Portland Press Herald

Good Morning Everyone.  Maine Hoop Day is only 2 days away and I hope that you are all as excited as I am.  This morning we are featured in the GO Entertainment Section of the Portland Press Herald
http://www.pressherald.com/life/go/etcetera_2011-10-06.html?searchterm=maine+hoop+day
So come check us out, the weather is shaping up to be quite nice, and it is going to be an all around fun time!!!

Contact Jugglers Added!!

We are very fortunate to have 2 extremely talented Contact Jugglers added to Maine Hoop Day.  They are both from Bangor's Aether Arts and sure to create fun and excitement!!  We now have a 3rd tent booked for your pleasure.

The schedule for the third tent is as follows...

10:30 to 11:30 Strange Yelle, Double Staves and  Baton
12 to 1 Sir Riel, Contact Juggling
1:30 to 2:30 Strange Yelle, Flow Wand
3 to 4 Bri, Contact Juggling Isolations

We can't wait to see all of you this weekend!!

Here it is, the Schedule for Maine Hoop Day

Main Tent
                                                      
10 to 11 Carol Waist Hooping                
11:30 - 12:30 Maria Movement and Flow
1 - 2 Sennyo Iso's
2:30 -3:30 Turbo Hooping Christine
4-5 Sennyo mini/twins
5:30- 6:30 Amelia tosses

Other Tent

10:30 - 11:30 Jen Stalls
12-1 Carol Hooping to Heal
1:30 - 2:30 Maria Waist Hooping
3-4 Jen Sustained Spinning
4:30 -5:30 Danielle Poi


Other Other Tent

Danielle Flow-wand / Staff
This is an open space for all flow arts, or if other hoopers want to show off their skills.


And Don't forget to stick around for the sunset LED/Fire jam.

Multi-Talented

Jennifer Bailey is not only instructing but she is also vending her fantastic costumes.  She is a creator of beauty and sure to impress

Jennifer Bailey Just Added!!!

Jennifer Bailey was born and raised in Maine, and enjoyed a wonderful childhood on Horseshoe Pond. While growing up she took an array of dance classes including breakdancing, baton and gymnastics, which all began to lead her on her path to hoop love! She has always been a lover of nature and plants, and followed her passion to UMaine, where she earned her B.S. in Landscape Horticulture. It was during her time at UMaine that a friend came to visit and brought a set of homemade poi for her. From then on she has been in love with the flow arts. Soon after she saw a beautiful hoopdancer at a music festival and instantly fell in love with hoopdance. For Jennifer, hooping is so many things…exercise, dance, meditation, happiness, and release. Jennifer has performed with Blue Boy Productions and Psylab and got chosen to perform in Times Square, NY for Shpongle. She is a Hoopnotica certified Hoopdance instructor and is excited to share her passion for hooping with you.

We are Proud to add Maria Randolph to our list of instructors!!

In June 2010 Maria discovered hooping via Sara Janssens The Happy Hoop blog. Intrigued by the flow and movement available within the hoop Maria grabbed a hoop, found Amelia Whitney and begged for lessons on the spot! Maria has been addicted hoop dance ever since.  Although new to hooping, she endeavors to spread the hoop love wherever she goes via classes, workshops, jams and events. Maria is particularly passionate about building the hoop community in Maine by connecting hoopers with one another, New England, and the national hooping communities. Her current projects involve HoopFest New England, Maine Hoop Instructors Association and combining her love of travel, hooping and the delight of learning from each hoop talent she meets with a Rambling Hoop Tour. Maria teaches group and private classes in Mid-Coast Maine. www.hoopmeonline.com/www.hoopfestnewengland.com

We also will Have Sennyo from Bangor, ME joining us!!

Sennyo  first started hooping in summer of 2008.  She was the first hoop teacher around Bangor, Maine. She is one of the 4 founding members of the prop manipulation group, Aether Arts. Sennyo can often be seen performing on stage, street, parades and parties.

Hoop - Sennyo teaches weekly hoop classes and private lessons and is one of the administrators for New England on hooping.org. She also holds more intense workshops around Bangor, Portland and other locations in Maine.  

