2011 Workshops

Kaelyn & Sebastian

Intro To Acro Yoga

This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of acrobatic and partner body balancing while we deepen our connection through trust and plenty of laughter.

Topics covered: Creating a strong base using proper alignment, the secrets of flying, safety tips and the therapeutic applications of Acro Yoga.  Some experience with yoga or acrobatic circus arts is recommended as participants should be able to hold planks and feel comfortable being upside down.

Acro Yoga – Mounts and Entries

Mounts and Entries.. it will be as fun as it sounds, although probably not as dirty!

Building upon some of the fundamentals of the themes from the Intro to Acro Yoga this workshop will explore various mounted positions and the different ways to enter them.  Imagine the sense of freedom and exhilaration of being suspended upside down, right side up and even sideways in the air on your friend’s feet, hands, knees and thighs!

Acro In the Flow – Dynamic Transitions

This workshop will build to a unique flow created by Sebastian and Erin.  This is intended for people that have attended both previous workshops or that have AcroYoga or Partner Balancing Experience.  Variations will be explored and there will be space for improvisation.

Bio: Sebastian’s love for yoga came about after years of formal meditation practice. The joy of finding stillness and peace in the heart of movement compelled him to expand his practice with teacher training, during which he met Kaelyn.

Kaelyn’s love for yoga directly evolved from her background in martial arts.  Her practice helped heal various injuries and gave her a deeper awareness into the importance of breath and alignment.

Together they discovered the fun and laughter that is inherent in partner and acro yoga and appreciate how it cultivates greater depth, mindfulness, and connection.  They both received certification from Acro Yoga Montreal and are excited to share their knowledge, joy and experience with others

Hulio Hoop

Intro to Acro-yoga and the Hula Hoop

In this workshop we will go through basic partner yoga postures and positions, transiting to a flow sequence between groups of 3 or more. Incorporation of the hula hoop will be present in the creative expression of partner groups as well as a few starter tricks for the basic Acro-yogi hooper. This workshop is open to all creative flow seeking souls.

Using Flow to Find Your Hoop Toss and Roll

In this workshop we will explore how to control tossing and rolling the hoop using the flow we find within our hoop practice. With guided instruction on hand positioning and methods of tossing or rolling the hoop, we will begin to play with flow and movement to creat a dynamic hoopdance. This workshop is for hula hoopers who have enough flight hours to have a hoop flow going on.

Bio: Julian Hughes, also known as Hulio Hoop in the hoop community, has been hooping for the past 3 years. Since moving to Montreal last May, and meeting the famous hoopstar BEKA, his eyes were opened to the possibilities of the hoop. Since then he has been professionally hooping with IHOOPU and he has completed his performance training with Rebecca Halls, the IHOOPU Hoopdance Teacher Trainer Certification, and the IHOOPU Hoop Artisan Certification. No matter where Hulio is in the city, he’s sure to have a hoop with him.

Website: ihoopu

Martyna

Body Isolations, Extensions & Traveling in Hoop Dance

Now that you all know how to hoop, shall we dance?

Join me in this fun and challenging workshop. We’ll be covering three concepts in relation to Hoop Dance. The goal of this workshop is to give you more options when expressing yourself through the art of hoop dance.

BODY ISOLATIONS: You’ll learn how to isolate various body parts as you manipulate the hoop anywhere on the body. Shimmies, body rolls, undulations, hip accents, shoulder rolls ….are just examples of what is coming ahead. Learning how to hoop is simple but learning how to hoop dance takes serious commitment, co- ordination and muscle control. This part is all about mastering mind-body connection and refining your technique. Adding body isolations to hooping gently introduces the concept of layers in  movement. The more layers the more depth to your expression.

EXTENSIONS: We’ll progress to playing with beautiful extensions by slowing down our practice, stretching into movement and exaggerating and playing up each position we move through.

