RESOURCES
NONPROFITS/ACTIVISM:
As hoopdancers, we owe the most to our direct hoop dancestors: the Indigenous nations of the North American continent. Today, the Lightning Boy Foundation teaches traditional hoopdance to youth as young as 2 at Tewa Pueblo in New Mexico: The Foundation has made Traditional Hoop Dance available to all tribal youth in the area. Please give generously to this organization as you are able, to celebrate and uplift traditional hoopdance.
Since August 13th, 2017—the day after the white supremacist terror attack on Charlottesville, VA—I have been actively involved, on the street level and beyond, in the movement for Black lives. This movement is wide-ranging and encompasses many scores of individuals and organizations; however, at its core it is about consolidating the power that has been both leached and stolen from Black people since this country’s founding. My own opinion is that voting is one of the most important and effective ways of consolidating power. Please donate what you can to Black Voters Matter to continue this important mission. To directly support families in NC who have been affected by police violence, please give what you can to Fred Cox Life Matters Foundation.
As you surely already know, the reproductive rights of women, girls, and all birthing people are under attack in this country. I stand firmly with those who understand that choosing parenthood is a human right. To uphold the rights of human beings to make informed and safe reproductive decisons, please support Planned Parenthood…or, to more directly support Black women, mothers, and parents, please donate to the National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.
The lives of LGBTQIA people—a community that I, as a bisexual woman, claim—are also currently being targeted with violence and harassment. Rates of depression and suicide among queer and trans youth are disproportionate to their straight counterparts. The Trevor Project is a resource for queer youth in crisis…please give generously to this organization as you are able.
HOOP RESOURCES:
Did you know—you can make your own beginner hula-hoop at home? The wonderful folks at Ruby Hooping offer a fantastic breakdown of how to make your own adult-size beginner hoops at home…it’s not as hard as you think!
If you want a high-performance poly-pro hoop, check out our hoop partner Synergy Flowarts! Original innovator of detachable Quick Wicks, Scott at Synergy understands both how to make excellent tools and how to provide top-notch customer service.
Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR hoopers have given TEDx Talks! Cree traditional world hoopdancing champion Dallas Arcand, circus hooping queen Lisa Lottie, fellow GenX hooper Theresa Rose, and longtime hoopfriend Urska Zajec have all presented TED talks on different transformational aspects of this unique movement form.
Did you know there is a documentary film about hooping? Starring my flow bro Baxter, and many other hoopfamily! Stream or download The Hooping Life by clicking HERE.
Click HERE to access my playlist of FREE tutorials on YouTube.
Finally, here are videos of a few of my favorite flow artists and dancers of all time!