Wednesday Elektra [Wednesday]: Hi Christabel, please introduce yourself and give our readers a bit of insight as to what it is you do. It's so vastly different than what we normally cover over here at Space Junkies Magazine, but it sure looks like fun! Christabel Zamor [Christabel]: As Hoopgirl I perform with my dance partner Hoopalisious in a performance troupe called Satori. Wednesday: How did you get initially get involved in hula hoop dancing and how long have you being doing this sort of thing? Christabel: I got hooked by the hoop three years ago when I met a beautiful hoop dancer named Hoopnotica at a festival in Ojai. She brought me to Los Angeles [LA] and I met a huge group of hula hoopers at an electronic music conference called "Gathering of the Tribes." I got a hoop and started practicing in the park three days a week and suddenly people started gathering and asking me what I was doing. Soon I had hundreds of people hooping in Santa Barbara. They wanted hoops so I started making them. They wanted classes so I started teaching. Soon people started asking for performances... it was amazing! It was like the universe wanted me to move forward with this whole new way of life. I ditched my graduate school and went for it.

"[Hula] Hooping has changed my life by making me magnetic to fun, [having] a better body and a better sex life. What more do you need?"

Wednesday: Tell us more about Satori and how that came into existence.
Christabel: Satori is the union of myself, Christabel Zamor and my hoop partner Anah Reichenbach, AKA Hoopgirl and Hoopalisious.

Wednesday: It looks like you've performed all over the world, what was it like touring and opening for after party events like Cirque du Soleil?
Christabel: It is amazing to travel and tour to perform, and especially wonderful to hoop dance at Cirque du Soleil's VIP after parties. They are the most exquisite circus that has ever been, so it is quite an honor to perform in association with them. When we are there, it is a total rush to feel the excitement and of all the people who have just seen the performance... then they see us! It does create a bit of pressure to perform at absolute best, but that always pushes us to the next level.

Wednesday: I noticed a hoop dancer in the new C2 Coke commercials, was that you? What does it feel like seeing yourself on TV in a commercial? I think that C2 commercial is actually my favorite one they're playing right now, it just has a very happy go lucky vibe about it. Christabel: That was my hoop partner Hoopalisious. I know she was thrilled. As a professional hoop dancer, we are really trying to get hooping into the mainstream. Every moment on national television helps! Wednesday: You're from California correct? From my knowledge there seems to be a thriving dance/rave/club type of scene out that way, is it a good area for you to live and perform in? What types of clubs/venues do you generally perform at? Christabel: When we are not on the road performing, I live in San Francisco and Hoopalisious lives in Los Angeles. California is a hotbed for the whole electronic music scene with thousands of clubs, events, raves and festivals. I moved to San Francisco to be in the epicenter of the house music scene. This city rocks so hard - it is beyond anything I have ever experienced except at Burning Man. San Francisco and Los Angeles are fantastic places for us to live and perform because there is a demand for so much performance art at clubs and private parties. Everyone has seen go-go dancers and fire dancers. We are the next big thrill that no one was expecting. When we bust out peoples' jaws hit the floor.

Wednesday: How do people that aren't used to seeing hoop dances react to your live performances? I know if you came up to my neck of the woods I'd be entranced for hours and hours by your hoop dancing, I wouldn't want to go home!
Christabel: Stunned, amazement and total inspiration. That is why we chose the name we did. "Satori" is a Tibetan Buddhist term, which means, "a flash of enlightenment." People are really altered when they see us because they can relate to hula hooping, but have never seen it taken to this level. We travel to perform and teach anywhere in the world - even your neck of the woods!

Wednesday: Who's DJ Kramer? Tell us a bit more about who he is and what he does.
Christabel: DJ Kramer is a tribal progressive DJ who has rocked every possible venue in San Francisco and is now performing all over the United States and internationally. He has played with all the big names in the industry and now is basically blowing them all out of the water. I saw him close for Oakenfold several times at Rubye Sky - dancers grooved for Paul, but Kramer drove the floor into a frenzy and was overrun afterwards by fans. When you listen to him, it feels unbelievably deep and super sexy - way beyond anything I have felt any other DJ do. Your whole body reacts on a primal level. It is insane. He is perfect to work with because he has a totally unique sound, which already drives everyone wild. He ups their heart rate, gets them sweating, opens their senses and breathing - and then we come out and take them to the next level. You can download his recent demo at http://www.djkramer.com.