TRAVELING: The last part of this workshop will focus on exploring space around us.  Learning traveling steps and turns will help you to feel graceful, access flow and create a liquid-like style of hooping.

Bio: I have been hooping since 2008. It’s my major dance passion and my life revolves  around teaching classes, workshops, blogging, performing and training to become better  and better every day. I am also a Massage Therapist.

I have no formal dance background, however I took belly dancing and exotic dancing  recreationally before I picked up a hoop. You can definitely see those dance art forms in my  style of hooping. I am mostly self taught. When I started hooping I ordered an instructional  DVD and put many hours into mastering the basics. Once I learned the foundations I started  learning from online videos and simply by practicing. It’s only recently that I started taking  workshops from renowned hoop dancers and performers and I am loving it. Feeling inspired  is priceless.

Rayna McInturf and Anah Reichenbach are major influences in my development as a hoop dancer. When I first saw Rayna dance it felt like she was a hoop goddess and to this day I remember how it felt to be so strongly inspired, mesmerized. Anah is just a phenomenal teacher, performer and master of her craft. I had the pleasure to train with her and look forward to more opportunities to share in the knowledge of other inspiring practitioners.

Website: the hoop workout

Melodie

Finding Flow in the Hoop and in Our Lives

“Flow is a state of effortless concentration and enjoyment, complete immersion in an experience.

Flow for me is like a drug. In that state of effortless play I can dance all night long. My journey through hoop dance has lead me to do some research on flow and what it means in our lives. People that have more flow moments tend to be happier in their lives. Life feels good, you feel ease and you feel like your good at something.

This is something I want more of in my life.

The first 10 of this workshop with be spent in mediation. We will talk about what it feels like to be in flow. We will bring our minds back to our bodies and connect with the ease and well being within ourselves. Next we will focus on becoming immersed in the vibration and feel of the music. We will practice letting go of thought and allowing our bodies to follow the music, trusting that they know what to do. We will go through a variety of different beats and rhythms. The last 10 min will be spent sharing how we felt before and after our focus on flow. We will also discuss how we can bring flow to other areas of our lives.

For more on flow and links to other articles please refer to a post on my website. thanks:)

Bio: I was named Melodie Moore, at the time of my birth it was inspired that I would one day be bestowed with fame and a name was given befitting that fame and fortune.

A fortune teller once told me that great things were in my future, if she could have my autograph and not to cut my hair.

I’ve been and done many things in my life and you will not understand my desire and actions as I will not understand yours. Each life is lived through our personal experience and through these experiences we find commonalities and we bond and connect. I picked up a hoop at a time when I was lost in myself not sure quite what to do with myself. Hooping gave me an outlet to express, a way to connect and something to share. It’s traveled with me from coast to coast and continue to explore and find more things to appreciate about hooping.

It is my deepest desire on this earth to uplift and elevate by spreading radiance, joy, love, beauty, freedom, connection and evolution.

I once asked what my purpose was; little did I know… my purpose is whatever I choose to focus on.

I focus on beauty, love, radiance, joy, connection, collaboration, creativity, elevation, pleasure,creation, freedom and evolution. Together we are the leading edge of thought and being; together we create a better world.

Website: Melodie Of Movement

Mobot

Off-Body Explorations

What happens within our flow when we move the hoop off-body?  This workshop will focus on exploring movement through various off-body techniques such as folding, tracing, and isolating.  Blindfolded movement around, through, under and over the hoop will challenge your senses and stability as we seek out new edges of our hoop space.

Sharing the Flow  (with Sadie Spins)

Run into a friend and only have one hoop? You can play together! We’ll learn a bunch of creative ways to pass off the hoop, and also how to make the transition part of both hoopers’ flow. We’ll warm up with games for groups of hoopers, using all our hoops and all our imagination! (also… Tandem hooping?)

