By Derek Cornet

Hoop dancers captivating audiences with unique skills

May 26, 2018 | 8:00 AM

The Pre-Cam Community School hoop dancers have been perfecting their moves since September and are now exhibiting their skills with ease.

Beginning at the start of the school year, instructor and retired teacher Glen Watchel said students began dancing with only five hoops before slowing moving up to 21. Once they’ve gotten used to performing with all the hoops, dancers are then given ones which glow in the dark with a blacklight.

“Hoop dancing was a spiritual dance for males only,” Watchel said, adding it originated in New Mexico. “Now it’s evolved into a performance dance. The hoops have four colours: black, red, yellow and white. We teach more the moves than the tradition of it.”

The students most recently demonstrated their skills Friday at Pre-Cam’s Cultural Day, but Watchel added there are three more performances scheduled including one for National Indigenous Peoples Day next month. In previous years, the dancers have also traveled to various schools to show what they do, as well as conduct workshops on how to do it. Considering the students are 11 years old, Watchel said it’s an interesting dynamic to see people so young teaching those in high school.

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Watchel began hoop dancing at Pre-Cam about 18 years ago after he learned it at a teacher’s convention in Saskatoon. He noted he attended the session by accident, but it turned out to be the best one of them all because he’s still instructing it.

“I like the interaction with kids,” Watchel said. “It’s something I have the skills for. I’m still doing it, I will continue to do it and I have grandchildren who I have to pass it on to.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno