*Any physical activity may result in injury, including all skill toys. Learn and Play at your own risk.

Well, a heartfelt thanks to all of you who made it out to my poi lesson. They are scheduled to continue throughout February on Thursdays from 7-9 PM. Same place. Same $15 Suggested donation, but if you can’t afford that, please don’t let it deter you. Pay what you can. And bring your friends! The more people that come, the more likely these lessons will continue into March and beyond. I will have some poi for sale at the lessons, for those of you who are lacking. They’re really nice, soft, well-weighted, and I now have swivels! So if you bought some poi from me before, and you want me to add the swivels, just give me a call or shoot me an email and we’ll set up a time where you can bring your gear by and I’ll put them on for free! If you didn’t buy my poi, but still want a pair of swivels, they’re going to be 3 dollars a swivel. These are the same swivels that can be found on Home of Poi, but you don’t have to pay for shipping. The poi will be $15 for all of my students (swivels included), or $15 for non-students (without a swivel) and $20 with a swivel. And I’ve decided to dedicate the first 30-45 minutes of class specifically to Beginners. For all of the advanced students, you are still welcome to get there at 7 and dance to your heart’s delight! As promised, I’m going to be putting up some pertinent material which relates to the topics discussed in the lesson. So to recap: 4 modes of timing and direction- Same Time, Same Direction Split Time, Same Direction Same Time, Opposite Direction Split Time, Opposite Direction And remember, as with any concept, when you’ve got it going one direction, switch to the other direction. And practice these modes both in front of you (wall plane) and with the poi on either side of your body (wheel/side plane). Also the Butterfly (Forwards and Backwards). the key here is getting your hands next to each other, but not crossing your arms. It also helps to keep one hand slightly higher than the other, but it’s best to practice with either hand on top. Here’s a useful tutorial from Nick Cann (not Nick Woolsey, this guy’s British). And finally: 2 Beat Weave Forwards (Left Hand and Right Hand on top) 3 Beat Weave Forwards Remember that with the 2 Beat Weave each poi only crosses once on each side. But with the 3 Beat Weave your right hand will cross twice on the left side and vice versa. Here’s another helpful tutorial from Nick Cann. And remember, keep an eye on your planes. Meaning, make sure they’re in control, and preferably straight. Most times, all of your problems can be solved with a little bit of plane control. Don’t give up! -Sean

*Any physical activity may result in injury, including all skill toys. Learn and Play at your own risk.

Hey everybody! So, with my lessons starting up Thursday, I thought it would be a good idea to share 2 videos with you. These videos are geared specifically to the beginners, and are provided courtesy of Nick Woolsey and his wonderful blog. The first is a simple ‘how to’ video dealing with making your own sock poi. Just a couple additions to his suggestions. The socks he is using, as you can see, are too long, but I have found that regular men’s length dress socks make a perfect size. Something that comes up to your calf. But if you still want the flexibility of adjusting your size, then thigh-highs work very well. Also, I have and am still making some sock poi. These poi are designed using the same concept as the cone poi sold on homeofpoi.com The differences are that my poi will not come with velcro where the opening is, and that they are made of only 2 sections. The will come with a single loop handle, and after having played with them, I can testify that the material I used is much softer than the cone poi. I am also getting swivels in from home of poi, which can easily be attached, giving you the ability to perform orbitals much more seamlessly. And all of this, I am offering to my students for only $15! Non-students can also purchase them without the swivel for $15 or with for $20. The only issue I have run into is that I do not yet have the proper ball/weight to put into the poi. I purchased balloons, but they were too small. I purchased juggling balls, but they were also too small and smelled TERRIBLY! I would suggest purchasing your own juggling ball from an online juggling store. You should be able to get cheap ones for $5 for a set of 3. Anyone who wants to use my poi for class, I would recommend at least bringing 2 tennis balls, or filling large balloons with rice. I currently only have 4 pairs of poi created, and am waiting on the swivels, so there won’t be TONS to go around. Anyways, here’s another really great video for the absolute beginner. It features Nick and Burning Dan, who some of you may have met at Sphere Camp. Please take this to heart, because after my first lesson, you will never be able to do this again. Just a reminder the lessons will be at AAMP on Thursday January 28th, from 7-9 PM. Hopefully, if all goes well, they will continue throughout February and beyond! Thanks again to all of you who voted for us for the Hoopies. Unfortunately we did not win, but that just means we get to do this all over again next year! -Sean

