Summer is in full swing, and we are celebrating with a new addition to the Hoopnotica family! Introducing the Hoopnotica Minis program!

I am addicted to these little 24" hoops, and have had a great time developing a DVD program to teach you everything I know. The Minis are an amazing arm workout, but challenge the core as well. I get so lost in the movement sometimes that I lose track of time, and am really sore the next day. Over the past few months of practicing, I have had a lot of fun and feel stronger as a result. I can't say that about most things in life!

All Hoopnotica workouts essentially redefine the "work out". Learning "out of the box" methods of exercising challenges us to redefine the very concept of "working out", and shift it into a state of play. The Minis are a new extension of the Hoopnotica philosophy; fun, simple, and effective.  We hope you decide to take them "for a spin" soon : )

Consider pre-ordering your copy of the Minis DVD now! You'll get a discount before they're available to the public, and support our brand in bringing this exciting new movement into the world.

Keep Hooping!
Gabriella Redding
CEO & Hoopmamma

Minis DVD Available in August

Take your practice to the next level with the newest Hoopnotica DVD- Mini Hooping! This new DVD is not only an arm workout, but works the full body, bringing sexy definition to the deltoids (cap sleeve muscles), triceps and biceps (Michelle Obama arms anyone?), lats and sides of your abs (hello strapless and low back dresses). What's more of a bonus than to practice working a pair of hoops in both hands? Minis develop coordination and creativity as well as works both sides of the brain, which leaves you to generate more amazing hooping ideas!

Nominate yourself or a friend to be Our Favorite Hooper! Send us a pic and your story This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If we choose your story, we'll send you out a beautiful Limited Edition Hoop!

Name: Michelle Plunkett

Hooper Since: 2011

Location: Atlanta, GA

Favorite Hoop: Hoopnotica Travel Hoop

Hooping Since: February 2011

How Has Hooping Changed My Life:

I tried hooping when my boyfriend saw a girl performing in a public park and said "well that looks like something you'd enjoy!" Being former military, I was used to being really active. When doing other exercises, I had to constantly count my steps or worry about my safety. I'm a personal trainer but other exercises proved more difficult because I am blind and I needed an activity in my own space. Everything changed after getting the love of my life - Noble - to help me. Hooping has brought me the most amazing peace. My favorite part is whenever I am hooping my cheeks seem to get more of a workout just from smiling!

Picture: Master Trainer Jacqui Becker

HEARTBEAT

To bring the mini up and around your hand in full rotation, push your thumb down into the hoop with a bit more force and turn your palm all the way to the floor.  Keep your hand perfectly still, allowing the hoop to trace a path around it and feel it roll around the webbing of your fingers.  Then close your fingers around the hoop when your hand is at 6 o' clock to stop it in its tracks after one revolution.  Next let the hoop spin around the hand twice, and then three times.  Notice how many times that initial push will sustain the hoop before it loses steam and falls out of orbit.

To keep the hoop in perpetual motion, you'll need to apply continual, rhythmic force through the same up-and-down gesture you'd use to shake someone's hand.  Begin as you did in the last step, allowing the hoop to settle into its rhythm for one or two rotations.  When you feel the hoop roll across the top, where the pointer finger meets the thumb, lift the hand up into the hoop and immediately lower it again.  Repeat every time the hoop makes contact with the top of the hand.  The pace should be consistent and calm.  Ta-tunk. Ta-tunk. Ta-tunk.  We call this move the heartbeat, and it is, appropriately, the heart of Minis Hooping.

Hello Hoopers!

I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome all the NEW hoopers in the Hoopnotica community! We are so excited to open up our arms to you, and support you every step of the way as you learn this crazy new form of physical expression. Whether you are here to lose weight; learn a new skill; or want to be just like the graceful and beautiful hoopers you've seen "floating" about...we are here to help you accomplish your goals.

Hoopnotica is much more than a fitness class- it is a community of people who enjoy their own practice, and share their experiences with each other openly. For many of us, learning the basics was a struggle. Even "simple" skills , like waist or hip hooping, can feel defeating! We might make everything look really easy now, but it has been an internal journey made only possible by the connection we have had to one another in the Hoopnotica community. So if you haven't done so yet, sign onto Facebook, and follow our posts. There are lots of resources in those pages; including many people who share the shame triumphs and struggles as YOU. Let us support your development as a budding hooper!

