Since late 2005, World Hoop Day has been dedicated to bringing dance, exercise and toy hoops to under-privileged children living in extreme poverty and the under-developed neighborhoods of our world. Founded by Annie O’Keeffe, her husband Kevin, and Groove Hoop friend Stefan Pildes, World Hoop Day is a not-for-profit organization that uses a community-based, grass roots approach to provide one-of-a-kind “hula” hoops. World Hoop Day has already given away more than 15,000 hoops in over 20 countries since 2005.
Since late 2005, World Hoop Day has been dedicated to bringing dance, exercise and toy hoops to under-privileged children living in extreme poverty and the under-developed neighborhoods of our world. Founded by Annie O’Keeffe, her husband Kevin, and Groove Hoop friend Stefan Pildes, World Hoop Day is a not-for-profit organization that uses a community-based, grass roots approach to provide one-of-a-kind “hula” hoops. World Hoop Day has already given away more than 15,000 hoops in over 20 countries since 2005.
The earliest known incidence of hooping was in ancient Egypt as early as 1000 BC, where children used large hoops made of grape vines. They rolled the hoops along the ground, propelled by sticks, or swung them around their waists a la the modern hoop. Hoop dancing was also used as a form of storytelling for Native American Indians since the 1400s. Today, “hooping” generally refers to artistic movement and dancing with a hoop (or hoops) used as a prop or dance partner. Hooping combines technical moves and tricks with freestyle or technical dancing, and modern hooping has taken cues from diverse art forms such as rhythmic gymnastics, hip-hop, freestyle dance, fire dance, twirling, ballet, and jazz.
Hooping is part of the greater spectrum of flow arts. These playful movement arts involve 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 therefore shares some lineage with classical juggling. The hoop is a symbol of unity and diversity, continuity, universal peace, and harmony. The benefits of playing with a hoop include improved physical fitness and a strengthened core. Hooping also improves self-confidence, nurtures inner peace and contentment, and relieves depression as it soothes the mind and body and works both the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
The jam band The String Cheese Incident is widely credited with spurring a renewed interest in hooping. Band members have been throwing hoops into their audiences since the mid-90’s, encouraging their fans to dance, spreading the word and the fun. Since 2003, the annual Burning Man festival of arts and freedom in the northern Nevada desert has been a hotbed of hooping, providing an uninhibited and clothing-optional forum for hoopers from all around the world to share tricks, techniques, and energy. Fire hooping is also a staple of the “burner” subculture, and fire hoopers are given a special place in the community as esteemed performers.
This year’s World Hoop Day shared the date with Veterans Day: 11-11-11, and hoopers consider this day particularly auspicious, according to Christopher Ryan of the Sacred Synchronicity. “When the gates to the underworld and the portals to heaven are bridged on Earth,” he said, hoopers everywhere should dance “with the intention to heal all aspects of reality.” But for regular hoopers young and old alike, Friday, November 11 marked a day of love and learning. Kids of all ages came out to the Randolph Community Center to hoop it up with Stacey FireFly, Laura “Flutterby” Napky, and other hoop teachers and aficianados (including my hoop mama, Natalie Gianninoto with Gitana Hoop Dance), culminating in the “World Hoop Day” dance:
The mission of World Hoop Day is to bring joy through the importance of play to children around the world. Yet many adults were also in attendance as well. The organization’s vision is to engage hula hoopers on every continent in every major city by December 12, 2012. On this day, World Hoop Day’s founders hope that hoopers everywhere will join in the World Hoop Day dance in celebration of world peace and the spirit of hooping.