WE (The Gyronauts and C.U.@Circus) MADE IT ON THE BALLOT for a 2010 HOOPING.ORG HOOPIE AWARD! YES! Thank you thank you THANK YOU for nominating us! Now it’s time for the REAL voting to begin. I encourage ‘yall to vote until January 22, 2010, 9 pm PST (that’s 11 pm here in Austin). To do so, go to Hooping.org check off the entries you’d like to vote for, and hit “submit your votes.” That’s it. No groups to sign up for. No emails to send. It takes five seconds. The two important categories where we have Austin (and NYC) representing… Category 7, Local Hoop Community of the Year………….C.U.@Circus!!!!!! Category 8 Performance Group of the Year……………….The Gyronauts!!!!!! There are however TWO RULES, that must be followed. If said rules are not followed, your votes are null and void. 1. ***only ONE ballot will be counted from each IP address***** If you vote multiple times via the same IP address, all the votes from that IP address will be disqualified. This means if you have two computers on the same wireless network, only vote once on any computer in that network. Confused as to what your IP address is? Go to whatismyip.com and compare. 2. *****You must vote in AT LEAST 3 categories for the ballot to be considered valid.***** SO: vote for at least 3 things, and vote only once per IP address. Once again, the place where you vote is…Hooping.org And…just a suggestion for your third vote, ….Malcolm Stuart for Male Hooper of the Year (cat 11). He’s a fantastic visual artist and has incredibly uniquely MAD hoop skills. He’s one of my hoop pappy’s in NYC and a constant inspiration for off the body work and performance costuming. One of the most fabulous people I know. malcolmstuart.com — his website And….you could also vote for “Shoulder trick with KaytiBunny” for Online Tutorial of the Year (cat 3). She’s another great NYC gal with a spunky way of instruction, and an impeccable sense of style. Thank you for all your continued support! Let’s bring home some Austin/NYC hoop gold! Peace, love, and spandex, -tash P.S.- Fun Photo of Sean doing a Triquetra with a hoop. Kinda looks like Mickey Mouse….