And when you're ready, head out to a local Hoop Jam. It's where hoopers connect and teach each other what they know- you'll learn some easy tricks to impress yourself (and others) with, and maybe nip a bad habit in the bud. There is nothing like a gentle critique from someone who believes in you. I know I speak for all of us when I say- WE BELIEVE IN YOU!

Keep Hooping!
Gabriella Redding
CEO & Hoopmamma

LOS ANGELES WORKSHOPS

Hoop Making & Hoop Jam July 23rd 2-4pm

Come and learn from Hoopnotica's Master Trainer & Hoop Maker Pamela Crawford as she teaches you the secrets to stopping tapes from creasing, keeping spaces even, and most importantly, how to speed up your wrapping time. (Hoop & Tape Included)

After your masterpiece is done, give your new dance partner a name and bond during a 1 hour hoop jam. Gain tips and pointers from Pamela on new moves.

Sign Up Here

Ignite Your Chest & Thigh Hooping August 6th 2-4pm

Even if you have never been able to do these moves before, Master Trainer Pamela Crawford, will get you moving fast!  This all level class will get you isolated, in touch with your core, and toned thighs.  You'll enjoy learning new moves that keep you motivated and inspired to hoop more.

Sign Up Here

Register Now for These One Of A Kind Classes!

Private & Semi-Private Hoopnotica Teacher Training ~ Now Available!

Missed a training in your area?  Unable to travel to one of our scheduled group training events?  Do you want a personalized, in-depth training experience where you refine your hoop skills AND learn how to successfully teach others the transformational art of Hoopnotica?

A Private Hoopnotica Teacher Training is perfect for you! Schedule your training based on YOUR calendar and availability.  Train with one of our Master Trainers in LA, San Francisco, New York City or Denver and become certified to teach our renowned curriculum.

Hoopnotica offers privates in 2 level packages of 1/2 & 3/4. Allow for 7 hours per training levels.

Upon purchase, your training materials (manual(s), DVD(s)) will be mailed to you and you will be contacted to schedule your training.

Tuition:
One Person ~ $749 per packaged level
Two People ~ $1349 per packaged level

Click Here to register and then contact   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

Upcoming Teacher Trainings

New York, NY LVL 1&2 ~ July 30th & 31st

Los Angeles, CA LVL 3&4 ~ July 30th & 31st

Chicago, IL LVL 1&2 ~ August 14th & 15th

Costa Rica ~ LVL 1-4 ~ November 20th -25th

The Double Dip

Another fabulous move on the waist to receive ooohs and ahhhs from your subjective onlookers.  This move is found on our Level 3 DVD as well as several other intermediate waist moves for you to enlighten yourself with.

This move is all about timing; as you waist hoop look at the open space opening and closing in front and back of you. Practice quickly dipping your second hand in and out of the front window. Once comfortable, switch hands and test your back window with the first hand.

Dip the second hand into the front window and have it follow the hoop's opening to your back and then lift this hand out before the opening closes. The first hand enters the hoop behind you, as soon as the back window opens, and follows that opening as it travels to the front, lifting out before it closes again.

As usual, hooping in a circle keeps windows open for longer periods of time.  This allows you to shape and mold your style of hooping from these Hoopnotica tips!

OMG- is it really possible? Could we have solved the hoop shipping problem forever, and lowered our shipping prices to a FLAT $9.99??!! The answer friends, is YES (and hallelujah)!  For those of you new to the Hooping world, I'd like to take a moment to "fill you in" on the epic saga that has been the business of "shipping a full-size hula hoop".

2006-2007 Almost every postal service station refused to ship our hoops without charging oversize fees. In order to keep prices low for our customers, we worked the system to the best of our ability:  a Hoopnotica employee would hand carry the hoops, individually wrapped in bubble tape to a secret post-office in Hollywood. This drive was 45 minutes each way, but we didn't care. "Martha" (not her real name), would let us ship them from her station, because A) She didn't realize it wasn't allowed and B) We brought her baked goods; smiles; and occasionally, a hoop.

2007-2008 We renegotiated our shipping rates with FedEx, after explaining to them just how many of these "big hoops" we were shipping out every day. Our small business was growing, and we created a new partner in the Fed Ex regional manager (again, think cookies and hoops). Until he left the company in 2009.

June, 2009 This was the shipping crisis that threatened to take us down. FedEx guy refused to pick them up (he claimed to have a bad back, and was on a diet so the cookies were out). USPS said no way..."Martha" had retired. At this point I considered jumping in the Hoopnotica van to complete the last round of deliveries before filing for Chapter 11.

