Meet the Performers!

Valentina (Unity)

The Hoop Unit is Valentina's ever-evolving project. Valentina has been belly dancing with her Mom, Leela and her mentor Mesmera since she was 12 years old. Adding Hoop Dance, Fire & Burlesque happened after her first visit to Burning Man. She has always dreamed of creating a collaborative fusion performance group, and it has finally come true! Valentina's mission is to constantly push the boundaries of performance art by melting diverse forms of expression into one! Valentina is a talented hoop fabricator as well as choreographer, costume designer and troupe leader. Do you want to be apart of The Hoop Unit? Email Valentina to find out how: unitydances@gmail.com

Aesha

Aesha first saw Hoop Dancing at the Burning Man festival a few years back, and fell in love with the grace and beauty she saw in the dancers. It was then that she decided to pursue hoop dancing for herself. She went through the teacher training through Hoopnotica, and has been teaching and hoop dancing ever since. Aesha also has an advanced degree in Holistic health and yoga instruction.

Salomé

There is an old Greek proverb that says 'The heart that knows love will always be young. Salomé believes that the soul that knows dance will always be beautiful. She is a vivacious dancer with a passion for expressive dance, beautiful costumes, eclectic music, and all things sparkly. Salomé's dance is a fusion of styles, and her costuming reflects her unique sense of artistry and design.

Heidi

Heidi started with ballet and tap dance as a child and in high school was introduced to flags and glowstringing/poi.  Shortly thereafter, she saw hooping, although she did not begin to learn hoop dance until 2008 from Valentina. Now she uses all her experience in these dance and art forms in her performances with The Hoop Unit.

 Allison

Allison began hooping in January 2009 after seeing Unity hoop at a party. She quickly became obsessed and found her flow. Hooping has become her main creative and spiritual outlet and helps keep the child in her alive, always allowing plenty for play time and dress up opportunities. Allison's creative arts and musical theater background have made it a natural transition into The Hoop Unit. She considers herself lucky to participate and showcase her talent in such a spectacular group of women!

Harmony

Harmony has been studying and performing dance for 14 years, focusing primarily on Middle Eastern, Tribal fusion style with a prior background in Cabaret.  She incorporates various other styles including West African, East Indian, Sufi, yoga and most recently burlesque and hoop dance.  She offers her dance as a creative prayer to awaken divine consciousness and raise the frequency of compassion on the planet.

Cassie

I love the diversity of being in The Hoop Unit. It offers many forms of expression. Dance has been a part of my spiritual path for many years and it continues with this troupe. When dance is a passion one cannot stop, so even though I am the "grandma in the troupe". I feel very accepted. Unity inspires me with her vision and dedication to pursuing her dream, which I am happy to be a part of. I was an original member of the Urban Tribal Dance Company for 4 1/2 years and have performed in numerous shows. I was part of Terpsichore in Veils  for an award winning performance at the Wiggles Competition in 2007.

Tina

Tina began playing with flow toys and fire in the electronic music scene in California. She attended a music festival in New Orleans 3 years ago and saw a booth selling hoops. She was instantly mesmermized by the hoop and hoop dance. She bought a hoop and didn't put it down for the entire weekend.  Since then Tina has continued with hoop dance and began performing with The Hoop Unit in the Fall of 2009.  She enjoys the comradery of the troupe as well as the opportunity to improve her hooping, dance and performance skills.

Sarah

Sarah Edgar studied martial arts for ten years before beginning dance in high school.  There she learned a fusion of ballet, modern dance, and jazz while participating in color guard.  Two years ago she began taking belly dancing lessons to fulfill her need for dance, performance and creativity.  After a year of belly dancing she saw Valentina perform at Arabia Exotica and immediately fell in love with hooping. Now she also performs fire and burlesque in The Hoop Unit, finding it the perfect union for her color guard, belly dance and martial arts skills.

Heather

Haethra began belly dancing approximately three years ago after she saw a girl perform a beautiful veil-fan dance at the Escondio Renaissance Faire. She tracked her down and began taking lessons from her and has continued belly dancing ever since, joining the troupe Alioth Lotus. About a year later, she met Valentina at the Arabesque Bellydance Competition and saw her do a belly-hoop fusion, and after talking to her decided to begin to learn hoop dance as well. After some time of taking hoop lessons, Valentina asked her to join The Hoop Unit and Haethra has been dancing with them ever since!

Kiana

Kiana was born and raised in San Diego, CA, with a culturally diverse upbringing that inspired her unique approach to dance. Although she has been performing all of her life, she was never formally trained in one particular style of dance. Not until 2006 did she truly begin to enrich her life by exploring various dance forms such as belly dance, salsa, and those traditionally performed by the natives of Peru. Kiana was quick to grasp the nuances of each style, and even quicker to fall in love with dance as a whole, which she reverently refers to as an "expression of the soul." In 2008, while living in Mexico, she was introduced to the use of the hula hoop as an integral prop, which has taken her productions to soaring new levels. Kiana integrates her natural grace, passed on from her Father's life in Hawaii; rhythm, inherited from her Peruvian Mother; and interpretation of her own life's story to create a surely mesmerizing, incomparable performance.

 Avarra

(Bio coming soon)