Hoop Dancing 101 with Dallas Arcand Jr.

On Saturday, April 29th, Dallas Arcand Jr. shared with us his passion and expertise in hoop dancing. Dallas led us through the process of creating our own hoops from scratch, using PVC pipe, wooden dowels, and electrical tape. Each participant had the opportunity to make their own, custom-sized personal hoop, finished with their own creative touch using coloured electrical tape. During the first workshop session, teachers learned and experienced the basics of hoop dancing, including spinning forwards and backwards, figure 8, skipping, jumping, putting your body through the hoops, toss and catch, and common sequences of these basics. For the second workshop, Dallas demonstrated the process of shape shifting with 3, 4, and 5 hoops with the help of two volunteers, Laurel Nikolai and Paul Flowers. These two brave souls did a fantastic job of following instructions as they transformed their hoops into different shapes, mesmerizing all those in attendance. After the workshops, Dallas performed an exciting and energetic demonstration, incorporating all of the shape shifting techniques he taught us. There were many smiles and laughs shared during this workshop, as we experienced the sheer joy, challenge, and incredible flow experience of hoop dancing!