Meet Amelio Bedelio

Amelio began her hoop journey in 2007 when she saw some beautiful hoopers at Bonnaroo.  She went home, made her first giant heavy hoop, played with it a little bit, and put it down.  The next spring,  at a small Earth Day Festival at Plymouth State University, she met a hooper that sold her a hoop and taught her tricks.  She was hooked on You Tube and festival hooping through the end of her college days.  Since graduating, Amelio has spent the past few years as a vagabonding hooper and instructor, stopping in Damariscotta, ME to teach classes last summer and Berkeley, CA to study with some "Master Instructors."  She is a Hoop Revolution Mentor, having the chance to learn from Anah "Hoopalicious" Reichenbach and Rayna McInturf at teacher training retreats in Joshua Tree, CA and Kauai, HI.  She is currently in transition at the moment, but will have classes up and running around Maine and possibly more of New England by spring 2012.

More Fantastic Instructors

I am excited to share with you another wonderful instructor from the Lewiston/ Auburn area.

Carol Turner/Instructor

 

Carol Turner is a48 year old mother of 3 adult children and grandmother from Turner, Maine.

At the end of 2009 Carol was given a hoop in exchange for helping a friend.  Carol did not know how to hoop and when she tried... it was a collective of awkward movements and expressions.  Uncomfortable at first with the 'awkwardness' the hoop hung on the door and simply looked pretty.  Once in awhile Carol would take the hoop down and would attempt getting the hang of it.  2010 was a tragic year for Carol and she knew she needed to do something to heal her mind, body and soul so she started to play with her hoop more...and more. With a strong need to process  and heal from the challenges of life Carol began to 'Hoop To Heal'.While learning to hoop Carol allowed herself to laugh heartily while hooping by herself in the living room of her home. After getting the hang of hooping there were noticeable changes in Carol.  Not only had she now lost 50 pounds, she became a more grounded,  balanced individual with an increased self esteem.  As Carol became more confident while hooping she began to hoop around others. Hooping in tucked away places in the community lead to hooping in more visible places as her confidence grew.  There was an effervescence of joy bubbling over when hooping that Carol had never felt before and the desire to share this happiness and joy couldn't be contained any longer.  Carol became a certified instructor and now is teaching adult ed classes in the Lewiston/Auburn area.  Carol has also done workshops with individuals with developmental disabilities and holds a weekly Hooping Potluck where hoopers can share  soul food and hoop after. Hooping is meditative and prayerful for Carol and "Hooping.To Heal" is now enhancing the lives of others in Carol's community. Hooping = Happy!!

 

Meet one of our Instructors...

Christine MacDonald
Christine lives in Buxton, Maine and she has been teaching fitness-inspired Hooping classes in the Portland/Southern Maine area since 2008.  Her story was featured on WCSH Channel 6’s Fit At Five Segment and helped to spur the hoop movement in the Portland area.   Hooping has changed her life and she loves helping others change theirs through the hoop.   When Christine first started hooping, it was with a Wal Mart hoop her daughter got for her 3^rd birthday 5 years ago.  She was instantly hooked and became a “closet-hooper” practicing motions with her hoop while her two little girls played in the sandbox or watched their favorite tv show.  When the hoop was being used more by her than her daughter, and never being put away, she knew she was hooked.  By creating her own exercise routines with her hoop, it helped her lose 60 pounds.  She is happier and more fit now at 39 than she was in her 20’s.  As a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Christine now uses the hoop to inspire and teach others a happy, fun way to exercise.  She has taught people of all sizes to enjoy hooping and has seen students’ lives being transformed in their hooping experience as well.  Christine’s goal is to get people happily hooping, reaching down to that child inside all of us and trying new things.  Her motto is to simply let go and “be one with your hoop” as she shares her belief of hooping your way to health.  She has brought hooping to Wellness events, and to such conservative venues as the workplace fitness arena.  She has taught at Anthem, Unum, Hannaford, LLBean and teaches lunch-time hooping classes in downtown Portland as well as several evening classes throughout the area.    www.missfithooping.com

Maine Hoop Day

You have asked for it and we have listened!!!!  The first ever Maine Hoop Day is here!!!  This is the perfect day for anyone who is experienced and wants to learn more or the new comer that may be wondering what all the hoopla is about. 

We have invited instructors and vendors from all over the state to grow and build the hula hooping community.  You can connect with people from your area and expand your hooping horizon, whether for fitness or for fun you will not want to miss this event!!!!

More details will come soon!!!  We can't wait to see you there!!!!