A local hula-hoop performance group uses downtown Phoenix’s culture as inspiration for local shows and art projects.
The urban setting of downtown and backdrop of the Phoenix desert has become the Heady Hoop Tribe’s central canvas.
Heady Hoop Tribe consists of four female members who banded together to form their own modern hula-hoop group, to spread what group member Ashley Zawrotny calls “hoop love” — finding joy through artistic expression.
The tribe collaborates with local artists, performs at community festivals and concerts and holds hoop fitness classes open to the public out of the historic Icehouse, located near Jackson Street and Fifth Avenue.
Some of the group’s hooping expertise involves single hoop, LED light hooping, fire hoop and yoga.
The group’s fitness classes are a fusion of stretching, mediation, hoop dance and yoga, while their performances illustrate the tribe’s ability to synchronize the movement of the hoops with both the music and each other. The tribe transforms these hoops into rings of expression by embellishing them with color.
Group member Laura Weimer said the tribe has been reaching out to Phoenix artists from within the community.
“We contact them and see if they want us to help them out, and in turn they’re also actually helping us out,” Weimer said. “We’re kind of growing together, which is a very cool experience.”
Member Jessica Packard said it is important for them to support local artists through the many outlets they have created, such as their shows and vending events.
Allowing other artists to sell their own unique products at the tribe’s events promotes those artists and allows the Heady Hoop Tribe to further engage in sharing art with the public, Packard said.
“I totally resonate with the group and what they’re trying to do because they’re using art as a way to galvanize community,” said Thomas Brown, a local artist and friend of the group.
Jess Lynn Figurski, member of the group, said there’s a growing market towards the tribal attitude. They therefore have begun crafting and selling their own hoops to keep with this trend.
The hoops are fully functional art pieces, Figurski said.
Packard said their “dream catcher” hoops are inspired by the Native American culture in the Phoenix area.
“We want to pay tribute and honor the culture, and then weave it into our own form of dance,” Packard said.
The group is also engaging in the local art scene through a promotional video slated to release at the end of April. This video aims to promote the group and showcase what they’re about.
“What we’re doing with the video is showing who (Heady Hoop Tribe) are and what they can do, all the while giving a flavor of Phoenix,” said Brown, the videographer for the project.
This is just one of many examples of the group collaborating with other downtown artists. The group also pairs with local bands and musicians for concerts and performances.
The video will identity the group as a tribal desert crew by focusing on surrounding desert areas, such as the Papago Buttes, Brown said. The project will feature downtown locations and capture images of the sun in order to properly portray Phoenix as the “Valley of the Sun.”
Leasing and marketing manager for Roosevelt Point and former group member Audrey DeHoyos said she does her best to help the group form Phoenix connections through her own professional work experience.
“I’m a Phoenix lover and was born and raised here, and since other members are not originally from here, it’s cool to be able to contribute what I can to the group,” DeHoyos said.
You can find a list of the Heady Hoop Tribe’s upcoming classes and performances at their website.
Contact the reporter at arobrock@asu.edu
