Hoop There It Is!

Erika Fey, the Mayor of Hooperville shows some of her hoop moves to the shoppers at the Grand Re-Opening of Fred Meyer’s. Fey started hooping in 2005 and has been doing it ever since. She likes working with the public at events. She says, “I wanted to get hoops into as many hands as possible because I believe the world will be a better place."

You’re never too young or too old to hula hoop.

Some young shoppers help Fey celebrate the grand re-opening.

Hula hooping is a workout. Fey and her students can attest to that. To find out more about classes go to visithooperville.com.

Diana Clark testifies that she got a trimmer waist by hooping. “My doctor loves it so much that she advises her peri and menopausal clients do it. I’m thinking of sending one to my daughter, so that I can have one at her house.”

Sal Strom, another class participant said, “I used to hula hoop while growing up in a bar and then I got a brain tumor and I couldn’t hula hoop anymore." Though once the brain tumor was gone, she started again. She testifies that, “hula helped me balance my right and left sides and with my balance.”

The Mayor likes to tell her class when they talk about no longer being able to hoop with the ones from their childhood, “It’s not your fault you couldn’t hula hoop, it’s the hula hoop’s fault.” She recommends bigger, heavier hoops.

Kari Jones, aka Revolva brought some toy hula hoops to a house warming party back in 2002. With her background in dance, gymnastics and theater, it made sense to pick them up and dance with them, though once she did, she couldn’t put them down. This led to her hooping performances that are character driven and humoristic.

Revolva started performing in her home town of Detroit before moving West. Inspired by the song, she soon had an outfit and some moves to match. It wouldn’t be Flashdance without the leg warmers.

The quality of the hula hoop matters when performing. After years of trying to use the toy hoops but with added weight in the form of water, Jones, search for a professional quality hoop online. Instead she found directions on how to make one herself. She’s been doing it ever since.

Jones, goes to the Portland Juggling club at Reed College to practice some of her moves as well as to improve her juggling.

With all these years of experience, Jones not only performs but teaches class as well.