kahunahula
watch out for the peanuts
two years ago i left washington state to return to the bay area, immediately plugging in to the bay area hoop scene via the weekly park jam with bay area hoopers. from that base came hooppain and the roots of most of my social connections in the bay. we’ve gone from a year and a half of 3-hour jams once a week to sporadic, sometimes impromptu, gatherings. several of us like to perform in public, mostly via participation in a multi-disciplinary fire troupe, solar flare.
my mom says that i’m the only person she knows who actually did run off and join the circus.
i love to fucking hoop
it is a blast. i never had a clue.
i enjoy tucking an ipod into my hat, dimming the lights, and practicing downstairs late at night at my place. i enjoy getting decked out in faux fur and rocking it on the dance floor at one of the bay’s venues. i enjoy hoop fighting with the other crazy fuckers in my group in the living room with a dj on the decks and the glassware tucked away. i enjoy hooping out in the sunshine for the barbecue crowd at dolores park with bah. i enjoy playing with fire in the cold night. i enjoy being a hoop minstrel on the playa. i enjoy showing yet another drunk person that, yes, they can actually hoop. i enjoy.
i would have never expected it to be hooping.
the birth of kahunahula
(big) kahuna + hula (hoop) = kahunahula. ladytron gave me that name.
it was dbug’s fault. the first time i hooped was at his place in the east bay. i felt silly. the next time was at burning man, on a hot, blue day. then that thanksgiving, where i just worked on keeping it at my hips.
like many newbies, i was hesitant at the beginning. it was a steep learning curve. all my natural clumsiness got in the way.
but i was encouraged by homeboy to learn my chops, to build that muscle memory via relentless practice.
i set aside time and space to devote to hooping in a big barn in washington state, learning to destress with an hour under dimmed lights and favorite playlists. i built up a small repetoire of moves and tricks with almost daily practice. before you knew it, tricks i saw on youtube and tribe became accessible. my movement catalog expanded-my body started to get it. then i focused on synching deeply into the music and learning to relax. then it was all flow.
i connected with like-minded hoopaholics.
and, lo and behold, this band of hoop misfits was born. we consistently have a blast.
ok. but i still don’t get what hooppain is…
well,
we hoop like motherfuckers. we party like motherfuckers. we don’t take ourselves too seriously. we enjoy interfering with one another’s hooping.
it is not about competition, it is about self expression, hanging with good peeps, cutting loose from the nonsense, rocking the hoop in your own way.
my advice?
break from the herd. get inspiration from others, but don’t get lost in trying to be someone else. i want to see you do your thing; you are the only one who can do it.
shameless self promotion
want a performer that won’t bore your guests out of their mind? want something different? i will hoop my ass off at your next shindig. your guests will actually have fun.
or, i will show you how to unleash your inner hooppainer. you think you know how to move your hips? wait till i’m done with you.
my dedicated kahunahula site is here.
throwing down at an early HooppaiN session
hooping in support of pride, 2007.
