Well-Rounded Teachers

Sadie

Sadie loves to help people surprise themselves, whether teaching in a classroom or on the street. Hooping is the quickest way she knows to turn grumpy urbanites into giggling buddies.

Hooping was a natural progression from belly dance, which she studied with Audra Simmons. Both forms share the hip opening, the complex layering of rhythms, the sparkle, and the community of women dancing together. Sadie has explored many forms of movement — yoga, Nia, capoeira — and can always be found experimenting with a new dance prop.

When she’s not teaching, performing, and answering emails, Sadie likes to eat local, bike,
blow bubbles, read popular science books, and train to be a mermaid.

Linseed

Linseed loves sharing hooping with humans! She views the hoop as a treasured tool – helping creativity unfold and arise. She loves witnessing hooping click for first time hoopers – folks who didn’t think they could. She delights in the expression of beginners who end up inventing new moves from what they first viewed as “mistakes.”

Linseed began hooping in the Toronto winter of 2008 and discovered what a valuable tool the hoop was to soothe the heart and connect to joy in darker and colder times. Since then, her hoop practice generally picks up in the winter. She is awed by the different mediums folks find to tell their stories and believes the hoop to be a great start in helping us remember we have a story to tell.

Linseed also teaches yoga at a very special studio called Kula. She can be found around town at farmers markets and playing with bike mechanics. Her favourite shape is a circle and favourite smell is root beer.

Mandy

Mandy loves hooping because of the mental and physical benefits, but more importantly, because she loves to dance! She is motivated by helping students to tap into their inner dancer.

Mandy has travelled all over the world with her hoops since the late 90′s. She first discovered hooping while DJing at an electronic music festival. She spotted some hula hoopers grooving in the field to her funky, high energy, booty-shaking house set and immediately bought a hoop and gave it a spin. Soon afterwards, she was offered a DJ position on a cruise ship where she shared her hoops with eager crew and passengers. When she arrived in Toronto in 2008, the hoop scene was in its infancy and Mandy jumped at the chance to join in! She found her hoop groove by combining her love of spinning hoops and spinning records.  A few years later her House Hooping class was born. House hooping is a combination of funky house music, dance steps, tricks and a whole lot of sweaty fun.

Outside of hooping, Mandy still busts out the beats in her home studio. She is an avid chef, nutritionista and traveller. Her positivity and high energy are infectious. Even if you have never considered yourself a dancer, Mandy will help you find your groove.

Elana

Elana Millman loves a good whirl. She started hula-hooping over 7 years ago with a hand-painted Balinese bamboo hoop and has not looked back since. Continuously inspired by the strength, coordination, confidence and joy she reaps from her hooping practice, she has been known to exclaim, “hooping is God!” and feels so honoured to teach her passion. Elana enjoys helping students get into their body, using her wellness background to guide them in a safe and supported way.

In her non-hoop life, Elana is a wellness therapist focusing on massage, energy work and holistic nutrition.  Her first book, Man on Top – How to be a better man, will be out soon.