Well I have to say I got lots of great sleep last night which made all the difference in feeling great on the show. The producer was super sweet and everyone from the camerapeople to the anchors were all smiles and so easygoing that it was impossible to feel intimidated. Of course, I had the racing heartbeat every now and then while speaking, hoping that my words would come out fluidly and clear, but in general, they were all being so playful it was easy to keep smiling and having fun.
The segment has lots of teases with cuts from "HoopDance for Beginners" and lots of cuts of the entire staff hooping with my hoops. It was fun and they were hilarious, swinging hoops around their necks like wild banchees.
My time started with a bunch of "bumps" as they call them -- when they flash to an image of me hooping while they tease the audience to stay tuned for more.
I wore something I never would ordinarily have the inspiration to don... tight short shorts! Originally I planned on wearing Lululemon, but a comment from Amy, director of the hoop movie, swayed me. "Show more skin" she said. My thighs are usually something I only bare naked at Burning Man or in a bikini on a beach... even when I perfom I usually wear dancer tights to keep myself all sleek.
For whatever reason, I decided to follow her advice, even though I haven't been to the gym in ages. Why not? I always show up wearing the same thing -- flowy pants or yoga pants... why not try something new? Watching the video.. it worked out okay. An odd form of self therapy in fact. What am I hiding? I look great!
The anchor I hooped with, Mike, was awesome! He was so excited and outgoing and asked me lots of questions, really wanting to understand more about what I do before going on air. This is actually extremely unusual in the tv world where often you just get ushered out by a producer moments before you are on because the anchor is just transitioning from another story to you. So it felt very personal and sweet. Plus, he was such an outspoken advocate for HoopGirl! It was awesome.
I also want to give myself a little pat on the back for remembering a soundbyte I have been trying to get in since I was on The Fox Morning Show in New York over 6 months ago! The bit about integrative movement. Hoopdance falls into the latest category of exericse called integrative movement which means that in addition to providing physical benefits, it uplifts the emotions, calms the mind and centers the spirit. Having just been at the Inner Idea conference this past weekend, my mind filled with "bodymind" ideas and experiences... so it was fun to be able to share this bit of information in a sophisticated way. Horaay!
Originally the station had this brilliant idea that Mark and I would hoop together for an entire hour following the segment and they would feature us in a small box in the corner of the tv, but thankfully that didn't happen. While it would have been good air time, people may have been seriously distracted from anything else being shown. They actually thought it would be like a contest to see if I could manage to keep it going for an hour straight .. very sweet... little did they know I can keep that puppy going for hours!
Every segment is an opportunity for me to see all the little unconscious things I do when I get nervous... in this segment, I noticed that when they wanted me standing in one place hooping (instead of dancing which feels much more natural) I kept shifting my weight. I think next time I will focus on standing tall and rooted like a tree.
Such a great opportunity!
Not sure how long it will be online, but you can watch the segment here:
http://cbs13.com/gooddaysacramento
(scroll through the video library on the upper right hand side of the browser window)