July 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Lifelong Hiller a ‘Hoops’ star without jumping through them
by MARLENAH VERONICA BARKER

Marlenah does her hoop thing during a recent Saturday class in Pastorius Park. (Photo by Danielle Devine-Gill)

Marlenah Veronica Barker, 21, has lived and worked in Chestnut Hill her entire life. A graduate of Springfield Township High School, she is now studying to be a Registered Nurse at Montgomery County Community College, and she works at Apothecary Garden, 7721 Germantown Ave.

“Hooping” became a passion of mine the day I discovered it in June of 2007. I’ll never forget the goofy grin that spread across my face the first time I was able to keep the hoop rotating around my waist for a full five minutes.  In my experience, it seems to bring out a child-like joy in everyone who picks it up. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to see that same grin on the face of someone who had told me only minutes before, “I can’t hula hoop!”

Aside from being a fun and challenging form of exercise (believe you me, we SWEAT when we hoop!), it is also performance art, an outlet for emotion and a form of meditation. When I’m angry, when I need to celebrate, when I need a bit of alone time, I hoop. And now I have this amazing opportunity to share this part of my life with other people. It’s very exciting for me.

Guided by the community of hoopers in Philadelphia and the amazing performers of the Philadelphia Fire Arts Tribe, I’ve learned to safely add the element of fire to my hoopdance. My fire hoop has six spines extending from the outside perimeter, with a kevlar wick at the end of each spine. After soaking the wicks in fuel, I ignite the wicks and have the pleasure of dancing with fire for approximately five minutes before the fuel has burned off. Each dance is different from the last, and the adrenaline rush is extraordinary.

A highlight of my hoopdance journey was being nominated for “Best Newbie Hooper of 2007” by the international hooping community at www.hooping.org.

(You can access videos of my hoop practice at www.youtube.com/user/c0ehlo.) 

On Saturday, July 12, I held my first 2.5 hour intensive “Moving Within A Circle: Hoopdance for Beginners” workshop at Pastorius Park. This workshop is intended for complete beginners who have never hooped before, and is open to men and women of all ages. (The attendees on July 12 ranged from teens to folks in their 60s).

After warming up, stretching and selecting hoops to work with, I began the class by teaching waist hooping techniques. After my students were confident with this basic skill, we moved on to learn some off-body hooping (hooping around one’s hand and manipulating the hoop around, not on, your body), basic angle hooping (changing the angle of the hoop from horizontal to vertical while hooping in the waist), and a few of my students even began learning to move the hoop up and down from the hips to the neck. 

I include in all of my classes a discussion of avoiding both physical injury and the frustration that can arise from learning any new skill. I try to emphasize the idea that if you aren’t dropping the hoop, you aren’t challenging yourself enough!

“Moving Within A Circle: Hoopdance for Beginners” will be held again on Saturday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Pastorius Park, Roanoke Street and Hartwell Lane. ($15 class fee. Hoops will be provided for class and available for purchase.)

I will also be holding the following workshops for students who have mastered the skill of basic waist hooping: (They will all be in Pastorius Park on Saturday mornings, 10 to 11 a.m. $10 per class as a drop-in, $8 per class when you register for the five-week series.)

•July 26, Off-Body and Hand Hooping; Aug. 2, no class; Aug. 9, Lifts and Transitions; Aug. 16, Shoulder and Chest Hooping; Aug. 23, Hip, Leg and Knee Hooping. Following each Saturday workshop from 11 a.m. to noon, there will be an “open hoop jam” for all skill levels. To be put on the mailing list or to sign up for classes, email wHoopitup1@gmail.com.