-Photo: Philo Hagen

Hey Austin and NYC Circus folks! It’s time for the 2010 Hoopie Awards! http://www.hooping.org/archives/002930.html Right now, hooping.org is accepting nominations for hoop greatness in a variety of categories! I wanted to encourage all of ‘yall to nominate your friends, yourself, and your community? Why? Because we’re friggin awesome and TOTALLY deserve it. Some categories I want to bring to your attention: -NEWBIE HOOPER OF THE YEAR! (cat 6) There are tons of fledgling hoopers that totally deserve this award. Just a small sampling of local Austin folks that started in 2009 and seem to be taking the scene by storm….Misty, Aura, Kat, Ciara, Willow….the list goes on and on… (Tyrone? Did you start in ’09?) GO AND NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU KNOW! -PERFORMANCE GROUP OF THE YEAR! (cat 8) Okay this may be a bit of shameless self promotion, but vote for The Gyronauts, my hoop troupe! We’re Austin/NYC hoop collective dedicated to performing with LEDs, Fire, fancy spandex pants, outrageous makeup, and thumpable music. You’ve seen our videos (www.vimeo.com/thegyronauts/videos). You’ve seen our photos (flickr.com/thegyronauts). You’ve seen our pants. And you’ve seen our website (www.thegyronauts.com). We’ve performed with Cake! The Dresden Dolls! At Burning Man! At Hospitals! In parades! In Greece! In drag! On top of roofs! In OUTER SPACE! (okay, not really, but that would be cool…) We just got sponsored by Cosmichooper.com! Vote for us and bring home the Austin/NYC GOLD! And last but not least, another category I’d like to call to attention is… LOCAL HOOP GROUP OF THE YEAR (cat. 7) Vote for C.U.@Circus in Austin, TX. No explanation needed. We clearly just rock. This video is evidence (http://vimeo.com/7710756 ). Another local group you could vote for is Circle of Play in Georgetown, TX. A fabulous grassroots hoop happening run by newbies Kat and Misty. It’s a great show of making a quiet town glam, fab, and loud! (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=151446928732&ref=ts) You can also vote for me, Tash Kouri of The Gyronauts for Female Hooper and Fire Hooper of the year too. I wouldn’t mind a bit. It’s so easy! Just copy and paste the following into an email, vote for whichever categories you want, and send it to hoopies2010@gmail.com. Only one nomination per category, and only one set of votes per email address. (But don’t let that stop you from hacking onto your friends/brothers/parents’ account and voting via their email address). Nominations close January 14th 9 pm PST. Nominations can be cast in the following categories…. To make it easier for you, I’ve taken the liberty to fill out some of the categories myself. Cast your nominations in the following categories: 1. Photo of the Year: (include url) 2. Online Video of the Year (include url): 3. Online Tutorial of the Year: (include url): 4. Hooping Track of 2009 (Song): 5. Outstanding Event Promoting Hooping to a Larger Audience in 2009: 6. Newbie Hooper of the Year (Started Hooping in 2009. Please verify this prior to nominating): (SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM) 7. Local Hoop Group of the Year (Community): C.U.@Circus in Austin TX or Circle of Play! In Georgetown, TX 8. Performance Hoop Group of the Year: The Gyronauts (www.thegyronauts.com) 9. Hooping Instructor of the Year: 10: Fire Hooper of the Year: Tash Kouri of The Gyronauts! 11. Male Hooper of the Year: 12. Female Hooper of the Year: Tash Kouri of The Gyronauts XX: Are you available to serve on the final nominations review panel as specified above? (Yes or No) _______. Mail your nominations list to: hoopies2010@gmail.com – then get ready to find out who the finalists for Hooping.org’s Third Annual Hoopie Awards will be! http://www.hooping.org/archives/002930.html The GYRONAUTS! 2008 demo! from The Gyronauts on Vimeo. Tash Deflowering her Magic Firehoop Pro 11.04.09 from The Gyronauts on Vimeo. -Tash

-Photo: Philo Hagen

Come out and learn some poi! Bring your socks/tennis balls/dog toys/monkeyfists/monkeys/fabulous asses out to AAMP! The address: 411 W. Monroe Street Austin, TX It starts at 7PM and finishes up at 9PM. That’s 2 hours of solid play! THE FIRST LESSON IS FREE! IT’S AN INDOOR SPACE! (Spin without freezing your ass off or breaking another light fixture) ENOUGH SPACE TO PLAY! It’s gonna be awesome. If you don’t know me, my name is Sean and I will be teaching these lessons. I’ve been spinning for 2.5 years and am loving it. I’ve taken lessons from Nick Woolsey in Costa Rica, Alien Jon at Sphere Camp, Jammed out with Drex in NYC, and gotten my mind blown by Insignia on a regular basis. Here’s a recent spin of mine: Sean, Sphere Camp 2009 from The Gyronauts on Vimeo. What will we be learning? Everything! Hopefully… Here’s the deal. I need you fine people to come out and support these lessons so that I can continue them later. This first one is free so you’ve got nothing to lose. So if you’re interested in learning, show your support by showing up. Topics I hope to cover: Everything from the basics (for all the beginners) to more advanced tricks (isolations, anti-spin, cateyes, pendulums, diagonal planes, orbitals, etc…). The key here is grasping the concepts mentally, enabling the concepts physically, and going beyond the concepts imaginatively. Moving with the poi. Transitions. Really, anything that you guys want to learn. Sure there will be structure, but I need to get to know where everyone is at first. Feel free to post any comments about what you want to learn, questions you might have, or concerns regarding poi. If you don’t have practice poi, let me know and I will gladly tell you how to make an easy, cheap first pair. -Sean