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Classes

We offer a wide range of classes designed to give you a FULL performative & movement education; encompassing yoga, various forms of dance, flow arts & fire dancing, burlesque, performance coaching and of course hooping, in multiple levels!

Hoops

Handmade, professional hoops for dance and fitness are available through our Etsy shop. Valentina makes each hoop with love! She has been providing hoops for hobbyists and professionals alike since 2008.

Events

Twisted Orbit is the home of professional jugglers, hula-hoopers, stilt walkers, fire dancers, children’s entertainers and circus performers in San Diego – perfect for your wedding, private party or corporate event! You can choose from a wide range of services that can be tailored to your needs.

About

Second-Generation Belly Dancer, Hula Hoop Artist, Fire Dancer and Burlesque Performer. Valentina loves to share her passions with the world through both performance and instruction.

Valentina grew up belly dancing with her mom Leela and their teacher Mesmera from the tender age of 12. During her first Burning Man festival in 2007, she was entranced with the hula hoopers and fire dancers and vowed to learn how to do both! A year of hooping allowed her body confidence to soar and she was inspired to perform Hoop Burlesque. She quickly landed herself on national television, HBO’s “Live Nude Comedy”. In 2015 she married Steve Bags, Hooping.org’s 2013 “Male Hooper of the Year.” Together they formed Twisted Orbit and have since traveled the world performing and teaching. She has also added hoop fabrication, juggling, stilt walking, teaching yoga and large-scale show production to her repertoire.

  • Suhaila Salimpour Level 1 Certified
  • YTT 200hr Certified with CorePower Yoga
  • People’s Choice Belly Dancer of the Universe, 2010
  • Nominated as Fire Hooper of the Year by Hooping.org, 2012
  • First Place in “Best of the Mixed Arts” at ABurlyQ, 2015
  • Competed in Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Debut Category in 2018

ABurlyQ – Albuquerque, NM  • Alternatease – Boston, MA  • Arizona Burlesque Festival – Tucson, AZ • Australian Hoop Convention – Melbourne, Australia • Belly Fusions Festival – Paris, France • Bobbie Burlesque Presents – Los Angeles, CA • Brighton Flow Fest – UK • BurlyCon – Seattle, WA • Burlesque Hall of Fame – Las Vegas, NV • Burning Man – Black Rock City, Nevada • Bustout Burlesque – New Orleans, LA • Byron Bay Hoop Festival – Byron Bay, Australia • Cairo Caravan – Long Beach, CA • Colorado Burlesque Festival – Denver, CO • European Juggling Convention – Almere, 2016 • Fantasia Belly Dance Festival – London, UK • Fern St Circus – San Diego, CA • Fire Drums – Northern California • Fishnet Follies Burlesque Revue – San Francisco, CA • Flame Festival – Georgia • Flow Storm – Texas • Heart & Hoop Dance – Holland • Hollywood Burlesque Festival – Hollywood, CA • Hoop Camp – Santa Cruz, CA • Hoop Convergence – Carborro, NC • Hubba Hubba Revue – San Francisco, CA • In Depth Hoop Retreat – The Big Island, Hawaii • Kinetic Flow Festival – Ohio • Mac Cosmetics – Los Angeles, CA • New Orleans Burlesque Festival • New York Burlesque Festival • Nicaragua tour with Performers Without Borders • Objectify – Australia • Pacific Fire Gathering – Portland, OR • Rendez-v’Hoop Convention – Paris, France • Return to Roots Gathering – Pennsylvania • San Diego International Fringe Festival – Show Producer • Show Me Burlesque Festival – St Louis, MO • Spin Summit – Colorado • Stars of the Orient – Reims, France • Swhoop – Bristol, UK • San Diego Zoo & Safari Park – San Diego, CA • Singapore Grand Prix • Under the Spinfluence – Wellington, NZ • Ursino Buskers Festival – Catania, Sicily • Viva Dallas Burlesque: Cirque du Burlesque – Dallas, Texas

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FAQ

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The larger and heavier, the easier for a beginner! If you are new to hoop dance, you definitely want a Heavy (160psi, 1″ OD) hoop. You want the size to be 38″-42″, depending on your height. Usually you want the hoop to be about as tall as your belly button when its sitting on the ground. So a good way to fnd out your first hoop’s diameter is to measure from the ground to your belly button. I usually suggest a 40″ Heavy hoop for beginners of average height.

As you progress as a hooper you move down in size and weight. The Medium, Light and Super Light hoops are great for off-body hooping on your hands. As you get better, you can use these lighter hoops on your body as well but it takes time and practice.

Those hoops are meant for kids, they are small and light. They move super fast! You want a hoop that is proportional to an adult’s body. Weighted hoops move slow so you can react to them at your speed. As you progress as a hooper, you may want to use lighter hoops. Our handmade hoops are sturdy, durable and sparkly! They are wrapped with special grip tape to help the hoop stay up. The tape sticks to your clothes and skin.

Anything you would wear to a yoga or dance class. Stretchy, cotton, comfortable clothing work well! I like to dance barefoot but sneakers are good for hooping too. In Burlesque class we use character shoes sometimes, please contact Valentina for more info about character shoes.

No, I have hoops to borrow or for purchase in class. For virtual and recorded classes you do need your own. Visit etsy.com/shop/unityhoops to order your hoop today!

It’s changed! Hooping has revolutionized into a new form of exercise and dance. Our handmade hoops available are sure to be a lot easier than the ones from Wham-O!

Sometimes. Bruising on the hands, hips or knees can occur. The more you hoop the more your body will get used to it! Your body will toughen and the bruising will go away. You just gotta hoop!

It helps, but is not a requirement. Anyone can learn to hoop!

Yes, as long as you take the class with him/her. If the child is 12 years old or older, they may attend the class without you.

Not true! Men, women, young and old are all young at heart! I have had 65 year old men and 73 year old women in my classes! And they did great! ANYONE can hoop!

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Testimonials

"Before I took the class I didn't feel very good about my body and I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. I wouldn't say I didn't have confidence or was overly self-conscious, but I also wasn't happy with my body. It took a while at first, but as the weeks went on I started to realize I was becoming incredibly comfortable and content with my body […] So yes, it has been life-changing, it has been empowering, and it was incredibly fun. And I really only have you, Valentina, to thank for that, because there is no way just getting up there and performing would have done this. I think both the way you see yourself and your students and the way you carry yourself played a huge factor in the way I now see and carry myself. It is a relief to be freed from the constant worry about how others perceive me!"
"I love the variety of women taking these classes - all ages, all body types and sizes. It's a beautiful, supportive environment, encouraging everyone to celebrate and love themselves. It's very empowering, and I'm grateful."
"Learning how to fire spin was something that I had never considered before. I think I thought it was either more complicated than it looked and/or I didn't ever think to seek out lessons [….] Anyway, the class showed me that it is not as scary as it looks to spin fire, that I won't catch fire, and that with the right attire/attitude/safety it really is doable. I had a lot of fun and I am really really excited to continue. I even have been practicing on my own and I almost never do that with things I'm learning!"
"Valentina's hoop instruction is the best! She breaks it down so that even those of us who have felt totally uncoordinated our whole lives can get it and find their groove. Hooping has been incredibly empowering. Not only is it fun and great exercise, but I find it rather meditative, too. I've only been at it for six months, but it's already become a go-to cheer me up activity. If I'm feeling down I'll take my hoop for a spin and I feel better almost immediately."

Contact Us

We would love to connect with you! If you have questions about classes, private lessons, private party entertainment or finding the right hoop for you, please call or email us.

Phone No:

858.344.2774

Email:

unityhoopdance@gmail.com

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