Hooping is a Threesome: Hoop Dance Choreography

With Parts One and Two of this series under your belt, put what you've learned from yourself into action by
creating a narrative that is uniquely your own. Committing to choreographing a whole song can be intimidating,
but in the end may lead you to an intimate and indispensable understanding of the relationship between your
hoopdance, you, and what musically moves the both of you.

Part Three. Hooping Is A Threesome. If you're a hooper, you know that there are three components required
for successful hooping -- you, a hoop, and music. And you likely already know that the music is not a third wheel
-- it's a major player. The music you choose to hoop to is not background, it's the motivating force. We don't
hoop to silence. No, our bodies follow and interpret a beat. And we know what tunes will shake the ground we
hoop on, climb up into our limbs, and shake us with a power we might not even understand. Whatever that song
may be for you at this very moment, put it on repeat, grab your hoop, and introduce yourself to the world of
choreography.

Where to Start. The first song you want to choreograph is the one that makes you dance, despite yourself.
You're sitting in a chair, the song comes on, and you move. You can't help it. That's the one.

Tell a Story. All art forms tell a story. Your hooping is no different. The song, your story, and your dance are not
emotionally void or neutral. Your body is speaking joy, pain, love, anger, forgiveness, fear ... when we dance, we
tell the truth. It may be helpful to divide the song into sections, moods, or themes. You can also attach certain
movements to a particular phrase, or refrain. The possibilities and tools at your disposal for planning your dance
are literally endless -- share yours with other readers by commenting below.

Close Your Eyes. I prepare for choreographing a song by listening to it several times, laying down with eyes
closed. I concentrate on its words and the changing tempos while imagining how I will move. This way, before I
have even begun to practice, I have already "watched" a working version of the final product.

Whether it takes you an evening, or thirty, to work through an entire song and commit to memory the movements
it inspires, you will learn more about the unique underlying structure of your hoop dance than anyone else could
ever teach you.

Three Full Minutes of Hoop Bliss
Try your Hand at Choreography