Ché Rippinger, Hip The Hoopla CHO (Chief Hooping Officer)
Che' Rippinger has been a dancer for the majority of her life and has performed in a variety of styles and settings. Hooping (since 2008) and belly dance (since 2001) have been her most recent training. Lately she's spinning flow wand, poi and even fire! In addition she's an avid yoga advocate with Pilates under her belt. She's studied martial arts and has competed in grappling and weapons divisions, and is a 4th degree black belt in Jeet Kune Do. Ché is certified as a Laughter Yoga Leader and in Hoopnotica teaching, as well.
Che' has taught many walks of life over the years: from kids to adults, beginners to pros, in diverse fields as cartooning, dance, martial arts, writing and marketing. Her positive approach encourages everyone to try, laugh, learn, practice and enjoy!
She's trained with a variety of professional instructors including:
- Eva Cernik (belly dance)
- Rafi'ah (belly dance)
- Rachel Brice (belly dance)
- Ann Dellinger (hoop)
- Danielle Odette (hoop)
- Rainbow Michael (hoop)
- Miss Rosie (hoop)
- Spiral (hoop)
- Rich Porter (hoop)
- Shakti Sunfire (hoop)
- Luna Breeze Blakeman (multiple hoops)
- Nick Guzzardo (acrobatic hoop)
- Jonathan Baxter/Hoop Path (hoop)
- Brecken (hoop)
- Sharna Rose (hoop)
- Gail O'Brien (hoop)
- Hoopalicious/aka Anah Reichenbach (hoop)
- Caterina Suttin (hoops)
- Dustin Hubbel (hoops)
- Hoopnotica (hoop training certification)
- Alien Jon & Pali (poi & flow wand)
- Jim Boz (belly dance)
- Frank Farinaro (belly dance)
- John Compton (belly dance/zills)
- Elizabeth Ashner (belly dance)
- Fuego Fusion (belly dance)
- Phoenix (belly dance)
- Zoe Jakes (belly dance)
- Unmata & Amy Sigil (belly dance)
- Grimm Zimmer (fire fans)
- Onca Leary of Mezmer Society (burlesque, fans & gypsy vocals)
- Princess Farhana (burlesque)
- Clarence Thatch (martial arts)
- Grand Master Pan (martial arts)
- Moyna Silver (aerial fabric dance)
- Molly McClellan (belly dance)
- Souhail Kaspar (doumbek drum)
- Karim Nagi (doumbek drum)
- Bethany Cagle (pole and expressive dance)
- Zack (pole dance)
- and so many more (dance companies, master classes, workshops, etc)!
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Credentials:
Hooping.org Hoopie Video Tutorial Award Winner 2015
Laugher Yoga Leader, Certified 2011
Hoopnotica, Certified 2011
Hip The Hoopla business owner, since 2011
Hoop Dance, since 2008
Belly Dance, since 2001
NIU Dancers, 1984-1988
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Ché's Hooping Story...
In July of 2008, the lovely belly dance instructor and event organizer Elizabeth Ashner put on a fun gig called "Summer Sideshow Circus," complete with a variety of classes and a show. I had a rare Saturday off and the lineup of classes was: burlesque, hooping, aerial, and fire dancing. Who could ask for anything more?!
The aerial gal wasn't able to make it, and we didn't light anything on fire, but learned the safety and choreography. But the hooping...2 hours learning a smorgasbord of tricks with Anne Dellinger Havens of Firefly Hoops.
The hooping motion (with a big, adult-sized hoop) was like getting off of a long train ride. I was feeling that movement sensation for days afterwards. And then I was mindlessly hooping at work--without a hoop! I must have looked pretty silly, but like belly dance, if you can isolate the move, you can hide it well from others who might find you practicing in non-relevant situations.
From that one class, I was hooked. I made first "big-honking" hoops. (I've since purchased and learned how to make professional hoops that work incredibly better than my original heavy huge ones-with better materials.) I practiced hoop dancing on my own for a year. Then I went to Jonathan Baxter's Hoop Path 3-day workshop in Boulder, Colorado, and got serious.
That year, Danielle Odette helped bring in many hoop instructors for workshops at The Boulder Circus. She also created The Spin Summit, Colorado's premiere large multiprop flow camp of worldclass workshops, community flow and performances.
Since then, I've taken a plethora of workshops and have enjoyed meeting and learning from many friends in the "flow" community. And it is such a wonderfully warm and welcoming collective of camaraderie, friendship, performing, learning, and ever-expanding horizons. I'm constantly encountering new emergence's of "spinning" different "props." It's such a creative group-where the imagination is ever growing, constantly morphing and developing.
It gives me the positive feedback and motivation to go successfully forward in all areas of my life.
It's also how I was able to get through my mom getting sick with cancer, taking care of her, losing her, and trying to make it through the overwhelming aftermath of stuff, afterwards.
I have a saying: "Nothing bad can happen when you're inside the hoop." It's a peaceful, healing, meditative, place I can go to, "get my smile on," when life may not be going that way. Hooping has given me peace, happiness, friendships, energy, coordination and a creative outlet for expression--or what I call, "getting my ya-ya's out." (Really important if you have a not so fun job, or other frustrations or life issues.)
I have shared hooping with so many people along my path. My joke is that I can have almost anyone hooping in 10 minutes. And I've even instructed the inebriated (it happens when you're out and about).
People inevitably ask where I teach, so creating Hip The Hoopla was the next logical step on that journey. My company idea of classes, will be expanding to include humorous & inspirational merchandise, instruction to include others who can't make it to the studio for class, and a few other innovative ideas up the sleeve.
Please join me in my quest to make the planet happier and healthier, through hooping!
