Tag Archives: reston

New Mixed-Level Adult Hoopdance Classes Starting in January in Herndon, VA

Looking to get healthy, get into a new activity with hooping or strengthen your skills? New adult hoopdance classes start in January! Classes are mixed-level and good for anyone from beginner to intermediate. Here’s the important info! 

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A new session of classes begins either Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. or Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6:45 p.m. at Herndon Community Center, signup for whichever day is best for you! This will be a mixed level class and good for those looking to further their skills, start fresh from beginner or just want to commit to regular practice and are looking to spend time with more local hoopers.

The set of eight one-hour classes are $47 for town of Herndon residents and $62 for non-Herndon residents. There is no drop-in availability unless previously arranged with the instructor.

You can sign up in person at the Herndon Community Center (814 Ferndale Ave., Herndon), or sign up online here: http://www.herndon-va.gov/webtrac. Here’s the class descriptions and numbers so you can find them easier in the system:

Hoop Dance Age 13 & Up 
Using the hoop on the waist, legs, arms, hands, hips and more burns between 400-600 calories an hour, and provides a great full-body workout while encouraging creative movement and expression. Hoops are always provided in class, but you can bring your own adult-sized hoop or purchase one from the instructor if you’d like to have your own to be able to practice at home.

• Jan. 5 – Feb. 23, Sundays from 2-3 p.m., Class No. 369930.40
• Jan. 9 – Feb. 27, Thursdays from 6:45-7:45 p.m., Class No. 369930.70

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Announcing: New Kids Hooping and Adult Hoopdance Classes for the Fall in Herndon!

There are new adult hoopdance and kids hooping classes coming up for the fall session at the Herndon Community Center! Full details are below!

If you’ve taken a class before you know it’s a fun way to exercise, socialize and get hoopnitized. Sorry—I couldn’t stop the rhyming! In our adult classes we learn everything from the basics to fun, flashy tricks. We do some chatting and get lost in our hoops and have a pretty great time while burning some calories. Music is upbeat and funky and I tend to play anything from 60s funk to current new and obscure tunes.

Check out our sweet double decker hoop fort!

In our kids classes we learn some basic, kid-achievable hoop tricks and techniques and play games with our hoops, including making giant hopscotches, obstacle courses, creating hoop forts and more. Music is kid friendly and we’ll sometimes include games such as the Hokey Pokey and Cupid Shuffle in our hooping games.

This summer has been a long, busy, hot one and unfortunately I haven’t held many hoop jams since June. The temperatures are getting more friendly though so lets take it back outside to throw down in our lovely circles, starting—tomorrow! I’m moving locations and we’re going to be hanging out at the Herndon Town Green. It’s behind the Herndon Municipal Center (777 Lynn St.). I really liked the skate park and the skaters were fun, but parking was a drag.

Downtown Herndon has plenty of parking, the town green is accessible and offers lots of space. The grass doesn’t get too long, there are relatively few bugs and it’s a semi-sheltered location so we won’t have loads of traffic nearby or lots of folks watching from the sidelines. Some folks may wander over, but mostly pedestrians in the area or runners/cyclers on the W&OD Trail. Great location for shy hoopers.

I’ve scheduled a few upcoming jams, so head over to the NoVA Spinners Meetup to see all the details!

ADULT HOOPDANCE CLASS INFO

If you’re a beginner, come learn the basics of hoopdance, starting with waist hooping. If you want to expand on your hooping, hone the skills you have or get together to practice and work with other hoopers nearby you’re welcome too! The class starts with a bit of a warm up, we work on anywhere from one to three new moves and spend the rest of the class practicing and jamming out. Hoops are provided in class but hoopers are encouraged to have their own so they may practice at home.

The class is five one-hour sessions beginning Sept. 9 and running through Oct 14 from 2-3 p.m. Sunday afternoons at Herndon Community Center. There is no class Oct. 7. This class is for ages 13 and older. You MUST sign up for the entire session, there is no drop in availability because it is operated through the Herndon Community Center. Town of Herndon residents pay $29, non-residents pay $39.

Signup for this session begins on Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. for Herndon residents and Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. for all non-residents.

IMPORTANT: Registration is through the Town of Herndon. Sign up by clicking HERE. Search for activity number: 2850.101.

KIDS HOOPING CLASS INFO

Hooping for kids will include many of the basic, foundational moves of hoopdance, along with games and more hoop fun. Children can bring their own hoops from home, use one of the instructors, or hoops can be purchased from the instructor.

The class is eight one-hour sessions beginning Sept. 9 and running through Oct. 14 from 1-2 p.m. Sunday afternoons at Herndon Community Center. There is no class Oct. 7. This class is for ages 5-12. You MUST sign up for the entire session, there is no drop in availability because it is operated through the Herndon Community Center. Town of Herndon residents pay $29, non-residents pay $39.

Signup for this session begins on Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. for Herndon residents and Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. for all non-residents.

IMPORTANT: Registration is through the Town of Herndon. Sign up by clicking HERE. Search for activity number: 2850.102.