Wednesday: You seem to have some pretty wild outfits, who designs and makes them for you? I notice you always seem to have the lower portion of your legs covered, is that for design/fashion reasons or does it have something to do with the hoops/dancing?
Christabel: We design and make all our own costumes. Hoopalisious is coming out with her own line of dance and performance wear. She also works with dancers of all kinds to make custom tailored exotic dance wear. We often wear furry leg warmers, which look like tall shaggy boots. This is inspired by the rave scene, but when added to elegant silk and embroidered costumes, it creates a bold, tribal look, which is totally unique. It also protects our legs and knees when we hoop around them.

Wednesday: I was looking at some of your pictures on your Satori website and noticed that some of the hoops look really big while others look a bit smaller, do you use different sized hoops for different moves/dances or are they all the same size? Does the size of the hoop matter in any way? Christabel: We use hoops, which are much bigger than "traditional" hula-hoops when we perform individually. They are a bit higher than an average door handle. We use these bigger hoops because they are heavier and rotate slower than the hoops you used when you were a kid. This allows for more precision when doing elaborate moves. When we both dance within one hoop, we use a hoop which is much bigger - as high as my heart. Again, since it is so big, it rotates slower and then we can push our bodies together as one large body and keep the hoop going. Wednesday: Do you still have your very first hoop or a favorite hoop that you take with you wherever you go? Christabel: Hoops come and go very quickly for me. Since I have sold thousands, I don't get too attached. Oftentimes people want my personal hoop because they attribute some power to it (which I find kind of funny), so I often sell it right out of my hands. My favorite design is a style I make called Cosmic.

I almost always perform with some variation of it in a neon color with a neon accent because then the whole thing glows very brightly in black light. It can be purchased online in my http://www.HoopGirl.com store.

Wednesday: What's liquid hoop dancing and how does it differ from regular hoop dancing?
Christabel: Liquid Hoop dance is not different from regular hoop dance - it is a series of exercises and a philosophy you can use to expand your range of movement, expression and presence. I encourage studying the flow of liquids. I want students to be able to flow through different emotions and qualities of movement while dancing, to be supple chameleons who can morph between the high-energy vixen and the slow delicate fairy dancer. Liquid hoop dance is about grace. This means being gentle with our self-dialog when we drop the hoop and pick it up again. It also means being ultra conscious of the hands and fingers while we gesture, with the toes and high knees we explore space with. It also means incorporating "hoop tricks" into your own creative dance in an organic way which is seamless. My class is a movement lab where dancers push their self-expression to the next level - I love getting people super sweaty and ecstatic! Our bodies are mostly water and empty space on a sub-atomic level - we dance to celebrate this, empty the mind of limiting beliefs and have fun! I have taught students over the last three years, all over California, and have taken people from spectators who "didn't think they could do it" to being professional performers. It is an amazing feeling to help people break through their perceived limitations.

Wednesday: What are your performance hoops generally made out of and where do you usually buy them at? I know Wal-Mart up here in Canada sells little kiddy plastic hoops for relatively cheap, though from past experiences they generally dent and warp as soon as you accidentally step on them. I'm sure your hoops are way more durable than that!
Christabel: We each have our own hoop company, making our own custom hoops. They are currently unavailable in stores and can only be ordered online at either http://www.HoopGirl.com or http://www.HoopRevolution.com. I have been making Dance Hoops for 3 years and soon will releasing a manufactured collapsible travel hoop. This new hoop can be carried in a yoga style bag over the shoulder. It will be available for sale in the fall.

Wednesday: I was checking out the DanceHoop.com website and it noted that hula hooping is not only good for fitness sakes (building muscles, dexterity, balance, etc.), but it can also be relaxing/meditative. What physical, mental and other attributes do you personally get out of hooping?
Christabel: Okay, let's cut to the chase. Hooping catapults your sex life to the next level. You build incredible core strength, tone and slim the belly and buttocks, develop better hand-eye co-ordination, and unwind the spine with gentle pelvic rocking. What does all this mean? Your confidence soars, you smile more, take life a bit less seriously, you get completely comfortable swinging your hips. You enjoy pleasure. Hooping has changed my life by making me magnetic to fun, a better body and a better sex life. What more do you need?

