Swampwater Debutante

Just noodling around in the studio for one of the first times since beginning to treat my leg injury. But I liked how it turned out; I’m looking less stupid as time goes on!

I think it’s funny when people say I’m one of their favorite hoopers. I don’t dance quite like anyone else. I’m not very proficient with a lot of tricks. I do more dancing with incidental hoop than hooping with incidental dancing. So when they say this I’m genuinely shocked – what, me? Seriously?

But it is gratifying. You see, singing is something I enjoy and happen to be naturally pretty good at. For me it’s a reflex like breathing. I’d miss it if it were gone, but I think I’d learn how to cope. Probably.

But I love dancing. And I’m not very good at it; I work hard for every blister, bruise, and drop of sweat and at the end of the day all I can say is I am a little less clumsy. A little more sure on my feet. Still, the months I went without hooping made me absolutely miserable. I would hoop a little and it would hurt a lot, and I’d think my stupid injury would never heal and I’d cry.

I go weeks, months, without singing in any performance capacity and it’s fine. But a day or two without hooping and I’m all out of sorts.

With singing, I’m a show pony. With hooping and dancing I’m struggling to express deeply held feelings, to let them spin out as fluidly and beautifully as steam from a kettle. I may not always succeed, but I love every inch of effort it takes for me to try.

The music is “Gold,” from the “Once” motion picture soundtrack. It’s sung by the Irish band Interference.