The Hoops Will Come Up Tomorrow...well, maybe

I might be doing parts of my new hoop dancing routine tomorrow.  My feelings are: excitement, fear, excitement, worry, excitement.

Last night, I had a giant job.  I had to decide what order to do my moves in.  Native American hoop dancing is mainly a sequence of hoop formations that the dancer does in order.  Prior to yesterday, I had a collection of about 40 formations/moves, some easy, others hard.  I had to pick my top 30 and figure out what move went smoothly with the next.  It took like 3 hours to plan the moves.  It was really made much hard by the fact that I was in my living room and practicing many of the bigger moves was out of the question (not to mention the throws).

Today, I have to memorize the moves, fight the urge to switch things around (surprisingly hard for me), and work on the transitions between the moves.  I also have to decide for sure whether I am dancing tomorrow.

(Minor) Ch-Ch-Changes

I made some minor blog changes...just to let you know.  I created a "Hoop Dance Misconceptions" page to put all those posts together.  Hopefully this is helpful.  The 10 Misconceptions posts have so far been the most popular posts that I have written.  I'm glad people are interested in them.

I also began work on my "Hiring a Hoop Dancer" page.  I will continue to update it as I get material.

Happy reading and/or blogging!

Part 1: What (Not?) to Wear...Hoop Dancer Edition

I have decided for sure that I need a new outfit to compete at Worlds in February 2012 (if I am lucky enough to make it that far.) 

Right now, I am using a fancy shawl powwow outfit for hoop dancing, minus the shawl.   My Grandma helped me get the outfit and it's actually very pretty but there are a few things about it that make hoop dancing hard. 

First, the outfit has a skirt without slits.  During a lot of my hoop dance, I have hoops balanced at different angles and heights between my feet.  (My mom calls this "not very lady like." She's right but it's a necessity!) During other parts of my dance, I do things like splits.  A skirt without slits just is not practical for these types of moves - for real. 

Second, the outfit has a "yoke" (no joke) as part of the top.  A yoke is extra fabric/beadwork, looking kind of like a small apron, that covers your shoulder blades and are attached to a vest at the shoulders.  (I feel like I'm not describing this well.)  Since yokes are "extra" material, they can get caught in hoops - not good.

Between the skirt and the yoke, this outfit is not the most practical.  Thus, I am in search of outfit ideas.  Wish me luck.

Thanks Hooping.org

Thank you Hooping.org (perhaps the biggest hooping site in the world) for posting an article called Native American Hoop Dance Misconceptions about my blog. That totally made my day.  I feel really honored that someone took the time to write so wonderfully about this blog.

I welcome the Hooping readers to my site.  I think we can learn lots from each other.

I put all ten of my original Misconceptions together to help any readers.

They can be found here: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions

Misconception #1: Native American hoop dancing is just a sport.

Native American hoop dancing is far more than just a sport.

Native American hoop dancing is many things:
* it is a form of storytelling,
* it is our culture,
* it is our connection to the past,
* it is our way of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next,
* it is the understanding that in a circle everything is connected,
* it is really knowing that some things cannot be forced, bought, or sold,
* it is the comfort in knowing that the dance will survive longer than us.

Most importantly:
* it is not for others to steal or appropriate.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions

You Win Some...You Lose Some

Losing by a single shot = not fun.  You've probably guessed my winter basketball season is over. 

Here's how it happened:
* We worked hard all season.
* We made it to the league playoffs. 
* We made it to the final four and got matched with an undefeated team.
* We were up by 1 at half.
* We got down by 4 in the last quarter.
* We scored a 2 but missed the 3 that would have won the game.
* Season over.

Does this affect my hoop dancing? I'm sure it does but I'm not feeling clever enough to understand how (much less explain it.) 

Misconception #2: Every powwow dancer can hoop dance

Not every dancer who participates in Native American powwows can hoop dance. And, not every hoop dancer does powwows.

Powwows are Native American social events where many people (from lots of tribes) dance.  Powwow dancers have a wide range of experience.  They range from the dancers who enter the dance circle once or twice in a decade to the hardcore competitors who hit a powwow every single weekend.

The vast majority of Native American dancers specialize in a single dance style.  There are at least 8 powwow dance styles plus tribal and regional styles, not even counting hoop dancing.  Each style is a living dance; they can evolve drastically over time.  The styles takes a lifetime to master and regularity to keep with the changes.

It is rare that a dance can reach world-class quality in more than one Native American dance style.  It is also rare to find a dancer that can be a champion hoop dancer and powwow dancer.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions

Misconception #3: Native American hoop dancers are only men

There are both male and female Native American hoop dancers.

When American Indian hoop dancing started becoming popular throughout North America, it was assumed by many that only men and boys could hoop dance. Some people think this was supported by the fact that women's powwow outfits (all styles require calf length skirts) do not easily allow for hoop dancing leg moves.  In reality, no full powwow outfit, men's or women's, can really be used for hoop dancing. 

Today, it is widely accepted that women and girls can hoop dance.  The Hoop Dance World Championship, from the start, has allowed females to compete in all division and there has been a number of female World Champions. 

The majority of Native American hoop dancers are still male but the number of females is growing.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions

Misconception #4: Native American hoop dancers are uneducated

Native American hoop dancers are often very educated.

Of all the adult American Indian  hoop dancers I know, every one of them has attended an university.  Of the dancers that have not reached college age, they are growing up in families that emphasizes education. 

I, myself, am an honors student.  Outside of classes, I spend at least 5 times more hours studying per week than practicing my hoop dancing (although I think both are important.)

The nature of hoop dancing requires a lot of concentration, math, memory, multi-tasking, planning, and focus.  These are traits that help people succeed in school too.  It is not very surprising that Native American hoop dancers are often educated.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions

Misconception #5: Native American hoop dancers buy their hoops

Native American hoop dancers do not buy their hoops.

Making Native American dancing hoops is an art.  Dancers (or their families) make each hoop by hand. The hoops are customized by diameter, width, and flexibility. Colors are selected either to match the dancer's outfit or have special significance to the dancer or his/her tribe.

There are two basic ways of making hoops.  "Old style" uses all traditional materials.  "New style" uses modern materials.  There are many dancers that use a combination.

Learning how to make hoops is, in itself, an honor.  If you are interested in the details, ask a hoop dancer.

From my: Top 10 Native American Hoop Dancing Misconceptions