September 2010- present Hoopnotica creates compromise with the shipping world, and purchases full size boxes to ship our hoops in. Although the cost was a big one for the company, and we had to adjust our shipping rates, the postmaster gave their blessing and charged us on weight, not size.

AND NOW.... Hoopnotica is proud to be the first to offer flat rates on shipping in the Adult-size Hoop marketplace. We wish to recognize our incredible customer service and product development team for accomplishing THIS seemingly impossible goal, and are happy to pass the savings on to YOU.

Flat Rates = Big Savings

Flat-tery will get you everywhere; so pop our Hooper Support Team Leader a line and tell her you love her: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Seriously- we read our fan mail on our lunch breaks, while cheering with food in our mouths.

Happy Summertime Hooping!
Gabriella Redding
CEO & Hoopmamma

JOIN THE FAMILY!

Learning to teach Hoopnotica is a great way to elevate your skills; get fit; and inspire others!
 We're here to support you in deepening your practice and sharing the hoop love wherever you find yourself.

Our Certified Teachers enjoy discounts on Hoopnotica products; press mentions; and are part of a growing community of instructors who participate in a private support forum. You'll gain an in-depth understanding of how to safely instruct and support your friends; your mom; or any one of the many people you'll meet in life while hooping. There is so much interest in this fast moving trend in fitness and self-expression; have you considered becoming part of our team?

Join us at an upcoming Hoopnotica Teacher Training. Our program will strengthen your skills as you learn our acclaimed and effective instructional language, and gain the confidence to teach this transformational practice to any BODY at any time.  It's the perfect gift for yourself or a friend who loves to hoop. CLICK HERE and start now!

Upcoming Teacher Trainings

Alexandria, VA LVL 1 & 2 ~ June 10-12, 2011

Brunswick, ME LVL 1 & 2 ~ July 11 & 12, 2011

Los Angeles, CA LVL 3 & 4, July 30 & 31, 2011

New York, NY~ LVL 1 & 2, July 30 & 31, 2011

Chicago, IL~ LVL 1 & 2, August 14 & 15, 2011

More dates coming soon! Visit the calendar and register online here!
 Email Jocelyn Gordon with your questions:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Distance Teacher Training

Too Busy.........

Nominate yourself or a friend to be Our Favorite Hooper! Send us a pic and your story HERE. If we choose your story, we'll send you out a beautiful Hoop!

Name: Lily Stagg 

Hooper Since: Summer 2010

Age: 18

Location: Lafayette, Louisiana

Occupation: waitress, street performer

Favorite Hoop: 35 in. 100psi

Favorite Song to Hoop to: My friends have drum circles and I love hooping to them.

I picked up a hoop last summer and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I had recently been diagnosed with clinical depression which only exacerbated my life long anxiety issues. Also my parents were finally acting on their decade long threats of getting a divorce. In short my life was falling down around my ears. In July of 2010 I met my friends Hannah and Lindsey who happen to be 2 of the most talented hoop girls in our area. I had never seen anyone move with such confidence and grace and they looked so sexy while doing it. I asked them to teach me and to my surprise they were thrilled to have someone else to share the hoop love with and it's such a great way to learn your body! I've always been very into meditation as a means of coping with my anxiety, and to me hooping is the perfect physical extension of that mental control. Technically hooping is teaching your body to DO exactly what you want it to exactly when you want it to in order to defy gravity. Before I started hooping I was a shy, anxious, uncoordinated little girl. Now I am a confident performer and hoop maker.

(Master Trainer Pamela Crawford Pictured)

ARM WEAVING

AHHH, the beautiful goal after shoulder hooping.  This is one of the many moves found on our level 3 DVD and is great for toning your arms and upper back. After warming up with shoulder hooping begin to pay attention to the timing and rotation of your hoop.  You will start to see the hoop in front of you as it rolls across your back.

Strong back pushes are the key to this move.  As the hoop rolls across your back give a strong back push as you lift one arm out of the hoop leading with your elbow. Once there is an opening again repeat the strong back push to bring the arm back down.

You can begin to switch arms every few rotations and then increase their speed and fluidity until one arm lifts out as the other drops in a continual motion.  Once in the groove encourage yourself to step in a circle and notice how much more HOOPnotic and graceful the move becomes.

Celebrate Outdoor Hooping Season! Expand your practice with a new style of Hooping. Try something new! Minis? Isolations? Inspiration is key and is all up to you.

Have you ever observed children on the playground? They create games and worlds simply by using their imaginations and most importantly, they could care less who is watching. They run, jump, climb and swing their little hearts out, not because they think it’s good exercise; just because they are having fun!

Keep Hooping!
Gabriella Redding
CEO & Hoopmamma

Check out this little piece of inspiration, filmed on location in Costa Rica! Gabriella explores the tiny changes that occur in our style and flow when we make changes to what we already know. This month's Scoop addresses grip, or how tightly we hold our hoops with our hands. Great advice for new and advanced hoopers alike!

Name: Sara Johnson 

Location: Port Richey, Florida

Occupation: High School Art Teacher, Artist, Mama

Favorite Hoop: Pregnancy Hoop

Favorite Song to Hoop to: My significant other, Michael Ratza, is a saxophone musician or “Joyful Sound” by String Cheese Incident. I find it fitting.

How I started hooping: I used to spend my time just sitting or crocheting for the 6 hours I would spend at my partner’s gigs. (4 hours of play and an hour each for setting up/breaking down.) I was usually alone. One of the bands that he was playing in had a lead singer that began dating the most beautiful little hooper, Shellie White. I now had a companion at shows, AND a new hobby to pursue. She inspired me by her flow and positive attitude. She gave me my very first hoop and taught me my first trick, the isolation. I was hooked! I began studying as much as I could on Hoop Dance and joined the hoop community.
I got pregnant in February of 2010 and gave birth to my beautiful little boy, Coltrane, on November 5th, 2010. Being pregnant almost that whole year, my progression as a hooper stalled until January of this year. After the baby, I decided to go full force as a hooper, not only to hoop every day to help lose my baby weight, but to inspire my students to hoop every day as well.

Nominate yourself or a friend to be Our Favorite Hooper! Send us a pic and your story HERE. If we choose your story, we'll send you out a beautiful Hoop!

JOIN THE FAMILY!

Learning to teach Hoopnotica is a great way to fight the recession; get fit; and inspire others!
 We're here to support you in deepening your practice and sharing the hoop love wherever you find yourself.

Our Certified Teachers enjoy discounts on Hoopnotica products; press mentions; and an in depth understanding of how to safely instruct and support this growing interest in this fast moving trend in fitness and self-expression.

Join us at an upcoming Hoopnotica Teacher Training. Our program will strengthen your skills as you learn our acclaimed and effective instructional language, and gain the confidence to teach this transformational practice to anyone at any time.  It's the perfect gift for yourself or a friend who loves to hoop. CLICK HERE and start now!

Upcoming Teacher Trainings

Rochester, NY ~ Level 1 
Saturday, May 15, 2011

Garden City, MI ~ Levels 1 & Level 2 Saturday & Sunday, May 21 & 22, 2011

Los Angeles, CA ~ Levels 1 & Level 2 Saturday & Sunday, May 28 & 29, 2011

Winston- Salem, NC~ Levels 1 & Level 2 Saturday & Sunday, May 28 & 29, 2011

Birmingham, AL~ Levels 1 & Level 2
Saturday & Sunday, June 11 & 12, 2011

Las Vegas, NV~ Levels 1 & Level 2 Saturday & Sunday, June 10 & 11, 2011

More dates coming soon! Visit the calendar and register online here!
 Email Jocelyn Gordon with your questions:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

As I have mentioned before, "Hooping is Simple- Not Easy". We are all fascinated when we see one hooper really own their space; hooping in an effortless whirl of beauty and bliss. It is often intimidating, even for advanced hoopers, to be confronted with a series of moves or tricks that we don't know (yet).

One of the most beautiful things about Hoopnotica is that every hooper recreates the same move to be their own! This month I invite you to learn more, by changing up your practice. Stop focusing on what you already know, and open your mind to new ways of hooping. Maybe you will find this opening by varying the size and weight of your hoop, or by investing in a new level of instruction. Take a class with an amazing hooper that you LOVE to watch on YouTube, or grab one of the new Hoop Technique DVDs in the HoopStore.

We look forward to sharing both spring and summer filled with love, friends, and new hoop skills.

Keep your practice fresh, and you'll keep Hooping!

Gabriella Redding
CEO & Hoopmamma

JOIN US!

Learning to teach Hoopnotica is a great way to fight the recession; get fit; and inspire others!

