It was a non-stop evening of intense exercises, including lyrical stepping while undulating and extending, slowing down, revving, bouncing, sliding, ring-turns-portals, and emphasis on grip switches. Between both evenings, Brecken provided a massive download of information which was truely astounding. She is an incredibly sensitive and attentive teacher, and her "rough around the edges Jersey-persona" is completely different and endearing. Especially striking is her incredible humility despite the fact that she is truly on the leading edge of hoopdance as an emerging art form. Also noteworthy was how much Brecken's teaching style evolved from the first night to the second! These San Francisco workshops are some of her first ones and it will be very, very exciting to see how her presentation style continues to develop. Her confidence and clarity just got better and better.

The number of combinations and improvisations available by truly mastering all this material and shuffling it together is staggering. I feel as if I am afloat in a massive uncharted sea of new hooping possibilities! I’m also really excited to allow myself to yield to and embrace my other passions ~ yoga, meditation, ecstatic dance, singing and writing (sometimes even at the expense of hoop practice time). I am inspired to discern the elements which make me most passionate about these other practices, then bring them back into my hooping in some creative way. I have always put a lot of pressure on myself to maintain a steady hoop practice and given myself a hard time when I’ve slacked. Brecken gave me the insight that following any point of passion will allow greater depth upon returning to the hoop. The gifts emerge when the principles of the practices are intentionally blended in some creative way. It was so obvious to see how painting has enriched Brecken’s hoop style and infused it with originality! In short, I found these two workshops incredibly powerful. I highly recommend attending workshops which Brecken offers in the future!