Fire Safety (with Sadie Spins)

Lately you’ve heard a whisper in the back of your mind… come on… you’re ready… it’s time to try spinning fire!  We will provide an introduction to fire spinning that will cover props, fuels, safety equipment, attire, and creating an appropriate space for spinning.  First time spinners will have the opportunity to light up in a safe and supportive environment!

Please bring natural fibre clothing to spin in, such as cotton or denim.  Clothing should be relatively fitted with no loose ends to get tangled up in your gear.

Bio: Part cyborg, part snow leopard, and part spinstress,I am  constantly searching out new ways to explore movement.  While I have a formal background in ballet and contemporary dance it wasn’t until discovering the hoop  over four years ago that I really tapped into my creative potential and learned to fully express myself through movement.  Hooping has completely changed the way I connect with people and spaces around me.  Through my hoop practice I have been challenged, humbled and inspired and I am continually grateful for the fact that those lessons, while fluid and changing, are always there in some form to push me forward as I grow as an artist

Website: circus alchemy

Sadie Spins

Spin Spin Sugar

Spinning, sustained stalling, whirling… you’re seen it before and been mesmerized, transfixed, and confused… how does she do that? Wait until you’re inside the hoop! We’re going to learn this transcendent, meditative dance as we release our fear of dizziness with breath, patience, and focus. We’ll get you started with breathing exercises and then learn basics of spinning, dizziness, and give you some tips on how to continue your practice. We’ll also have some teas and candies to help with nausea. Bring your spinning skirt!

Sharing the Flow  (with Mobot)

Run into a friend and only have one hoop? You can play together! We’ll learn a bunch of creative ways to pass off the hoop, and also how to make the transition part of both hoopers’ flow. We’ll warm up with games for groups of hoopers, using all our hoops and all our imagination! (also… Tandem hooping?)

Fire Safety (with Mobot)

Lately you’ve heard a whisper in the back of your mind… come on… you’re ready… it’s time to try spinning fire!  We will provide an introduction to fire spinning that will cover props, fuels, safety equipment, attire, and creating an appropriate space for spinning.  First time spinners will have the opportunity to light up in a safe and supportive environment!

Please bring natural fibre clothing to spin in, such as cotton or denim.  Clothing should be relatively fitted with no loose ends to get tangled up in your gear.

Bio: Sadie Spins loves hooping for the space it gives to be open, to create, and to connect with like-minded individuals. In her 5 years of hooping she has converted thousands to the joy of hooping through weekly classes, hoops, and performances.   Sadie is a fire spinner, gogo dancer, cabaret darling, and aspiring busker.  Her favourite things are cookies, stretching, and water.

Website: well rounded hoops

Tegan Moss

Native Narrative

This workshop invites you to explore movement and prop manipulation as a medium for story telling. By exploring different rhythms, levels, and angles in our bodies we begin to understand the theatrical potential which is innate in our movement. Similarly as we spin our tools we start to explore the soft spirals and jerky reversals which we direct to illustrate a narrative. We will draw on various techniques of breath and body awareness to inform our exploration. It is the aim of the practice to gain insight into the story which we already tell, and use this knowledge to create authentic ways of moving, breathing, and expression. While this type of understanding may be useful for performance, the workshop is designed to facilitate self-exploration and expression. We recognize the power of our tools as a gateway to inner knowing, and embrace that potential, welcoming ourselves into the understanding of the moment. This workshop is open to spinners of all levels.

Vinyasa Flow (all levels)

Begin each morning with an energizing vinyasa flow session to connect with your body before we push the limits of flow within our hoops.

Bio: As a yoga teacher, hoop spinner, and modern dancer, I consider myself a student of movement and the body.  Movement, for me, represents a powerful tool for self-exploration.  It is in this work that I have come to perceive my body as a container for consciousness, and allow it to illuminate my strength and grace alongside my struggles and limitations.  As a teacher I strive to encourage the process of inquiry within my students. The invitation is to turn inwards and listen, that we might offer outwards an authentic self.