Hoop Path Retreat 2009 Carrboro, NC

Well, we loaded up Big Momma (the Jeep) with the Hoola Monsters and headed out of St Pete early Thursday morning after a rocking good sleepover party. Unfortunately, the party didn't include a lot of ACTUAL SLEEPING, so we began with sleep deprivation, and that pretty much ruled the whole trip, at least for me!

We got into town and headed for the host camp site where the Hoola Monsters were staying: Camp Water. It was LOVELY- and its loveliness even inspired ME to want to camp there! But I had OTHER plans... Melissa Norton graciously hosted me for the weekend, which was AWESOME and just like being at home!

After setting up camp we scooted to the opening reception/potluck, hoopjam and Flowcase! I had contacted Ann earlier to get on the list for the Flowcase, and I was SO EXCITED to perform just after ANOTHER POET! Lori's poem about the body as a luscious sacred vessel was a beautiful kick-off, and I felt a little bad about shifting gears by performing Life of the Party just after her. BUT I had to introduce myself, so... :) AFTER US- it was all hooping & bellydance! STELLAR performances by "HoopGirl" Christabel, Spiral, Miss Rosie and Adrian (from NY! only her SECOND hoop performance EVER!!! YOU ROCK!) and some lovely VERY INTRICATE bellydance from Anastasia! Then, HOOPING ON THE FARM TO A KICK ASS PLAYLIST!!! I fell in love with some great music during the retreat, but the BEST was ON THAT FARM!

Day one was orientation, welcome, organization of mini-tribes (to present some ritual during the fire ceremony) and the first workshop. That night, we rested (yeah, right. Ha ha ha).

Day two was more workshop and the fire ceremony at night. The fire ceremony included a kava ritual (YAY! KAVA!!!! I'm going to bring up the GOOOOOOD STUFF next year!) and hooping and group rituals, and ceremonial burning and then more hooping! We also received our rings for the retreat: each member gets a brass ring, a little bigger than the year before, with grip tape! We were visited by a BEAUTIFUL big black snack, too!

Day three was the last workshop (HOOP CHURCH!) and the Hoopers' Ball. After an intense, dynamic, inspiring and transformative (SERIOUSLY) workshop with Baxter and Ann we all split up and then came back to Camp Water to PACK UP THE GEAR and GET READY FOR THE BALL! It's a real treat to tear down a campsite in fishnets and tutus!

Enjoy! More photos on Flickr soon...

Thank you, thank you...

I WANT TO DEEPLY THANK ALL WHO HAVE COME TO PARTICIPATE IN 'POSTCARDS FROM THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION' AND THOSE WHO HAVE KINDLY TOLERATED MY QUESTIONS AND COMMENTARY ON EDUCATION. This is my life's work, thank you for being a part of it!

So now that I'm home...
I'm not stopping.

As if the list at the bottom of the last post was not enough, I decided to take on two conferences/retreats before I begin my graduate school residency.

The first was the Florida African Dance Festival. WOW.
WOW.
This was one of the most BEAUTIFUL events I've ever participated in. Seriously. It makes my eyes moist to just think about it. The dancing, the drumming, the teaching, the learning. THE COMMUNITY. I thought I knew SO MUCH about community before this event. I was fooling myself! The people who participated in this festival, and those who put it on, are part of a huge network of dancers, drummers and aficionados of African Dance- and MAN do they ALL LOVE ONE ANOTHER. There was SO MUCH LOVE at this festival! Three main styles of dance were taught: Sabar (Senegal), Bougarabou (Senegal) and Djembe (Guinea). The Festival consisted of two VERY FULL days of dance and drum workshops, a performance and some parties. Vendors selling drums, outfits, jewelry, awesome t-shirts (like: "Sorry I Stole Your Drummer", and "Just Play for My Solo," and "Real Men MARRY African Dancers" !) set up booths during the workshop days. All told, there were 10 dance workshops (5 each day) with 5 master instructors (each taught once a day). AND YES: some people really did take EVERY workshop. AMAZING. Veronica and I took only 5 (well, I took 4.5: halfway through the last workshop on the last day I felt too tired to dance well, and could only dance sloppily. I said THAT'S IT! After all, it was disrespectful to the teacher to dance so sloppily.) and we were WRECKED- so tired we could barely speak. Days later, I'm struggling to remember all the moves and the different dances- time to get BACK IN PRACTICE!!!

The next big thing is the Hoop Path Retreat in Carrboro, NC. I'm staying the night in St Pete to drive a myself and a carload of HoolaMonsters up to NC tomorrow for 4 glorious days and nights of HOOPLOVE!

MORE SOON... THEN GRAD SCHOOL AT NAROPA!!!! AHH!!!

Home sweet home

I haven't posted in about 3 months.
But I've thought about how to do THIS post all that time. Having come to no definitive conclusion as to 'strategy' I'm just going to wing it. Here goes...

Leaving San Francisco (in early March), my homesickness had turned into a full blown cold. As I began the three-day intensive HoopGirl Level 3 Teacher Training, I was sniffling and slightly worn down. Bummer. I still relished the training, but with much less expressed enthusiasm than normal, even sitting out for a few of the teaching practicums to save my strength for my own.

Here are a couple of photos from the training... we spent half the time working with Zoom hoops, which are small and not intended for body hooping! Thanks to ScottKPhotography for these!






I had a fantastic time, learned a lot, and am so grateful to be part of the teaching community established through Christabel "HoopGirl" Zamor's hard work and dedication to hoopdance and joy. Check out her latest project: Hooping (the book!) http://thehoopingbook.wordpress.com/

After sniffling in San Francisco I flew to sneezing in Portland. Some young friends of mine invited me to their apartment, and I even tried to sneak out of the invite because I knew I wasn't feeling 100% and I didn't want to inflict myself on them. Little did we all know...

After a week of enjoying the sights (THANKS SKY, CODY, REBEKAH AND LAUREN! AND THANKS for the heads up on the slam, Anis!) and visiting The Village Free School (a really great school... one of my two favorites while traveling) I became VERY VERY ill: fever, chills, cough, bloodshot eyes, and without voice... IT WAS THE FLUUUUUU! Luckily it was before the swine flu scare, but it was a REALLY AWFUL instant sickness. And Portland did not help- the air there was too cold and wet for me to feel comfy. After a terrible sleepless week I booked a ticket to Orlando, rented a car and drove to my mom's house in Gainesville... where I slept for a week. After one more week helping out around my mom's house and hanging out with my good friend Veronica and her awesome child Naim, I packed up once more to head back down south. HOME....

Settling in took a little while. I'm living at my mom's old house in Boynton Beach (though the mailing address is Lake Worth... weird.) with my friend Steve. Another roommate just moved in: Andrew the accupuncturist! We call this place the Make Worth house, and since returning I've been hard at work making worthwhile things:
The Slam at Dada
Helping with the National Poetry Slam (West Palm Beach this August)
The SAFE Slam @ NPS (a slam training for teachers)
Postcards from the Education Revolution
Lake Worth Unschooling group
Florida Native Plants book
Native Offerings III invite
Rise Out Loud Workshops at the WPB Library (starting in August)
AND>>>>>
STARTING MY HOOPDANCE BUSINESS!!!!

Check out my website: www.hoopsofly.com!
Classes will begin at Downtown Dance in Lake Worth (formerly Klein Dance) when I return from my graduate school residency at Naropa in July! Look out Lake Worth... the hoopers are COMING!!!