Wednesday: I see you're well versed in a variety of dance moves and styles from a variety of different origins, if I was to sit in on one of your movement/dance/hoop classes, what would I experience?
Christabel: You would see people who are not trained dancers alongside professional dancers exploring their range of motion on every limb of their body while hooping. You would see men and women focusing on dancing to the beat of music, focusing on their gaze, their gestures and their rate of breathing while moving and leaping and running - all of course while hooping! You would experience sensations all over your skin as the hoop rolled over your body and stimulated your nervous system and your blood flow - feeling your body sweat while learning to articulate your muscles in undulating micro-movements. You would experience a rush of energy as you propelled the hoop faster around your torso and shoulders and legs, feel yourself building dexterity with your limbs, as you learned to use every part of you, including your elbows, neck and feet to navigate the hoop. And of course you would feel fantastic and elated and thrilled by all you learned in such a short amount of time.

Wednesday: Where does the money from the sales of your hoops at HoopGirl.com go? And for those living in California, how can they enroll in one of your classes/workshops and roughly how much are your classes? How long do they run for and do you work with all age groups?
Christabel: HoopGirl.com is my sole source of income and supports my work taking performances, classes and hoops all over the US and abroad. My mission is to get the world hooping! Students of all ages and ability levels can enroll in classes by going to my website, http://www.HoopGirl.com. Liquid Hoop Dance classes are generally $75-85 for a 3 session intensive seminar of about 4.5 hours of class time. I have an in-depth extended series, but I have been traveling to perform too frequently to offer it. So I just focus on offering these intensive weekend warrior style seminars. For people who want to learn hooping just to loose weight, I offer Hoop Fitness classes at gyms and many Curves locations that request to have me come teach a one-day seminar. We are available to travel anywhere to teach and perform. In addition to hoops, both of our websites also sell performance DVDs of Satori, instructional DVDs and the manufactured collapsible hoop that will be available in fall 2005.

Wednesday: Do you ever use flaming hoops, multiple hoops or other props when performing? Any bad experiences happen while hoop dancing live? Hopefully not! Christabel: I perform with two hoops, Anah performs with fire and we both use black light sensitive and glowing hoops all the time. We haven't had any bad performance experiences yet and have our fingers crossed that none will come our way! Wednesday: What's the best way to care for your hoop when not in use? Any tips to future hoopers on how to find the right hoop and to properly take care of it? Christabel: Store your hoop flat on the floor and keep it out of hot cars and extended sunlight exposure.

Wednesday: Your HoopGirl website is very informative (same with the HoopRevolution.com website), what else can you tell us about your website/services that I haven't covered yet?
Christabel: There are calendars, galleries and news flashes, which are continually updated. You can join our newsletters and stay informed.

Wednesday: I know I've mentioned a few websites throughout my interrogating questions above, but in case I've missed some, where can our readers catch you online? And how can they get in touch with you for more information?
Christabel: We can be tracked down at http://www.SatoriDance.com, http://www.HoopGirl.com, and http://www.HoopRevolution.com. A feature length film about Hula Hooping, which Anah and I are starring in (to be released fall 2006), is available to see at http://www.Hulatopia.com. A large national hooping community can be checked out at http://www.hooping.org. I also moderate an online hooping discussion list called "The Hoop Loop," which is located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thehooploop/

Wednesday: Phew, I hope I didn't tucker you out with all these questions! I don't know much about hooping, so I'm rather curious about it all, hopefully our readers will take an interest in it as much as I have. I also hope you have an amazing 2005-year and can add many more accomplishments to your already impressive list! Thank-you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me for Space Junkies Magazine, you'll have to keep me posted to your goings-on in the future. And in closing do you have any other comments or information to leave our readers with?
Christabel: Jump on whatever it is you dream about doing today and trust the universe. If you are willing to work hard, anything is possible.