angelsaenz

NEED HELP WITH STARTING HOOP DANCING

My son wants to start hoop dancing, need to locate hoops, a video, etc., can anyone help cannot find anything, have looked at powwows but cant locate, can anyone help, please? :dancer: :dancer:

ac_miss

Sorry, the most I've ever tried to do was 3. No, make that 4. My brothers could do it when they were younger. The hoops they would use now would have to actually be the hula though. *LOL* Jk brothers....jk if you're reading. Hahaha

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Bead All You Can Bead

Donna D

You can make good hoops from materials you can buy at your local hardware store. What you need to do is figure out how many hoops you want to make--most people start with seven, you can do the figures with that. The hoops will have to be a diameter that fits the person doing the dance. Small children need smaller hoops. So the best thing to do is to make a test hoop. For materials, we have been using the white, indoor hot water line material, it comes in 1/4 and 5/8 inch diameters and is easy to work with. Quarter inch tubing will be more flexible than 5/8 so you probably should make one of each (to begin with) to see which you prefer. I'd start with 4 feet of each kind of tubing so you can figure out what size hoop you need to make. When you make a circle the correct size for you to work with, cut the tubing, make a temporary connection with duct tape and play around with it to see if it's comfortable. You should be able to determine pretty quickly if it should be larger or smaller. After you have a sample of the correct length, measure it and multiply it by the number of additional hoops you need, that's how many feet of tubing you will need to buy to make a set. Some people use duct tape to decorate the hoops, but we prefer good electrical tape. It lasts longer, the colors are brighter and the glue doesn't ooze out like duct tape. I hope this answers your questions about making hoops.

WhoMe

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angelS:

How old is your son?

Children should start with three to five hoops if they are under 6 years old. There are at least 25-30 formations, designs and movement that can be made with this number of hoops.

Sturdy hoops are made of presoaked reeds or willows but tend to break with use. Many hoop dancers also use 1/4 to 1/2 inch gray pvc plastic hose found at any hardware store.

To fasten this pvc hose, stick a 2 inch wooden dowel to connect the two ends. Then staple with a heavyduty staple gun. Wrap with tape to hide the connection. I prefer white duct tape so the hoops will not slip when I am making formations.

Some of the early Schmitzun tapes have excerpts from their hoop dance contest. Also the Heard Museum in Phoenix has videoed their "World's Championship Hoop Dance Contest" since they first took it over in 1993.

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

Donna D

I hadn't thought of a wood dowel and stapling the hoops closed before. It sounds like a good method, but the hardware store also sells special connectors for the hose I described which holds very well with no staples to work loose. Whatever works for you. My six-year-old uses five hoops.

WhoMe

angels:

The staples don't come loose over time. They are permanent and will not show under the tape. The glue that oozes under the tape will help keep the formation in place - especially if your son is making the design that symbolizes the world.

Another tip in making hoops, make sure there is a one inch clearance from each shoulder so that each hoop will easily pass around the shoulders.

Be sure and make your main/lead hoop 1 inch larger than the rest of the hoops so that it it can be jumped through with ease.



*all tricks of the trade

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

hoopster girl

I use polypropelene piping, It comes in different thicknesses So you tend to be able to get either sturdy hoops or super flexible ones depending on the thickness you get.. I glue the dowel in place, and wrap the joint in duct tape. THen I wrap the hoops in electrical tape.

Hoopster

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ooo.. shiny

hoopster girl

As for tapes: I used the American Indian Dance Theatre tape.
~but~ I found it better to go see live dancers and video tape with their permission.

Hoopster

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ooo.. shiny

Bingo_Orphan

I NEED help with hoop dancing! I need to watch some videos! *erbz* Forget it....hoop-dancing is too hard...I'm gonna quit...*eee!*