Hooping becomes a hula lot more popular

Special to ViewHula hoop dance classes led by Julie Schoolastra are held at different sites around the valley, including Lucy Activewear, 6659 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite B106, in Town Square Las Vegas. To find out about upcoming sessions at area locations, visit hooptopialv.com/classes. Advertisement

What goes around comes around in the rapidly growing "hooper" circles in the valley.

"Hooping" is the preferred term to describe the latest fitness boom in Las Vegas. But the craze also has hit a nerve with city lawmakers, who recently proposed a ban on the iconic circular toy from the Fremont Street Experience.

Hubbub aside, hooping is getting around.

Fitness studios across the country have added hooping, a low-impact regime that is said to strengthen the core and test endurance and agility. Actress Marisa Tomei recently released the fitness DVD "Hoop Body" for at-home audiences.

And in Las Vegas, local hooping guru Julie Schoolastra has gone from begging people to join her classes to boasting an overflowing attendance sheet.

"The interest in hooping has really started to pick up," she said. "I used to do pro bono stuff to share the hoop love."

Schoolastra, who said she is the only certified hoop dance instructor in the state, dropped 60 pounds after picking up the hoop three years ago.

Hooping began centuries ago when ancient Egyptians made hoops out of dried grape vines. Later, the Greeks used them for exercise, and British sailors introduced them to those back home after witnessing Hawaiian dancing.

It received a rebirth in the 1950s, when the Wham-O company popularized its Hula-Hoop.

"It just makes you feel really happy," Schoolastra said. "I've seen people deal with depression, addiction, overcome tragedy by hooping."

Word of mouth has been Schoolastra's greatest vehicle of promotion. She said the workout blends cardio -- 300-400 calories are shed per session -- and mind and body awareness.

Schoolastra offers six-week hoop dance classes for hoopers of all levels and ages. Last year, a woman marked her 75th birthday with a hooping class, Schoolastra said.

She also offers private instruction around the valley including birthday and bachelorette parties.

A new class is set to start today. The fee is $75 for a whole session and $15 for individual classes. Schoolastra offers a bundle -- six sessions and a hula hoop -- for $110.

Classes are held at Self Quest, 1913 Green Valley Parkway, Suite D, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Debra Symons owns the Green Valley studio, where she works in naturopathy through clinical yoga. Symons recommends the class to clients but also participates.

Returning to the hoop wasn't the easy transition she assumed, she said.

"I'm very physically fit and I do all these classes every day, and I couldn't do it," she said of her first class. "Julie said, 'Stick with it.' I thought I couldn't do it, and I'm doing it. It's addicting."

Symons said she often finds herself picking up the hoop at home and spinning for a few minutes. She said it has made muscle definition in her stomach muscles she couldn't achieve with hundreds of sit-ups.

"It's a challenge, if you like a challenge," she said. "But you also laugh at yourself. It's so fun."

Esperanza Somers, owner of Luv2Hoop, a local hoop manufacturer that sells its merchandise online, said the increasing popularity of the activity has been good for business. Somers, an avid hooper, started her company in 2007 when she was dissatisfied with other distributors.

"I felt there is no gender or generation gap when it comes to hooping, and people should be able to choose what they like," she said.

For more information about hooping, visit hooptopialv.com or e-mail hooptopia@gmail.com.

Contact Centennial and Southeast View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.