I’ll leave you all with a video done by some of my favorite hoopers up in Maine!

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New Kids Hoop and Adult Hoopdance Classes in Herndon, VA!

Hello folks! It’s been a while again, and there’s much to say, but I wanted to start with my upcoming classes! This summer I’ll have three hula hooping and hoopdance classes through the Herndon Community Center in lovely Herndon, VA. Two adult classes and one hoop class for kids!

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, hoop dancing at her regular weekly gig, Friday Night Live, in downtown Herndon in May 2012. You can catch the Hoopnotica certified instructor hooping on stage most weeks at FNL.

Adult classes are Thursdays at 6:45 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Here’s the details:

If you’re a beginner, come learn the basics of hoopdance, starting with waist hooping. If you want to expand on your hooping, hone the skills you have or get together to practice and work with other hoopers nearby you’re welcome too! The class starts with a bit of a warm up, we work on a few new moves and spend the rest of the class practicing and jamming out. Hooping is a great way to learn a new skill, burn 400-600 calories an hour, build self confidence and creatively express yourself. Hoops are provided in class but hoopers are encouraged to have their own so they may practice at home.

Thursday and Sunday adult classes include eight one-hour sessions. Thursday classes begin June 28 and run through August 16 from 6:45-7:45 p.m. Thursday nights at Bruin Park. Sunday classes begin July 1 and run through August 19 from 2-3 p.m. Sunday afternoons at Herndon Community Center (the brochure that says its at Bruin Park is incorrect—that’s the Thursday night class only). This class is for ages 13 and older. You MUST sign up for the entire session, there is no drop in availability because it is operated through the Herndon Community Center. Town of Herndon residents pay $47, non-residents pay $62.

Here’s the info on kids classes: 

Hooping for kids will include many of the basic, foundational moves of hoopdance, along with games, creativity and more hoop fun. Children can bring their own hoops from home, use one of the instructors, or hoops can be purchased from the instructor.

The class is eight one-hour sessions starting July 1 and runs through August 19 from 1-2 p.m. Sunday afternoons at Herndon Community Center. This class is for ages 5-12. You MUST sign up for the entire session, there is no drop in availability because it is operated through the Herndon Community Center. Town of Herndon residents pay $47, non-residents pay $62.

IMPORTANT: Registration for all classes is through the Town of Herndon.
Sign up by clicking the link below. Here’s the activity numbers to search for.
Thursday – adult: 1850.100
Sunday – adult: 1850.101
Sunday – childrens: 1850.102

https://www.herndon-va.gov/registrationmain.sdi

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, teaches mixed-level hooping classes at the Herndon Community Center in Herndon, VA. This summer she’ll have a Thursday evening class, Sunday afternoon class and a brand new Sunday afternoon kids class. Classes are eight weeks long, one hour each week. Leslie brings hoops to class.


NoVA Spinners Hoop Jams in Herndon

The NoVA Spinners summer hoop jams are going strong so far. Many Sundays you can find us in Trailside Park in Herndon spinning it up in the grass near the skate park. We’ve got music, sunshine, some shade and hoops! Bring your own hoops or borrow one. Make sure to bring water—it’s getting hot these days. I usually bring some bug spray, sunscreen and hand sanitizer along with me to share. We often hang out, dance and spin together and share some skills, though it isn’t a formal class. For more information on hoop jams and other area hoop events, visit the NoVA Spinners Meetup page here!


Tilly Whirls Travels to Hoop Convergence, Rocks Out at Friday Night Live, Performs at Herndon Festival and More!

It’s been a busy spring for me and my hoops. It’s started out with me hooping at Friday Night Live in downtown Herndon most weekends. I’m friends with a number of the volunteers and organizers and when they spotted me (and the lack of space) in the crowd last year at FNL they asked if I’d hoop on stage throughout this summer, with a few exceptions. It’s been a lot of fun so far! Here’s a photo from the first week:

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, hoop dancing at Friday Night Live on May 4, 2012. Leslie is a certified Hoopnotica hoopdance instructor, and is working on her BodyHoops Fit Kids hoopdance certification and will be certified as a HoopnoticaFit cardio hoopdance instructor in June 2012.

In May I also got to attend Hoop Convergence in the beautiful Carrboro, North Carolina where I got to take workshops with Bags, Kenna Hoops, SaFire, AlleyOop, Kandice of Holistic Hooping, and so many more wonderful folks who teach and perform around the world. It was a magical experience and I will definitely be going back for as long as this event is happening. Here’s a couple photos, including one of me fire hooping!

The always beautiful and inspiring SaFire, Sandra Sommerville, on the left, and Steve Bags in his checker pants teaching Z-Spins. Such a fun class by the lake!

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, first burn at Hoop Convergence 2012. A little addicted now, I’ll be working with some hoopers in West Virginia to do some training with fire.

This spring has also included performances at Herndon Festival, AOL’s 5K and Chantilly Day!

