By LORENDA KNISEL
Staff Writer

LONGPORT – Anyone who frequented the Margate and Longport beaches last summer has probably seen her: free-spirited Lauren Shaw, 23, her long, curly blond hair blowing in the wind, rolling her hips and whirling her hoola hoop, dancing to the primordial rhythm of the ocean.

Young and old have noticed her dancing with her hoop. She often draws a crowd. 

“I have had people come up to me in Margate and they say ‘Oh, you’re the hoop girl,’ she said. “I’ve never been one for attention, but I love the happiness I see on people’s faces.”

Shaw said that wherever she is seen “hooping,” she sees people converging and talking, their faces lit up with interest.

“I was hooping to salsa music on the boardwalk in AC, and within five minutes I had a crowd of about 50 people,” she said.

Shaw, of Longport, has picked up on a trend that is whirling through the nation. Many people in the club scene and fitness world are dancing with the hoola hoop – a generic name for what is best known as the Hula Hoop trademarked by Wham-O – and elevating it to a new art form.

Hoop dancing has been seen on many mainstream TV shows, from “The Biggest Loser” to “Good Morning America,” and featured in hundreds of magazines.

In October Shaw was hooping on the beach in Longport, and Channel 6 Action News recorded her. She also appeared in an issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine.

Shaw said she was first introduced to hoop dancing through the jam band scene. Once she starting hooping, she was hooked.

"When I was first introduced to hoop dance, I immediately fell in love with it. Every day I was having a blast learning to hoop – and without even realizing it I was losing inches! I couldn't wait to get home from work and pick up my hoop. Who knew that so much fun could offer such great benefits?"

The people she met on the beach last summer also noticed the weight-loss benefits of hoop dancing, and Shaw saw a lucrative opportunity.

“I had so many people coming up to me asking where I got my hoop, about the physical benefits, etcetera, because they saw what a great time I was having,” she said. “I was making my own hoops and people started placing orders with me.  I was not satisfied with the office job that I was working, so I decided to start my own business.”

The business Hoop There She Is LLC was thus born.

Shaw first sold her hoops at the Ocean City Indian Summer Block Party this past fall.

“There was constantly a crowd at our area.  We even had other vendors come up to us, congratulate us and tell us how they saw such happiness sparked in the people who were passing by our booth. After the OC block party, I was getting tons of phone calls every day.”

Unlike the thin plastic hoops many people are used to, Shaw’s hoops are made of thick, heavyweight, durable plastic tubing that is larger in diameter for control and stability. Vinyl and/or fabric tape adds resistance, allowing the hoop to grip the body, making it easier to swing.

The hoops are available in three sizes and may be customized with decorative tape. They come with two color choices; a third color, including glow-in-the-dark, may be added for an additional $5. The price of a small hoop 36 to 38 inches in diameter and suitable for ages 5-7 or professionals is $30; average, 39 to 42 inches for ages 8 and up is $40; and the large hoop 43 to 45 inches for tall or plus-size hoopers is $45.
Hoop There She Is also offers hoop dance lessons and a hoop dancer to perform at a party or event.

Shaw has already performed at many gigs, including the state teacher's convention in Atlantic City, the Ocean City Christmas parade and at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia. She performed at a New Year’s Eve party at the Tweeter Center in Philadelphia with mainstream jam band the Disco Biscuits.

She is director of Fun Town Productions, which throws parties in the tri-state area featuring hoop dancers, DJs, interactive art and fire performers.

She also performs at underground events with a group called the Philadelphia Experiment.

“There really is a massive underground hooping surge going on right now, and I consider myself so lucky to be in the middle of it,” she said.

For Shaw, hooping is a spiritual dance.

“When you’re inside the hoop your mind is clear. You aren’t anywhere else at the moment. The dance is like a meditation. The hoop is my partner, and we become one with each other. It is an extension of my creative flow.”

That intense focus may come in handy soon, as she plans to learn how to dance with her hoop set on fire.
For information, to buy a hoola hoop or to book a party or a class, call (215) 694-0717, email Lauren@hooptheresheis.com or log on to www.hooptheresheis.com.

To see bonus photos and video footage of Shaw hoop dancing log on to http://bonus.shorenewsnowtv.com/.

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