GUEST INSTRUCTORS

Every so often, the stars align and allow us to come together to create more magic.  All we need is an open portal, say, in the shape of a circle. Well, the portal is open here at Hoopla Headquarters in the heart of Vancouver Island and Valentina Martin (UNITY) was the first to glide through.  With bells on.  Riding a glowing orb of fiery inspiration. On 8/11/11.

Comox Valley Echo August 12 2011

And we were ready for her.  Her visit coincided with  The Big Time Out, a conscious and fresh Cumberland Village Works music festival that has featured acts such as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ganga Giri, Xavier Rudd, K'Naan and many many more. Valentina fit right in, of course, and shared some amazing performances on the Burlesque Stage (sorry, no video, you had to be there *wink*) and on the main stage with Beats Antique.  Watch her stellar hoop jam under the August full moon!

In the following days the coast and islands hoop community came together as she presented two workshops: BellyBurlesque and Intermediate HoopDance Fusion.  It was a great opportunity to connect with each other and learn many new hoop and dance skillz "live and in-person".  Thanks Hoopers, thanks Valentina! Lots of love to our global hoop community.

BellyBurlesque workshop, The Abbey in Cumberland

Now while we spend the next months focusing on spreading hooplove to our local community through hoop classes at Rec Centers, schools and girls groups, we'll be gathering resources to host the next great workshop series.  Who will our next guest be??  If you'd like to travel to our beautiful Island and share your hoop expertise, contact Tracey at islandhulahoopla@gmail.com


More about Valentina:
A second generation bellydancer, Valentina has been bellydancing for twelve years.  She was raised in the underground dance scene in Los Angeles by her mother, Leela, an accomplished theatrical belly dance icon. That style naturally translated to hoopdance, and she has celebrated a beautiful fusion of both, with a healthy dose of burlesque, in her performance troupe The Hoop Unit.

www.unityhoops.com

More about her workshop offerings:
"Intermediate Hoopdance Fusion"( 7-9 p.m. Monday Aug 15/11)
This workshop will push your boundaries within the hoop! We will cover avant-garde techniques that are on the cutting edge of modern Hoop Dance. New  grips that allow for exciting interplane exploration and the DANCE of Hoop Dance will be a focus, allowing us to use our body and explore expression through movement.

"BellyBurlesque" (7-9 p.m. Tuesday Aug 16/11)
Learn the art of the tease and the bump n’ grind moves to go with it! We will layer bellydance with burlesque, getting sassy and playful, learning sexy dance technique to make your tease even more delicious. This will be a FUN experience for both seasoned performers and bedroom adventurists alike. Feel empowered, build confidence and learn both Belly Dance and Burlesque knowledge.
Each workshop is $35 or you can take both, as a "SuperFusion Package" for $60