Dubai to host UAE’s first ever hula hoop festival

A growing local “hoopster” scene has inspired this weekend’s first hula hoop festival in Dubai called HOOP Fest where there will also be hoop “jam sessions” and other activities promoting creative movement.

Hooping enthusiasts gather every week at the Friday Ripe Market in Dubai’s Zabeel Park. The informal gathering is the brainchild of Naghmeh Manshadi, the organiser of Dubai HOOP Fest. Anna Nielsen forShow more

From starting out as a classic kids’ toy to becoming more popular with adults as a means of fun and fitness, the hula hoop has truly come full circle.

And it’s not only circus enthusiasts and music-festival hippies putting hoop to hip these days. Celebrity fans range from Zooey Deschanel to Michelle Obama, while a growing local “hoopster” scene has inspired this weekend’s first hula hoop festival in Dubai.

Dubai HOOP Fest, organised by The Evolve Company, a local initiative that specialises in the areas of arts, culture and communications, brings hooping expert Paola Berton from Vicenza, Italy, to lead all levels of hoopers, from expert to hoop-curious, through intensive skill-and-drill workshops. There will also be hoop “jam sessions” and other activities promoting creative movement.

The event offers a chance, irrespective of age, occupation or skill level, to return to carefree childhood play and self-­expression; learn a cool, new skill; and sway away the week’s stresses in an artistic and all-inclusive atmosphere.

Berton, 33, began hooping six years ago and it wasn’t long before she launched the full-fledged hooping community in Italy, the Italian Hoop Connection, now in its fifth successful year. She is also a regular teacher at Europe’s biggest hoop conventions.

Her love of the practice is evident in her many YouTube videos, where she captivatingly spins, twirls, bobs and weaves and even performs acrobatics, moving the ring around her torso, arms, legs and neck.

“I live for performing, but what I love most is teaching, and in the two days at HOOP Fest, I will bring you into a journey, into my vision of hooping,” says Berton. “I will share all the tips and techniques I know and also create situations in which you can find your own personal style, and that will stimulate your creativity.

“It will be intense but well­ balanced, with a lot to learn and experience and a lot of fun.”

Berton, who is HulaFit certified, will also add a cardio-­jammed hooping workout to the programme and sell her own hoops.

Event organiser Naghmeh Manshadi, who also gathers hoopers at the weekly Friday Ripe Market in Zabeel Park, teaches hooping across Dubai with Ragini Nagu. As part of Dubai HOOP Fest, the pair are offering a Hoop/Partner Yoga Workshop.

These types of community events are what Manshadi, who is British-Iranian, lives for.

“When I moved here, I felt there was a lack of community activities, although so much has changed since then,” says Manshadi, 30, who moved to the UAE from London in 2010. “Back then, I wanted to socialise with people in a healthy way, take part in alternative activities that didn’t involve dining or visiting the mall. With this in mind, The Evolve Company was born, a platform for creating and building a community, which in turn is nurturing self-development through inspirational art and cultural programmes.”

• Dubai HOOP Fest runs from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, April 25, at A4 Gallery in Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz. Full-weekend tickets are Dh1,000, or Dh200 for Thursday evening only. For observing only, Dh50 for adults and Dh25 for kids. To book, contact 055 241 3389 or [e-mail]. Keep up with this and other Evolve events via www.facebook.com/evolveco