Fulfilling hula-hoop dreams

Wondering what all the hoopla was at Victoria Elementary on Monday morning?

Hundreds of kids at the Costa Mesa school spent the morning hooping and hollering at Hoop-A-Pa-Loo-Za, a spring celebration by the KidTribe, which travels across California to engage kids in a hula-hoop, song-and-dance extravaganza.

“We have a million and a half kids hooping across the state,” said Kellee Breaux of KidTribe, who ran the outdoor assembly with “hooperstar” William Ericson. “It’s such an awesome fitness program. Ten minutes of intensive hooping is equivalent to jogging a mile.”

Breaux, a former Houston Rockets cheerleader, and Ericson set out hundreds of hula hoops all across the school’s blacktop, with a sparkly stage set in the middle for Breaux to hoop on while educating kids about drinking water and staying fit.

Tired kids trooping out from their classrooms after a long Daily Pilot Cup weekend, many wearing their medals still, stopped and gawked at the sight of all the round contraptions.

“Ohhh — I’ve never seen so many hula hoops in all my life!” a child said.

“I want a purple one,” her friend said.

At Breaux’s command, the kids ran across the blacktop to select their preferred color of hoop.

After going over the basics of hooping, the kids learned 25 moves, from disco to the Running Man dance to Egyptian hand movements. They also learned a special peace dance.

John Alaniz, 9, said he’d never hula-hooped before, but he managed to get the hang of it quickly. Some students tried hooping three or more hoops at a time; others tried to emulate Ericson’s professional moves following a presentation of his skills.

Breaux said the cardio activity focuses on the core muscles and organs, and serves to release toxins from the body.

KidTribe makes special hula hoops in a garage that are sized and weighted to make them easier to keep in the air than the flimsy ones found in dollar stores.

“They’re sort of the Cadillac Escalade of hula hoops,” Breaux said.

During the program, kids dance and move to original hip-hop-style music composed by KidTribe that sounds like popular radio mixes, but has empowering lyrics that enforce peace and unity, Breaux said.

Even teachers got into the mix, trying new tricks in what is quickly becoming one of the trendiest workouts nationwide.

Kids will show off their new moves at a hula-hoop competition at the school’s June 12 Spring Fling.

Kids Talk Back

What’s the coolest hula-hoop move you learned today?

“Spinning around.”

Bryanna Perez, 10

?

“Criss-crossing.”

Laisha Aguilar, 9

?

“Disco dancing.”

Esmeralda Perez, 10

?

“I also liked criss-crossing.”

Collette Halloran, 10

?

“The kangaroo move.”