Hooping workshop with gabrielle revlock

January 14 & 21 | 7-8 pm

Gabrielle Revlock is a major mover in Philly's dance scene. Her show called SEX TAPE, explores female friendship in unexpected ways. It is a duet with Philly's own Michelle Tantoco. It opens at  The Flea in NYC, the first week of January. 

If that sounds too serious for you: chill, bro. She's all about the playful joy and discovery of the hula hoop. She started hooping around 2004. She saw a woman doing it at a party in NYC and thought it looked cool and fun. So, she found a video online about how to make a hula hoop and started practicing. Gabrielle explains, "What's great about the hoop is that it's always there for you. It doesn't take up a lot of space. You can do simple or complex things with it. You can hoop when there's nothing to do and you're home alone or it can be a social activity. Kids love it, adults love it. It's cardio but it's also about play because after all it's a toy."

Gabrielle's style of hooping is grounded in her choreographic interests and dance background. Gabrielle explains, "The hoop is very seductive and it makes you want to engage with it in a certain way that makes it all about the hoop. I try to resist this. My interest is in the body. How does the hoop frame the body? How does the hoop move the body? When is story or imagery present and why? I do teach some tricks and techniques but only as a jumping off point not an end point. I want my students to find their own creative voice, not be copies of me or anyone else. That gets boring fast. I embrace messiness because it's exciting and means you're going into new territory. There are no wrongs in my class. I'm also very interested in classes being a site of community. We already have one thing in common so being friends shouldn't be that hard, right?"

Gabrielle is guest teaching for only two weeks in January. Get on that resolution to try new things, work out more, or learn to hula hoop by coming to take these special classes! Sign up for class now.