We're here to support you in deepening your practice and sharing the hoop love wherever you find yourself. Our Certified Teachers enjoy discounts on Hoopnotica products; press mentions; and an in-depth understanding of how to safely instruct and support the growing interest in this evolving trend in fitness and self-expression.

Please consider joining us at an upcoming Hoopnotica Teacher Training. Its the perfect gift for yourself or a friend who loves to hoop. Our program will strengthen your skills as you learn our acclaimed and effective instructional language, and gain the confidence to teach this transformational practice to anyone at any time.

Upcoming Teacher Trainings:

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia ~ Levels 1 & 2
Monday & Tuesday, March 28 & 29x, 2011

New York City ~ Levels 1 & 2 
Friday, April 9 - Sunday, April 11, 2011

Saint Louis, MO ~ Levels 1 & 2 
Saturday & Sunday, April 23 & 24, 2011

Rochester, NY ~ Level 1
Saturday, May 15, 2011

Garden City, MI ~ Levels 1 & 2
Saturday & Sunday, May 21 & 22, 2011

Los Angeles, CA ~ Levels 1 & 2 
Saturday & Sunday, May 28 & 29, 2011

Winston- Salem, NC ~ Levels 1 & 2
Saturday & Sunday, May 28 & 29, 2011

Birmingham, AL~ Levels 1 & 2
Saturday & Sunday, June 11 & 12, 2011

Oahu, HI ~ Levels 1 & 2  
Saturday & Sunday, June 25 & 26, 2011

More dates coming soon! Visit the calendar and register online here!

Email Jocelyn Gordon with your questions:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CONTEST WINNERS!

A few weeks ago, we announced that we were giving away a distance learning certification on the Hoopnotica Facebook page. We didn't expect to receive over 200 entries... but were absolutely THRILLED to review them. The contest called for hoopers who were interested in being trained in the Hoopnotica curriculum, and felt that in becoming certified they could do great good in their communities. We asked why they wanted to become certified, and what they would do with it if they won.

We chose three winners, and seven runners up, whose stories we will be featuring in the coming months. For a complete list of runners-up, keep an eye on our Facebook page- become a fan today!

Name: Vicky Hallenbeck

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Occupation: Church Secretary

Favorite Hoop: For travel, my favorite hoop is my blue break-down Hoopnotica hoop, which has journeyed many miles with me.

Favorite Song to Hoop to: Traveling Light by Joel Hansen and Sara Groves

In Her Words When I first saw hoopdance on the internet, it swept me off my feet with the beauty of it, and the desire to become part of it. Even though I’m old, uncoordinated, and have health issues, I found that nothing can overcome focused desire. So I got a hoop and ordered the Hoopnotica DVDs. Over the past 2+ years, through a journey of faith and hooping, I have lost over 100 pounds, and continue to chip away at the poor habits and inactivity that led me to such poor health. Like everyone who takes up the hoop, I have become a kind of ambassador– a circuit rider of the hoop, reaching out in friendship to hoopers whenever I meet them, encouraging others to take up the hoop, and sharing the joy of the sport wherever I go. Every time I see someone’s face light up with delight when she manages to get the hoop to rotate a few turns, it feeds my soul, and heightens my own joy. Becoming certified will help promote hooping as legitimate exercise. Thank you for this tremendous opportunity.

We fell in love with Spiral and Rich many years ago; they have been touring and developing a curriculum called "the Hoop Technique", which is mostly a study of the hoop and how it relates to time and space. This context creates new ways of thinking about your hooping, and will enrich your personal practice by getting you to think about new concepts in your hoop.

Spiral is an absolute master of modern hoopdance, whose professional experiences as a performer bring much inspiration into this body of work. Rich has a background in architecture, and brings his expertise of space and dimension.

For anyone who loves and admires the art of hoopdance, this DVD will awe and inspire. There are two disks in the set; one is instructional and one is purely for inspiration. We recommend this set for many reasons; it is beautiful, comprehensive, and soulful. The performances are top quality, and will inspire you to bring your hooping to the next level. And with two disks at $40, we think its a great value. There is absolutely nothing else like it on the market.

We recommend that beginning hoopers start with the Hoopnotica DVDs, as this program builds off of basic skills that are not covered in this DVD. The Hoop Technique's program offers a type of mastery that experienced hoopers will flourish from. In the past we would have to wait for their workshops to come to us; which was a rare and special treat. We are now thrilled to be able to offer you their program wherever you are, on your time. ENJOY!