August 8, 2008 will be World Hoop Day. Apparently, hula hoops are not at all what they used to be. A simple toy! According to the newspaper there is a whole culture of "hoopers" developing out there. People even make their own hoops and decorate them with flourescent tape. In Mount Rainier, Md. there is a weekly class offered in "hooping". I never thought about it before but the hoop has quite a history in entertainment. Early in the 20th century children enjoyed rolling a simple hoop. As legend has it the hoop existed in ancient Greece where it was used as a form of exercise. Ancient Egyptians are said to have made hoops from grapevines and even American Indians had hoops for toys.
On the Internet hoopers even have virtual identities. Check out "Hoopedelics" on YouTube. Some even perform professionally with flaming hoops. The hula hoop seem to have been elevated to an art form in time for its 50th birthday. What Next??
Guess I missed celebrating hoop day, but it is great exercise and a rather inexpensive activity. When we were at Merlefest earlier this year, we saw many performers like you mentioned. They were interesting to watch and like the typical street performers, they had the ol' hat set out to collect coins and bills.
Posted by: aunt marge | 08/10/2008 at 11:22 AM