Hoop Revolution Workshop with Rayna in Montreal, QC!!!!

 I was more than excited to hear than Rayna is coming to Montreal. Although not a short ride I was determined to attend and finally meet her. If you follow my posts you're probably aware that she inspired me to start hoop dancing and has been a motivating force behind my practice. I cannot describe in words what exactly is it that she  has such an influence on me but that's not really essential. Bottom line, it was an honor to meet her.

 The workshop was phenomenal. From start to finish it was packed with great advise on how to be more present in your dance with emphasis on details from head to toes and beyond (those extensions!). When you start paying attention to your whole body and starting expressing yourself with every inch of it then believe me, your hoop dancing will transform. From the way it feels to you to how people actually respond to your movement.

I have been watching Rayna for years now and never could pin point what exactly she does that is so memorable in her dance. In this workshop she shared her love for extension and how it affects our hoop dancing. Finally I was able to logically comprehend what is it that makes the most simple move an "Ah", "Wow", "Oh My God" moment. It's intention behind every movement, taking space with executing it, no rush (you can still be turbo fast hooper if that's your style and not give the impression of rushing) and extension in movement. I started looking at extension as "the luxury' in movement. It allows you to feel & express more, feels  & looks damn good, builds insane core strength, invites self awareness (bye bye sloppy, unintentional movements he he). 

I invite you this week to explore extension in your dance and experience luxurious movement. Here is few pointers:

• play a good tune and switch your mental focus from "hooping" to "hoop dancing", it will make all the difference
• become aware of what the non working hand is doing and invite it into play; same applies for your legs; are they accentuating/framing your body? is there an invisible connection between your arms/legs? Imagine you're moving through clear blue water or honey. Do you feel that resistance? That's what deliberate movement is all about.
• allow movement to express through your neck, head, face ...try not looking at what you're doing (as Rayna nicely pointed out) and focus on intentionally looking away for the fun of it
• pay attention to your feet and your toes ...are you on your tippy toes? are your feet flat? how are you placing your feet in space? what are the lines that you're drawing with your feet? same goes for the hands/fingers
• hair, accessories, wardrobe ,,,pay attention to it ....notice how is it to feel your hair at the nape of your neck, how bottom wide pants twirl as you spin, how the tribal feather earrings tickle your skin as you move etc. those sensations can become an extension of your expression
• are you taking enough space? try taking a bit more and see how your arms and torso and feet will respond; by space I mean extending, reaching out through movement whether it's through legs/arms/hips/torso and/or head & neck
• are you rushing? could the movements be more pronounced? detailed? intentional? do you sacrifice extension for the sake of speed? if so, try to focus on finishing each movement and gesture intentionally and slowly build up on the tempo that suits you; this way you will stay true to your style and keep expression unblocked and precise; this one is it's incredibly meditative
• slow down, allow anti-gravity spins and subtle pushes to come into play; it's harder than it sounds and even if it's not your style it's a great exercise to incorporate into your practice for cultivating that  essential core strength in hooping

Here is a short vid taken towards the end of our workshop. Such a pleasure to watch her. It makes sense to me  now why it feels so good to watch her since she embodies the luxury in movement. Enjoy and don't forget to work on this weekly dance assignment.