Show Hip new workout goes for the retro i Julie The Baltimore Sun Ab About ut two dozen women arid arid- men men trooped into a achurch achurch church church here on a a recent afternoon to slough off w winter pounds and become more mor more in touch with their bodies They did not use complicated exercise machines a hines or torturous- torturous looking devices vi es but something far more f friendly and familiar the hula hoop I 1 hate bate the thought of going going- to the gym but pick pickup up a hoop boop and it can be playtime said Noelle Powers 30 who is teaching the week six week course Its a great vay way to burn bum calories and strengthen muscles especially core muscles and it itcan can be very meditative The Th hula hoop the baby boomers boomers' o mers' mers beloved toy is back Hooping classes are popping up at gyms and con community centers around the United States Hipsters tote ote hoops to concerts and dance clubs And many ce celebrities eb ties are giving the hoop a whirl including musician who reportedly uses it to maintain her famously figure People didn't even imagine that hat you could do dot t things ings like jike this with a hula hoop said Rayna McInturf founder of a C California based based h hooping school Whereas advanced dancers pull off elaborate tricks su such h has as as as' twirling a hoop on their feet while standing on tHeir heads most of the thee students in Powers' Powers first fast class were looking ng to nail down the basics and enjoy a fun workout As they picked out hoops to use twins Jeannette Young Wingfield and J Jean an Faulcon 56 reminisced abo about t growing up in n the All the little girls would get together and hula hoop Faulcon said I loved the swish swish sound that it made Hoops for adults are wider and heavier than those for kids which makes them easier to spin around a larger waist And fans usually just call them hoops since they arent aren't part of the traditional Hawaiian hula dance The hula hoop was introduced in 1958 by bythe bythe bythe the Wham Wham-O company of California producers of other childhood delights such as the Slip-n-Slide Slip and nd the Frisbee More than 20 million hoops were sold in the first six sir months of production according to Wham O marketing associate Martin Marechal The hula h hoop op became an iconic toy of of the the day and is often noted along with fl sitting flagpole and goldfish-eating goldfish as one of the great fa fads s of the century Sales Sales- dropped in inthe inthe inthe the early Marechal said Hoops Hoops' greW in popularity with adults after the Color Colorado based b sed jam band The String Cheese Chees Incident started flinging them into the crowd at concerts in inthe inthe inthe the the Hoop dancing became a popular event at atun un underground dance parties and burlesque shows and the demand for classes grew There was an explosion of interest about four years ago McInturf said It went from me knowing everyone in LA who was wasa a hoop dancer to hundreds and thousands of people around the world hoop- hoop dancing Several Web sites offer adult hoops and instructional for sale San Francisco's Hoop girl Zamora says she has sold more than hoops and McInturf says she saw her sales jump in 2006 Hoop dancers have appeared in music videos including Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around and Work It Out and at Nevadas Nevada's edgy Burning j J iJ l lJ If Li J F K I 1 j F i- i L j i. i 1 t The Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor Noelle Powers 30 leads a hooping class at St. St Johns John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore using colorful hula hoops she decorated with tape fabric and ribbon She has with water ballet and burlesque performers Man festival In November about 20 people on New York rooftops as performance art according to an article in The New Yorker In Powers' Powers class students chose hoops from among the made hand-made options shed she'd brought along and she led them through a series of stretches Then it was time timeto to spin As Faulcon a federal government employee who belly dances in her spare time rocked from foot to foot the hoop boop gyrated around her waist appearing as imperturbable as one of Saturn's rings Her sisters sister's hoop was not so well behaved I dont don't remember it being like this said Young- Young Wingfield a nurse as her hoop clattered to the floor If it starts to slip go faster Powers said Try hip hip hip hip to get it back up there Soon the room was filled with a soft breeze from the whirring hoops as students found the right rhythm Then it was time to try more complicated moves revolving the hoops around hands arms anns and necks Katie Villegas 37 a mother of two folded her hands above her head like a belly dancer as she shook her hips On the other side of the room Regina Armenta Armenia 33 a yoga instructor spun a yellow- yellow and striped green-striped hoop around her neck Friends Corey Eberhart 33 and Jackie Gill 33 crashed into each other with their hoops and burst into giggles After the class Gill who works in real-estate real insurance pushed a damp tendril of hair from her forehead Its a good workout she said And you just cant can't help but feel happy when youre you're in a hoop |