HoopPath Guest Blogger: Kimowan McLain
The hoop is challenging me to trust my own body to learn. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to learn anything deeply. I can’t recall when I’ve had to step off from square one.I can’t even remember learning how to make art. It came naturally. Over the years I’ve practiced to become better, but I had the basic knowledge, it seems, without the progressive struggle that comes with learning.
I think hooping now is the first time I’ve had to start at the beginning. With hooping, I can’t fake knowing. Either the hoop moves well or it doesn’t.
My friend Baxter has a neat way of teaching the hoop. All he asks is for me to feel the groove, to relax into a zone and be present. I’ve been doing that for a few months now and I’ve reached a plateau.Baxter says its like taking a long, spiral path up and around a mountain. Most of the climb is smooth, but now and then we come to an obstacle and need to take the steep terrain. That’s where I’m at now.
I’m learning how to lift the hoop up and down, over my head, back onto my torso. It’s a new skill and it has to be learned and practiced. At first I was afraid to leave the comfort of my known territory, but with some practice and risk, I’ve learned how to move to the next stage.Learning is exhilarating. I’ve often heard myself say that I am most happy when I am learning something. So I’m really grateful for the hoop as a site where learning can occur. How much is there to learn? What can my body do? I don’t know and it’s exciting to think about where this path is taking me.
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