HoopLab Retreat
Spinning & Performance Skills
May 17 to 24, 2025
Antalya, Turkey
7 days diving into the art of spinning and creative lab, aerial buddies, pool, local food, and nature near the coast of Turkey
HoopLab Retreat is an invitation to immerse yourself in the flow of spinning through both technical and artistic training in the beautiful natural setting of Antalya, Turkey.
An experience where we delve into a blend of technical practice and creative exploration, to expand our personal flow with the hoop as well as our improvisation and performance skills. A serene space where we give ourselves the time and permission to observe, experiment, and create. The retreat will conclude with a celebration jam session with live music.
What’s Included
5 days of 5h per day of Hoop Technique training and Creative Lab (see description below)
7 nights of accommodation at Artist Habitat Tadah, Antalya, Turkey.
3 delicious meals a day
Access to 2 training studios
Final Jam with live music
Day Trip to ancient ruin city Seleukeia and Oymapinar lake
Swimming pool, sun deck and sauna
Airport transfers to & from Antalya
Free high-speed Wi-Fi
Training Overview
From Floor to Air and Air to Floor
The aim is to create a unique encounter merging the technical vocabulary of spinning with creative research. Throughout the week, increasingly evident connections will be made between the two aspects of the training, enabling us to integrate technique into artistic exploration and vice versa.
We will work through a group dynamic that values both the uniqueness of each participant and the richness of collective learning, creating a pleasant space for game and exploration. We propose an inclusive and respectful environment where all forms of oppression, including sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and any other form of discrimination have no place.
Warm-Up
We will use a diversity of tools from dance, yoga and circus to connect with the body and the practice of the day.
Hoop Training with Andrea
We’ll start by learning how to read the physics of the spin with the body. From that basis, we’ll investigate ways to build different sequences of choreography as well as explore opportunities to play with your own pathways. We’ll also work on flares and other entries into the hoop. And to create a sense of flow within your movement, we’ll explore how to relax and engage different parts of the body.
Creative Laboratory with Thaïs
We will explore and expand our performance and improvisation skills through diverse dynamics coming from movement, dance and the body on stage. The goal is to raise our movement awareness, play with movement qualities and our stage presence, and finally bring all these tools to our practice with the hoop in order to express our own identity.
Jam Session
The retreat will conclude with a final jam with live music where we’ll improvise with all we’ve learned. This will be a space of celebration for an open-ended process rather than a showcase of a finished result. Let's Jam!
Who Is This For
Intermediate & advanced hoop spinners.
Previous scenic practice is not required.
Pre-requisites for attending
The level of your skill can be very relative to measure, but it would be best to have the following:
be comfortable with spinning
ability to do a string of tricks while spinning
a year of consistent practice
being able to invert and pull up while spinning.
curiosity and openness to dive into the creative process
Optional: Submit a video of 1 to 3 minutes with a string of tricks or sequences together & entry into the hoop while spinning. If you want, feel free to also share any material that expresses your artistic work.
The purpose of this video is to see your current stage of practice so that we can support you best and ensure you will gain the full benefit of the retreat.
Your Teachers
Andrea Parra
Andrea grew up in a family of dancers and has been exposed from childhood to movement and performance. Her main discipline is spinning with the hoop, but she also loves dancing with a spiral and on occasion hanging like a sausage on a wall (ie vertical dance). She believes that awareness of the body is the main foundation for learning how to find your flow.
She received training in the hoop spinning technique primarily from Aisling Ni Chealleagh and Jenny Tufts. She’s also dabbled in other aerial disciplines with the Irish Aerial Community. Recently, her work focuses on developing creative skills with Cata Aguayo, exploring how to use voice/loop station with her hoop, and researching her first solo with the mentorship of Thaïs Julià.
Thaïs Julià
Thaïs is a hybrid circus artist specialised in aerial rope, dance and performance. In the artistic field she has experience as a circus author and performer, as a dancer and as a performance art creator, and she has recently started to give mentorship/artistic accompaniment to solo circus projects. In the teaching field she has 8 years of experience sharing both technical (rope, trapeze and silks) and artistic knowledge (creation laboratories).
She has performed and taught all-over Europe and Latin America, in places such as Cirkobalkana (Croatia and Serbia), Berlin Circus Festival, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, Rogelio Rivel and many others in Spain, La Burbuja (Argentina), etc. As an artist, Som Noise (@som_noise) has been her main project since 2018, where she is co-creator and project leader. Additionally, she has worked in projects such as Lavrar o ar (PT), Hiljaisuus Festivaali (FIN), Faki Festival (HR), Rebish (FR), Andanças (PT), Alta Conductivitat (Big Bouncers, SP), Fractura (Ana Albornoz & Thaïs Julià, SP), FREE’T Collective (SP), etc.
She is passionate about music, having played in amateur music bands as a bassist/handpaner. Basically, she loves exploring, learning and sharing.
Where?
The retreat will be at Tadah Artist Habitat in the the beautiful setting of Antalya, Turkey.
Find out more about Tadah at their website here.
How to Get There?
The nearest Airport is Antalya (AYT).
We will arrange airport transfers to/from Tadah on May 17th and 24th
Book your Spot!
Cost
The full price of the retreat is 1900€ (240€ more for a single room).
Deposit for securing a spot is 500€.
Early bird price is 1750€ and must be paid in full before the 15th of March.
How to Apply
To book your spot fill out the form below. Once we receive your submission, we’ll send you more information about the retreat and the next steps to complete your registration.
If you have any questions please feel free to send us an email here.