Interesting link: Australian hooping

I guess you caught me - for the past week when I should have been typing for school or blog, I have instead been googling hoop stuff.  This is partly for "research" and partly just me being nosy and wanting to see if this blog is showing up on any search engines.  (So far, it has not.)  But, I am learning a lot of stuff.

It turns out there are three types of "hoop dancers": 1) recreational hula hooping, 2) precision hooping (think Cirque Du Soleil) and 3) Native American hoop dancing.

I think Native American hoop dancing is much more like the precision hooping than recreational hula hooping.  I found this link that describes the two non-Native types.

Australian Hooping Cultures
(great site)

Misconception #10: Native Hoop Dancing is just like hula hoop dancing

Native American hoop dancing is nothing like hula hooping. 

There is a surprisingly big community of hula hoopers.  They call hula hoop dancing "hooping".  From the little that I've seen, they (mostly women) hula hoop to music wearing very little clothes.  They often use big, rigid hoops that they swing in broad circles around their bodies.  Some say it is entertainment; other say it is exercise.

Native American hoop dancing is very different.  The hoop is a important symbol to many tribes.  It is a symbol that can be used to represent many things.  In Native hoop dancing, the dancer to use their numerous hoops to represent many objects (eagles, butterflies, snakes, etc.)  Hands are used far more than hips; hoops do not swing around bodies but are moved carefully from formation to formation.  Like in nearly all Native social dances, modesty is key.

There are also spiritual elements to Native American hoop dancing.  The internet is not really the place to explain these.

The bottom line is Native American hoop dancing is very different than hula hooping.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions