist, craniosacral therapist, birth doula, childbirth educator, and Birth Arts International doula trainer. Kara became hooked on hoopdancing in 2003 and is fascinated by the healing benefits of the hoop for the body, heart, mind, and soul. She has taught HoopDance and HoopYoga workshops to a wide variety of people including fitness instructors, performers, health care workers, children, and adults. She has presented hoopdance performances in variety of settings including schools, music and art festivals, birth and midwifery conferences, fashion shows, circuses, and community events.
Melanie "melmacpink" MacNeil is a true movement specialist. With a background in yoga, fire dancing and hooping, in conjunction with her experience in social work and mental health care services, she takes a unique approach to help people "come home" to their bodies by utilizing a variety of movement techniques. Born and raised in Plymouth, MA, she relocated to Western NC to attend Warren Wilson College where she attained a degree in Social Work. During her years at Warren Wilson she established intimate ties to Asheville's burgeoning electronic music scene in which she began to participate in TOUCH Samadhi psytrance music events. This connection led her to explore black light theatre and fire dancing which grew into her co-creating the all women ritual performance troupe Tranceform Venus, with which she is still active today.
At five years old Michele was asked the ever critical question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Her answer was: I want to be a belly dancer. Although the trials of an underprivileged childhood did not spell D.A.N.C.E. for Michele's future, she always loved spinning around, dressing up and playing 'ballerina'. Fortunately, she found hooping shortly after her 20th birthday and has maintained a personal hoop practice since 2002. She sees it as a tool for communication between her private mind and the world we all share. As a self described introvert, the hoop has served as an instrumental tool in providing a platform for positive interaction with others as well as a source of strength and confidence. Her style is often regarded as athletic, rhythmic and flow oriented. She views the practice of growing through dance through the binoculars of her visual fine arts training as a living work of art. In addition to hoopdance, Michele currently studies capoeira, ballet, hip hop and anusara yoga.
Revolva embarked on her hoop journey in 2002, after a lifetime of dance loving and character invoking. Over the years, she has performed hoopdance in many cities, from Detroit to Munich, earning an MA in English and coursework toward an MFA in Fiction along the way. She is a "writer-by-day," can stand on her head while hooping and believes the circle is mightier than the sword.
Sandra "Sandhi" Ferreira has been an avid Jivamukti Yoga practioner and teacher for a decade. Each of her classes are a colorful journey into a state of love built upon a strong foundation of yoga practice and the exploration of hoop dance, aerial and partner acrobatics. Through this wild and free expression of yoga and the circus, she has merged all of her interests into one class called Hoop Yoga. By her detailed instruction and playfulness, she inspires students to honor their bodies and connect to Spirit. Sandhi has taught classes, workshops, teacher trainings, and performed her art throughout the globe.
Spiral has been a professional hoop dancer for close to 5 years;
performing, crafting and teaching hoop movement. Her specialty is hoop
performance, which she has performed both nationally and internationally
for corporate event, private parties and festivals. She is recognized as
an innovator in the field of hoopdance, and seeks to continually inspire
others to bring more healing movement into their lives through hoopdance
and yoga. More information about Spiral's hoops, classes and performance
can be found at her website, below.
Since 2000, Stefan has been the nexus for all hooping activity in New York City. He has taken the hoop to new heights with his creation: GrooveHoops™. Stefan's unique hoop style and clown training, creates a pleasure for audiences of any age. For the past 6 years, Stefan has taught the GrooveHoops curriculum at events, parties, festivals and gatherings all over the world.
Ted Brancu (soyboy) is a certified personal fitness trainer in New York City. In his spare time, he loves to hoop, play awesome music, exercise, and cook yummy vegan food. In 2007 he ran his third vegan kitchen at Burning Man, for Kostume Kult. He hopes his hoop studies and classes help push the envelope in hoopovation and hooposity (innovation and virtuosity). Ted has been hooping regularly since January 2007.
Tracey Oliveto has been teaching yoga since 1995 and owned Yoga Bliss Studio from 2000 to 2006. She has a BA in English and Psychology and spent 10 years working in the field of health and fitness, acquiring two levels of certification from the American College of Sports Medicine before finding yoga. She has since regularly attended yoga teacher trainings and workshops while studying Iyengar and Ashtanga and other yoga traditions. She is also a Certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and nutrition counselor.