It’s actually the latest fitness phenomenon since Billy Blanks double-timed your turbo-kickin’ ass and Daisy Fuentes hawked Pilates tapes on late night TV. And apparently it involves more than just going to Target, picking up a Barbie hula hoop and getting crazy in your living room.
Combining schoolyard spinning with choreographed dance moves (and the promise of rock–hard abs) Hoopnotica classes are almost as difficult to get into as Les Deux on a Tuesday night. And arguably, just as heart-racing.
I recently bypassed the wait and ducked into a beginner’s session expecting a high-strung vibe, but was pleasantly surprised to walk into a calming Marina Del Rey studio. It’s as if yoga fell in love with dance class—and they had a Zen-cardio baby. And because beginners tossing around huge hoops tend to need, um, space, each class is small and less potentially embarrassing. But is hula hooping really a good idea past elementary school?
The first time I manhandled the oversized, rubber-gripped ring, I nearly decapitated a fellow hooper. After many dizzying twists and turns though, I rocked moves like the “corkscrew,” “floating,” and “halos” like an amateur circus freak (not shocking, as Hoopnotica’s creator was a former Cirque de Soleil performer).
So for those weary of your treadmill routine, but too timid for those pole-dancing classes, this might be the answer to your work-out woes—if you have the patience to deal with the wait and the cash to shell out for lessons (around $30 each). If you don’t, then hit the Hoopnotica site for the DVD. And then clear your living room of any breakables.
Hoopnotica classes are held at their Hollywood and Marina Del Rey studios. See www.hoopnotica.com for details and schedules.
