*Any physical activity may result in injury, including all skill toys. Learn and Play at your own risk.
We all know know how fun and addicting all of the circus stuff can be. But we also understand how difficult it is for many people out there, from smaller communities, or with less than average financial means to find someone skilled enough and willing to teach. So we’ve compiled (and will continue to create) Beginner’s guides to each skill toy. Hopefully, the collection of videos presented will get you started, and allow you to understand and decipher other videos online, so that you can further your knowledge on your own. So whether your an absolute beginner, or have a little know how, these videos will introduce to all of the most basic aspects of that toy, which, once mastered, will allow you to play, dance, and explore freely.
Beginner: Poi
This Beginner series was compiled with the intention of getting an absolute beginner through the 4 modes of timing and direction, the 2 and 3 beat weaves, the butterfly, reel turns, thread the needle, and the windmill. All of the techniques covered should allow you to move freely, switching sides, turning, and changing your levels. Again, it will take practice, but hopefully this will give you a push in the right direction. *These videos in this tutorial series were created by Nick Woolsey, Kyrill Poole, and Nick Cann. Check out all of their other great videos and big thanks to them for putting these together! Need Poi? Check out our Gear section for info on making, as well as buying Poi, whether it be practice, contact, fire or LED, hopefully we’ll have the info that you need.
Beginner: Hoop
The Hoop Beginner series is intended to get you grooving from an absolute beginner’s perspective. We’ll start you off, leading you with techniques to keep the hoop up and around your waist, as well as turning with the hoop. We’ll then move on to bringing the hoop up to your neck using multiple techniques, as well as being able to lift the hoop off of your body. The key here is not to get frustrated if things aren’t working out how you’d expected. Because the hoop is in contact with your body, it helps to really focus on how your body is moving in times of difficulty. And while we cannot teach your personal connection with your body, it is a vital thing to remember when hooping. Don’t give up, and remember to relax! Need a Hoop? Our Gear section will have a info on how to make you own, or places to buy one.
Beginner: Beyond
In these series, we will explore all of the other fields of circus art and/or skill toys. Currently we are trying to assemble several series: Poi Hooping, Wand, Staff, Double Staff, Meteor, Contact Juggling, 3 Ball Juggling, 3 Club Juggling, and Buugeng. This may take some time. And of course, this doesn’t yet cover every skill toy, so if you’ve got videos of different skill toys you’d like to submit, please send them our way. We might use them. In the meanwhile, each series will get it’s own page, so fear not that we are grouping all other skill toys into one page. There are just too many to list individually here. Need….Any of that other stuff? Again our Gear section will have info about making some of these toys, as well as buying many of them.
