“The hula hoop community is a beautiful community, how could it not be? Hooping produces so much laughter and joy, I think the community just embodies those qualities.” —Bex Burton
Hooping is a new way to engage the body in movement that’s fast, fat-burning and fun. It’s also an increasingly popular dance performance genre, a world that burlesque performer and pilates teacher Rebecca “Bex” Burton gives us insight into.
What drew you to the hula hoop? RB: I have a background in dance, and work as a movement teacher. I love working with the hoop because in some ways it becomes a dance partner, responding to whatever my body creates in its natural improvisational flow. Sometimes it’s really beautiful and surprising, and sometimes it doesn’t work and the hoop will fall. It is a humbling movement exploration and an always entertaining process.
When did you first become a hula hoop fan? I saw Noemie Lafrance’s “Agora” in 2005, staged in the McCarren Pool. The show featured two “hoopers”—Miss Saturn and Malcolm Stuart. Their styles are different, but I was mesmerized by both of them. I knew I wanted to connect with Noemie and the hoopers, so I auditioned for and performed in Agora II in 2006. The second show expanded the hooping segment to include 30 additional dancers with hoops, and Malcolm taught us all some simple hoop choreography. I was hooked.
Tell us a little bit about your background. How long have you lived in Greenpoint? I studied ballet for 15 years. I struggled with body image in the last years of my dancing, which ultimately lead to the choice to quit. In my years of not dancing I cultivated my creativity through music, jewelry design, theater, costuming, video production… almost anything but physical movement. I returned to dance after I learned an acquaintance of mine was a ballet teacher, and she invited me to her class. I haven’t stopped dancing since. My passion for movement became an undeniable force; I shed my career in P.R./Marketing to train in Pilates, which I teach full time now, mostly here in North Brooklyn. I’ve lived in Greenpoint for five years, and my career transition began shortly after my move here.
What are the benefits of the hula hooping? There are so many. Hooping is a fun, low-impact, fat-burning cardiovascular workout. It elevates the heart rate to the ideal fat-burning zone and boosts cardiovascular endurance. Thus, it supports weight loss. It engages the core muscles, strengthening postural muscles, including the abdominals. It loosens tightness in hips and low back, increases energy, relieves stress, offers moving meditation, increases motor function and “brain-body connectivity.” It enhances creativity, promotes laughter, and elevates the spirit!
Can hooping take the place of other exercise? Hooping can be a powerful component to an exercise regimen, which should include elements of strength training, as well as cardiovascular exercise. I track my heart rate often, and in one hour of Hoop Dancing (and with really GREAT music) I can get my maximum heart rate to 180bpm, and average 140bpm, which for me (and many people) is in the middle of my fat-burning cardiovascular range. In that hour, I can burn about 450 calories, producing an effective, low- to no-impact cardio workout. If you are committed, and consistently challenge yourself to hoop longer, a little faster, and learn new moves, you’re pushing your body and keeping it guessing. The key to any good exercise program is not to get stagnant. If the hoop doesn’t fall a few times, you’re not challenging yourself.
How many hoops can you hula at the same time? There are many different styles of hooping, and the style I enjoy most is using a singular hoop: dancing and playing tricks with it. I also use two hoops at times. I am currently learning the Poi style of Hooping, which uses two smaller, light-weight hoops and mimics the movements of traditional Polynesian Poi Dances. Burlesque performers and rhythmic gymnasts often hoop with “multiples”— 30 or more! Native Americans will use as many as 12 mini-hoops to create structural shapes resembling features of the natural world to tell a story.
How extensive is the hula hoop community? There is a huge hoop community! There’s an online publication, Hooping.org, that features photos and videos daily, tutorials weekly, and articles about hoopers from across the globe. Additionally there is a Hoop-centric social networking site HoopCity.ca. There are a number of Hoop retreats and festivals across the country that attract professionals and novices alike. Locally there are hoop classes in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn: inside, outside, on rooftops, even workshops teaching hooping with fire. It’s a beautiful community; how could it not be? Hooping produces so much laughter and joy, I think the community just embodies those qualities.
Rebecca Burton teaches Pilates Mat at Dance New Amsterdam in Manhattan, and can be found teaching classes at Greenhouse Holistic and private apparatus coaching at The Bluming Studio in Williamsburg. She performs with LED and fire hoops under THE BEX / Urban Hoop Ballet, and makes custom hoops for children and adults. Take her drop-in Hoop Dance class weekly at Dance New Amsterdam, Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm beginning June 9. She can be reached through her website: www.senseofmotion.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/THEBEX. Follow her on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SenseofMotion
Photos by Sabrina Veksler
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