There were squeals of delight, giggles and lots of smiles at Monday night's rehearsal when we learned we won the 2008 Hoopie Award! Thank you so much for your votes! We will be passing the trophy around, on loan between our members each week, handing it off to one another at our weekly meeting. We hope that having the trophy for a week each will inspire us each to take our personal practices to the next level!

Thanks again!

Tonight we had Julie Wentz audition and gain membership in the HoopGirl Allstars! Wow! Julie is a phenomenal hooper with an obvious devotion to her personal practice, especially hooping"in the Buff". She radiated with her smiles, hip sways, and complex dance moves in a glittering costume while performing with dynamism and grace. It was truly an honor to have her audition and I am so excited she will be transmitting positivity and bliss with us on stage! Congratulations Julie!

A belated YAHOO!!!! for Shawna, our newest AllStar! I am so honored to have her brilliance in our pod of sassy goddesses!

Tonight I trained the HoopGirl Allstars in partner hooping (where two people dance at the same time in one hoop). Partner hooping is an amazing art form which is under-discussed in the public realms. Honestly I have stayed away from it for several years after finding that it "complicated" things too much. After a long hiatus, I finally felt the urge to step up and mentor the girls in it tonight. It was a blast! However, we didn't really get the opportunity to talk afterwards and we are now off going our separate ways for a few weeks. I suggested each member blog about their experience just to keep our communication going. To lead the way, here are my reflections...

Last night we did the recording for the new HoopGirl Allstars demo! This has been a project in the making for two years. For whatever reason, it seemed like all our last attempts were interrupted by life ... but finally, last night came off like a charm! One of our wonderful students who owns a massive bank reserve in downtown San Francisco kindly let us use the space. It is gorgeous! And very San Francisco.

We had auditions last night and two lovely women were accepted into the HoopGirl Allstars! YAY! Today's blog will be about the first, Jenny Severo.

Jenny is one of the most enthusiastic hoop divas I have met in a long time. PASSION doesn't even begin to describe her bubbly energy and infectious smile. She is a trooper who is committed to hooping as a true theatrical practice -- she actually auditioned in the past and was not admitted, practiced her buns off, and came back twice as bad-ass and determined to make it.

You may remember Jenny from one of my previous blogs about high heels. Yes, this is the same Brazilian goddess. And she showed up for her audition in the outfit pictured above, along with 7 inch towering white boots. Not an easy outfit to perform in -- a tight corset, a slippery tutu and giant boots. But she went for it and did great. What I love most about Jenny is her *energy*. She exudes beauty, happiness and light.

Jenny is a graphic designer and the leader of a rock and roll band. She is also an award winning painter! Her talents abound and I am so honored and excited to have her among our ranks. Keep shining, gorgeous!

Jenna Luna is the second newest HoopGirl Allstar who auditioned this month. She is so beautiful! I am so overjoyed that Jenna has joined our ranks. She has wicked hoop skills and her background as an actress in LA gives her guts and grace on stage. What I love about Jenna most is her sparkling energy and enthusiasm. When she smiles, it is genuine and she radiates good energy. When she hoops you can tell she feels reallllllly good and she beams in a wonderful way. This is really the most important quality of being an Allstar. Shining in a heart-opening way which uplifts and inspires. It is a quality of connection and confidence which feels great to witness and be around. Also, she speaks her truth powerfully and confidently, while still being kind to those around her. A precious mix.

Jenna has incredible stamina, working on a degree in Psychology while also with HoopGirl. She is always on the go! She is always smiling and full of excitement about her next adventure. It is pretty amazing how quickly she has jumped into all things HoopGirl since moving to San Francisco only a few months ago! She is already teaching, performing, doing film projects and on her way to the Level 2 training! What a rockstar! Jenna will perform this Wednesday night on stage for the first time at the annual YELP party at the Exploratorium. be sure to come on out and celebrate with us!

You've been asking for it~ so here it is! A 24-hour intensive HoopGirl Performance Training Program hosted by the Allstars! This action-packed event will help you gain mastery in: Musicality, Stage Presence, Performance as Transformance, Cultivating Radiance, Confidence, Gestures-Emotions-Energetics, Training for the Stage, Audience Interaction, Choreography, Modeling for Photos, Legalities & Negotiating Gigs, Costuming and much, much more! This mega-training provides LOTS of one-on-one feedback on performances and individualized guidance on skill development. Limited to 12 students and facilitated by 5 different master trainers. Lots of personalized attention.

Details:
Location: San Francisco, CA at Dance Ground Keriac. 1805 Divisadero, SF, CA.
Date: July 17-19, 2009
Cost: $600 for this first time event, after which price will rise to $700. Food and lodging not included.
Sign Up: Click here