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, hoops with kids and adults alike at the annual AOL 5K in Dulles, VA. Here she holds a shoulder duckout for the photographer. (Photo by AOLDullesEvents)

Tilly Whirls, Leslie Perales, takes a bow during a performance at Herndon Festival in Downtown Herndon on June 2, 2012. (Photo by Amanda Colton)

Tilly Whirls and Herndon Patch editor, Leslie Perales, knee hoops while spinning poi flags at the inaugural Chantilly Day Festival in May 2012. (Photo courtesy of Patch.com)

Don’t forget, Leslie does parties, performances and events. From Girl Scout gatherings to back yard block parties, Leslie can get everyone on their feet, twirling in a hoop and grinning. If you’d like to learn more about parties, performances and other ways to bring some more hoopyness into your life, click here. If you’ve decided you need your own beautifully taped custom hoop, click here.

Next up I’ll be getting certified in Hoopnotica’s HoopnoticaFit program on June 23. It’s a cardio-based hoop class designed for all levels that’ll work you from head to toe. Look for classes to be offered in the late summer!

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New LED Hoops from Cosmic Hooper

I ordered new, custom LED hoops from Cosmic Hooper. I’m in love with them. I got a pair of twins, meaning they’re the same size and weight so I can use both at once easier. One is a 36″ diameter, 3/4″ polypro with 24 white strobing LED lights. The other is a 36″ diameter, 3/4″ polypro with 24 rainbow strobing LED lights. They’re downright beautiful and I love them. Here’s a video of my first afternoon with them.

I’m pretty sore today. I spent about two hours hooping on Saturday, much of it for my niece’s birthday party. She loves hooping as much as I do. I made her a set of mini hoops for her birthday, she had a hula hoop birthday cake and we did a hooping party. It was a lot of fun, though it was the first time I wore my hooping performance wear since last summer and I felt silly in all my bright colors. It was a great opportunity to start working with my BodyHoops FitKids knowledge! I’m feeling much more comfortable with kids, and I had a lot of fun.

On Sunday I taught hoop class then hooped at the park with Kendal and Christy (along with Christy’s husband and baby) for a couple hours. We had a blast. It was beautiful out. Mid-80s with a breeze, in a little bit of shade with some good tunes next to the skaters and the volleyball players. I worked on some moves I hadn’t done in a long time, which is where the soreness is coming from. Mainly the Hoopnotica version of the duckout (you waist hoop and duck your entire torso out of the hoop) and pizza tosses. I finally got the toss down! Woo!

Thought I’d add something new to my blogs. Here’s what I’m hooping to! I’ll try to include a few songs that are on my jam playlist every couple posts.

Here’s What I’m Hooping To:
• Feel So Close (Radio Edit) – Calvin Harris
• Ray Charles – Chiddy Bang
• Tongue Tied – GroupLove
• Everybody Talks – Neon Trees
• Rack City (clean version) – Tyga

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Training to Teach Hooping to Children

Ever since I began teaching hooping people have been requesting children’s classes. My current classes are 13+ only for a few reasons, but I kept saying that perhaps in a year I could do a teacher training to be able to teach children’s hooping classes.

I got that request tonight that finally pushed me to commit to doing it! Tonight I signed up for BodyHoops’ Fit Kids Distance Teacher Training. And I’m really excited to be able to confidently add children’s classes to my repertoire.

Part of me thought, “Hey, you have a lot of skills to share. You can probably do kids’ classes without training.” However, I’m not that great with kids. I’m getting better, and hooping helps tremendously, but I was one of the youngest in my family, didn’t babysit and wasn’t around other small children much growing up. I’ve always been uncomfortable around children.

I’m hoping the BodyHoops program can give the confidence, skills, games, ideas, tricks and tips needed to make me more comfortable in the hoop with kids. It’ll also be greatly helpful for doing children’s hoop parties.

A few weeks ago we went to a brunch at my in-laws’ house and they have a nice big yard. One of the only questions I asked about going was, “Will all the kids be there?” Upon receiving a positive answer I responded, “Great! I’m bringing my hoops!”

I think if I’m getting to the point where I’m excited to be around kids because it gives me an excuse to be in the hoop, then I’m definitely ready to do the teacher training and take on kids’ classes.

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Hoopdancing to Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’

So I promise that I’ll write more and then I disappear again. Sorry about that. I have something I want to share that I’m really proud of though. It’s a video of my practice tonight. I’m really pleased with where I’m going in my personal hooping practice.

I’m about halfway into my second session of hoopdance lessons at the Herndon Community Center and absolutely love it. My class is small this time, but it gives me more time with everyone individually and everyone is doing so well. It makes me so happy when I see them progress. The smile on their face when they realize they just got a trick for the first time is priceless.

I’ve signed up to go to Hoop Convergence in May. I’m thrilled! So far Caroleena, Spiral, Brecken, Nick G and many other hoopers I love are on the list of instructors coming to present. It’s going to be an amazing five days in the hoop.

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