And the Hoop City Giveaway winner is...

"Wildish Woman" from High on Butterfly Wings! Congratulations...you will LOVE your online hoop classes. I've been having such fun downloading the different lessons and connecting with other hoopers out there. I can't wait to finish these classes so I can move on to the next one! Yes, I'm addicted ;-)

The thing that I like best is that I can work through the classes completely at my own pace and that I can download the videos to my computer and/or iPhone and have them with me wherever I'm hooping! These takes away the annoyance of streaming if your connection is slow.

I've checked out another online hoop class, but SaFire's classes are hands down the most thorough, high quality (video quality and quality of content) that I've come across. She is highly active on the boards and gives great feedback. If you are considering an online hooping class, don't hesitate at all. It's awesome!

The best part is that she covers all of the "hooping secrets" that the free YouTube tutorials miss out on...things like flow and combination building, hand placement, etc. I feel like my knowledge of hooping in general is exponentially higher after being in her classes.

Go check it out...and have fun hooping!

Photo Credit: SaFire

Now that you're all obsessed with hooping...it's time to LEARN! So, how do you learn to hoop?

Learn With Other Hoopers I feel that one of the best ways to learn is in community with other hoopers. I had been trying to practice different movements on my own...but as soon as I spent a little time with "real" people (as opposed to a video) who were hooping, it all clicked. There was just something about watching a 3-dimensional person doing it. There are many cities offering hoop classes and hoop meetups...but if your town doesn't have anyone gathering to hoop, start a group yourself! Hooping is one of those activities that draws a crowd...so just break out your hoop in the park, bring extras and make some new hooping friends.

Videos There are many, many tutorial videos on YouTube and elsewhere. We live in a really sweet time of technological advancement where we can share our lives with each other in detail. I can take video of me hooping and 10 minutes later, the entire world can see. It's so fun to see everyone's different expressions of hooping online. There are also fantastic DVD's: HoopDance and Hoopnotica are 2 that I know of. The DVD's are especially nice if your internet connection is slow and you can't stream very well.

Online Community Hoop City is an amazing community of hoopers (created by SaFire) who post videos, photos, and encouragement on the site every day. They have specialty "tribes", and there is something for everyone. Hoop Mamas, Vegetarian/Vegan Hoopers, Curvy Hoopers...you name it. I could spend hours exploring the forums there. Good stuff. Hooping.org Magazine is another HUGE community of hoopers. It's ever changing and has tons of info. I learn something new every time I visit these sites.

Online Classes And lastly, there are online hooping classes. In particular, SaFire's classes at Hoop City. When I first found her classes, I thought..."Why would I spend money on classes when I can just watch free YouTube videos all day?". And then I took a class. And IT. IS. AMAZING. SaFire is an incredible teacher (she actually has a degree in teaching and fine art)...and she is able to break down the movements in such a way that makes it so easy to learn. She also teaches the "flow" of hoopdancing...not just one movement at a time, but actually how to piece them together easily. These classes are so detailed and full of inspiration...they are absolutely worth every penny.

Here is a photo of a lesson (click to enlarge once it loads) Here is a sample of what a class looks like:

But before you buy a class...you can try to WIN ONE!

YES! You can enter this giveaway to win TWO online classes of your choice + her "Planting Seeds" course which focuses on general ideas for approaching your hoop practice, how to vary your style and general tips and tricks that SaFire has discovered in her years of hooping. Even if you've been hooping for years...SaFire will bring a freshness to your practice, teaching you new ways of entering/exiting a movement and adding new style.

I'm so excited about this giveaway because I know first hand how amazing these classes are! One thing that I love is that you can download each class so that you can have it on your iPhone / iPod and take it outside with you to hoop. Love that!

There are several ways you can enter your name in the drawing (choose as many as you like for multiple entries, but each entry must be a separate comment). I will choose the winner at random on Tue. May 11, at 12:00 p.m. CST.

Click on over to Hoop City and JOIN the community of hoopers there.
Leave a comment below and tell me something fun about your hooping adventures (your favorite movement/trick, your favorite hoop, where/when you like to hoop...basically anything hoop related and you're good). :)
For an extra entries, put a link back to this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter (and then leave a comment here that says “FB/Twitter”) Here is some sample wording for posting: I just entered the Hoop City Online Hooping Class giveaway. Come check it out ! http://bit.ly/9gtkqS . For Twitter, you can add the hashtag #hooping.
Add another entry for becoming a “fan” of the SaFire Facebook page, Hoop City Facebook page or “Follow” Hoop City on Twitter.
You will get yet ANOTHER entry for posting about this giveaway on your own blog (add another comment here that says “blogged here” with a link).