I am so inspired by Jennifer, a local hooper who recently attended our Level 1 HoopGirl teacher certification course. I mean, she wears HIGH HEELS all the time! Every class she has ever taken, every time I have seen her dance, every moment of the teacher training. And these are not little heels. We're talking HIGH. The best part is that she bounces around while hooping with the sweetest smile, as if she is dancing on a fluffy cloud of marshmallows. The smile is *real*. She is really experiencing delight. As I mentioned in a previous blog, she is the child of Brazilian parents who proclaimed she was born with heels on...
So when I went to Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil 2 nights ago, I decided, "what the heck?", and all I packed for my 36 hour trip was 3 pairs of heels. Of course I also brought toothpaste and contacts and basics. But clothes-wise... one outfit on my back was it. And three pairs of heels.
Now, in retrospect, this is not something I would really advise you to do. I was so smitten this the idea of how sexy it would be to wear heels all the time, that I didn't really think ahead to a big studio film project I have to star in on monday. I didn't recall all that "break-in" time it takes to get used to heels. I forgot to consider that the primary mode of transportation in 95 degree Vegas is pounding the pavement... etc, etc.
After asking my husband Kramer to stop with me and sit for the fourth time while my feet de-swelled, I really got to thinking about the wisdom of heels. All around me wide-bodied tourists walking the streets in flip flops and sneakers.It had been such a neat idea at the outset...
But what is it about heels? What makes them so alluring? So undeniably feminine? Their curves? Their fabrics? The precision of that point? The peek of the toes? I wish some slick sneaker designer would replicate the tantalizing aspects in high impact sports shoes which complemented hoopdance!
Meanwhile, lessons learned: hooping and heels is like combining skiing and hooping. You need well-developed mastery in both before combining them together. I think I'll keep working on my high-heel project in smaller doses first and probably in the privacy of my home. Meanwhile, hooping in sneakers *feels good*. I'll trust that and stick to it. And next time I hit Vegas, I'll pack flip-flops...