Greetings from the LA HoopGirl Teacher training seminar! It's so interesting that EVERY single time I teach this, I feel this is the *best* class ever! The bar just keeps getting raised each time and i am so grateful for this experience. We had the biggest class ever this time, 17 women from Los Angeles, Ventura, Hollywood, San Diego, Orange County, San Jose, Venice, Maui, and also 2 women from Buffalo, NY, 1 from Miami Beach, and one woman from Kansas. They come from all kinds of backgrounds -- a personal trainer, a pole dancing studio owner, yoginis, actors, performers, producers, entrepreneurs .. what unites them all is that they have a fiery passion for hoopdance and an amazing drive and focus to spread the joy to others while creating abundance for themselves.
As usual, Abundant Sugar has been our furry home for this training. I say furry because our learning space is a residential artist warehouse with a huge dancefloor, and a massive cluster of funfur covered sofas on the side where we get cozy for the seated portion of class. Unlike the super slick, super clean dance studio in Portland, this space is all about art, Burning Man culture and artistic creation in the raw, with heaps of fabric by sewing machines, a massive tree sculpture literally "growing" out of the floor and much much more. We are so grateful to be here!
I had my concerns about this class a few weeks ago when only 4 people had registered... really, this is the first time something like this has ever happened since we usually sell out so fast. The last minute 1/2 off promotion really worked a miracle for us at HoopGirl, so we had the funds to hold it in the fashion we like, with professional photographer, lots of snacks, Candice from Portland co-teaching and a master trainer-in training, Miss Taj from Chicago, here learning the ropes. Meanwhile the abundance will really help free HoopGirl, Inc of some debt we have taken on. Yea for liberation!!! Thank you so much to everyone involved who has been so open minded and accomodating to help make this training work!
Day 3 was the most transformative, jam packed with lots of practicums where we took mini classes taught by each new teacher and provided detailed feedback in the forum. Even though I give lots of feedback myself, I still learn so much from these sessions. Each student demonstrates new and fun ways of interpreting the class and I love that everyone was so open and observant about even the smallest nuances in eachother's spoken words, body language and flow. I LOVE that these women are so determined to learn how to improve their skills and succeed!
Props call... as usual there is one student who has specifically caught my attention.. this time it is an African American woman, aged 44, named Melanie Pleasure. Melanie actually won our IDEA fitness drawing for a free teacher training seminar. She just had an intense surgery less than a month ago! But she showed up none the less, full of enthusiasm, joy and determination to learn. When she talked about hooping during forums and discussions, her eyes literally welled up with tears of joy. Though she doesn't know all the *moves* with precision yet, she has a drive to absorb everything she can. Her teaching style is incredibly warm, nurturing and energizing.
Chika captured our hearts as well! Living in LA for three years since coming from her native Japan, we all decided she won the "cutest hooper" award. Her eyes would light up and twinkle whenever she said the word "happy", which she did quite often. What I loved about Chika was how much she smiled and how precise her word choices were, quite amazing for teaching in a language which is not native... she really demonstrated the power of choosing few, but profound words, and as the training progressed, her attention to detail and precision deepened. Wow! A beacon of light.
There is something so magical about teacher training events. Quite simply, it is THE most important thing I am doing in my life right now. Unquestionably. I am completely moved and honored to be holding space for these leaders who are a part of the solution in today's world. Creating more joy! Wellbeing! Community! Love! Sensuality! Yes!