Hoopaholic Review 2005-08: Intergalactic Space Babes Unite

The evolution of The Hoopaholics has been an incredible process to watch and be part of - a constant journey of change, movement, expansion, contraction and ongoing spontaneity that has encouraged us more than anything to just let it spin. Last night I watched the first video we ever made - all those boys! And so arty... well we always wanted to be.



With an urge to document as much as possible our underlying focus has been to shape the practice of hoops into an art form that speaks of creative expression, theatrical representation, synergetic experimentation, spiritual exploration and simple fun. It was never a pursuit in performance as a career or point of social standing - these things have blipped in and out along the way. When the Hoopaholics emerged as The Barbarellas in 2005 we simply wanted to put the hoopla out there in the best way we knew how - as a bunch of queers who loved to dress up and spin their hoops and dance in public. As artists, we knew that the camera would only make it a thousand times more interesting and fun for all involved.



We spent the first year getting a feel for what it was to be a group of friends performing together. For the most part it was exciting and joyous but was not without its sharp edges and schisms. Live performance, particularly professionally, really tests the power of the ego - does it push you to want to destroy it or to feed it without even thinking? In a sense, groups develop their own unique collective ego and ours was one of uncertainty. We didn't really know where we were taking the troupe as it grew a momentum of its own and we were simply and complexly left to fit in where appropriate. So we just kept on making art out of it and let it unfold as it was destined to. Tim started composing soundtracks, I learnt how to edit video, Nick kept snapping away with his camera and the beat kicked on. I love this video - it's an apt montage of the light and dark we experienced in the early days and has some amazing footage of so many of our talented folk.



The Power of Three has been a strong force throughout our journey. With people coming and going it has always been an interesting question - who are The Hoopaholics? We knew we were a troupe rather than a duo or single affair, we knew it had to be about the collective, and we also had a sense that we could never pin it down. The Hoopaholics have always been like a gang of teenage boys... restless, hot, unpredictable and ready for action at all times. Having said that, I love capturing the brief moments of stability (for want of a better word) - where we know exactly who the troupe members are. It's an amazing thing that we are now a performing group of anywhere between two and ten, depending on the occasion, but the essence of three is sweet... it generates a sense of core and lets that 3 way hoop play become all the more intriguing.



Something I have often grappled with and sought to understand in both hoop world and beyond is how the individual fits in with the collective and vice-versa. The hoop is such a great metaphor for this dilemma that we are invited to confront in life. Unless one is spinning tandem, which mostly we are not (altho recently The Hoopaholics have been more and more... a point to return to) ... the individual is flying solo inside a hoop. You can hang out with others and jam it all up but ultimately it's your sphere and nobody else's. The untouchable personal space is a place to hang out and get to know who you are and what you're about. It allows you to express in a way that nobody else can because, to borrow a Nia term, it's 'your body's way'. I've always found it somewhat strange and a tad frightening how hoop performers in Australia are so disconnected from one another and prefer to live their Divadom in isolation once off the stage rather than collaborate and connect (another blog). When I saw this collectively unconscious pattern hit The Hoopaholics and considered it as an optional route for myself I dipped my foot in to test the water then stepped right back to watch the rippled effect.



As the youngest of 8, I have to admit I always have gravitated to my tribe. The reality is, for me in any case, group energy is more FUN! At a time when it could have gone either way - fly the coop and go solo or hang in there with the gang - the hoop posse reinvented itself again and then again and again and continues to do so. It seems the trick is knowing your own way amongst the flock. We can bounce amongst each other as much as we like - how we will perceive that is a matter of where we stand within our selves.



I feel particularly grateful and amazed and inspired and excited that Sydney has been host to so many HOT amazing hoopers from overseas, predominantly from the States. That American Burner energy is infectious! I knew before I even landed at Burning Man in 06, I sensed it way back in 01 when I almost made it but didn't... that I had to go. Burning Man is like visiting Planet Art AND Planet Hoop all in one. It really is everything and more, to the point that I have to recommend to anyone who has a strong interest in art and / or hooping: YOU MUST ATTEND at least once in your life to experience the scale of synergetic artistic explosion in a surreal environment that promotes positivity, connectivity, creativity, generosity and the religion of FUN. That energy has landed in Sydney with our special hoopstar guests AND it has landed in the land of The Hoopaholics simply because this consciousness is what drives me the most and what informs me on a deep level in making decisions about what the troupe is about and where it is headed. It's organic and it's PHat. To be gifted with such wonderful people from other lands - just WOW.



When we open the troupe up simply to those who want IN and who are willing to train to perform it seems that the flower that is The Hoopaholics blossoms of its own accord. That is our point of certainty. If we just keep the hoop train running and remember to stop at regular intervals to pick up punters, or at least slow down so they can give it a running jump, the dynamic explodes into a spontaneous concoction of what is. It's holographic really - a personal favourite!



Another shift is coming - I have learnt the signs and can feel its approach. The Hoopaholic Sessions of a Sunday is a hub of inspiration and newness. We share and hang out and chill out and push ourselves to places we thought we would never ever reach (forehead hooping OMG!) and while it's another item to add to a rather stretched weekly schedule I can't bring myself to let it go as it feels like a rather special space that will birth the next chapter... whatever that may be. But for now, I just want to thank all the incredible hoop spirits that have come into my world and for sharing the dream of living the dream. Who would have thought that spinning a ring around you could be so profound. Intergalactic Space Babes Unite!