About Us

Gems....

***Gems is currently available for hire in UK and Europe***
Please contact via: www.ukhoopgathering.com

Gems, aka Gemma Goddard, discovered hooping in 2007 while traversing the epic mud at the Glade Festival and stumbling into a hoop-dancer. She bought her first hoop there and then and hasn't stopped hooping since.

She carries a BA (Hons) degree in English Language/ Literature and Film Studies from King's College University in London and trained as a professional hoop-dance teacher under world-renowned hooper Christabel Zamor's instruction (www.hoopgirl.com) in June 2008. Gems trained with her for a further 6 days in April 2009 in order to teach intermediate and advanced hoop classes. In September 2008 she travelled to California where she attended the Hoop Camp Retreat in Santa Cruz, dancing with some of the best hoop-artists in the world.

Gems taught hoop-dancing during circus and movement workshops to adults and children throughout the summer festival seasons of 2008 and 2009, and performed throughout that time in a multitude of styles to all sorts of music at different events. She also ran a 'hooping stage' at Southern Lights circus festival in summer 2009.

Gems runs the UK Hoop Gathering Project: hoop-dance weekend events in England in the summer months. In 2010 there were 3 residential weekend events catering for a total of 150 international hoopers! In the summer of 2011 she will run 4 different events!

She travelled India in 2009/2010 with circus troupe Performers Without Borders, teaching circus skills to under privileged children in schools and kids' homes as well as performing in the troupe circus show in slums, on the banks of the river Ganges and in Mother Theresa's orphanage to name a few! And in January 2011 she travelled with Spark!Circus to the Thai/Burmese border to teach circus skills to child refugees.

When not hooping, Gems can be found crafting poetry, day-dreaming and writing songs on her piano :-)

Frenchy....

***Frenchy is currently available for bookings in New Zealand/Australia*** please contact via: (NZ) +64 226 721 018.***

Frenchy is a Fire and LED Performer, Workshop Leader, Hoop Dance Teacher, Community Artist, Street Performer, Event Organiser, Interactive Stilt Walker and Arts Practitioner with over 15 years experience of performing and working with challenging young people and 10 years experience of Circus and Fire Arts and Manipulation.

Frenchy can offer:
'More Danger' interactive family friendly / street / fire show
Hoop, staff, poi, circus skills workshops and classes
Choreographed fire palms and fire hoop performance
LED choreographed staff and hoop performance
Freestyle Fire and LED performance
Body burning, fire eating, blockhead, fire hoop, staff and palms
Interactive Character Walkabout
Childrens party entertainment - games, workshops, activities
Stilt walking

Frenchy first got involved in circus arts at The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in 2001 when she completed a BA Honours degree in Community Arts. Frenchy, formally Claire French or Clairey Faerie has been hooping since the start of 2008.

Frenchy has worked with young people for over ten years and had a professional role as a Youth Engagement Officer on Manchester community radio station 'Wythenshawe FM' 97.2 2009-2010. In this role Frenchy supported young people in delivering shows live on the radio, works with hard to reach young people, training young people in radio production skills and working on various projects within the community. She has run children’s areas at festivals and conducted various circus skills workshops across the country and is involved in autonomous arts events in Manchester.

Over summer 2008 Frenchy toured with the theatre company ‘Faerie Folkal Featre’ who created a children’s theatre performance that focused on environmental issues and involved audience participation.

Frenchy is a skilled professional and has done circus skills workshops/classes and fire/LED performances and stilt-walkabout at many events around the world.

Frenchy has worked with the Travelling Light Circus to create LED interactive and touring performance. She worked with 'Fireworks' on the London's Burning Project to perform at the Burning Man Festival in the USA. The troupe were the only UK troupe to perform in the Conclave. Frenchy works with Circus Diaspora, Hoopspin and Pyroscope on projects and contracts. Frenchy also works for Spin Off events, Dark Arts and Ramshackle Circus.

Frenchy has a cabaret routine using LED staff and hoop in a 'cheese-cake' style to Betty Huttons 'It's oh so quiet' which she showcased at this years Temporary Autonomous Arts Event in Manchester.

Frenchy has a 15 minute interactive circle fire show she can offer called 'More Danger' that is suitable for family events.

Also an alternative model (www.alienskin.co.uk), DJ, encaustic artist, djembe player and snowboarder Frenchy loves ashtanga yoga, cycling, meditation and fingerknitting and can be seen enjoying an occasional cheese based snack : - )

Gail....

***Gail is currently available for bookings in the UK***
Please contact via www.hoopspin.co.uk

Gail O'Brien was first introduced to hooping in deepest Bolivia in 2007. In September that year she got her first hoop and having spent the last 5 years holding down 2 jobs while training to be a Physiotherapist she rediscovered the simple joy of dancing and playing.
 
Gail carried out her professional HoopDance teacher training under the expert tuition of both Christabel Zamor (www.hoopgirl.com) and Diana Lopez (www.bodyhoops.com) in 2008/2009. She crossed the ocean in 2009 to attend Hoop Camp Retreat and Harbin Hoop Jam and used her encounters with international hoop dancers to deepen her practice both as a performer and as a teacher.
 
Gail has taught classes and workshops to both adults and children across the North West including schools/festivals and this years British Juggling Convention. She organised Manchester's first Hoop Congress in March 2010 and taught at UK Hoop Gathering and SWHoop amongst others in 2010.
 
Gail has performed extensively this year in a variety of settings. She is currently involved in developing LED hoop performances with Travelling Light Circus andtravelled to Burning Man Festival 2010 to perform in the fire conclave with the UK Fireworks Collective. She is part of the Pyroscope fire troupe and also runs her own company HoopSpin.
 
This year Gail is extending her Circus Skills repetoire and is currently doing Trapeze, Acro-balance and developing injury prevention workshops for Circus Performers using her Physiotherapy knowledge. She is also working hard on her twin hooping including double fire hoops and is crazy busy and loving every minute of it :)