DES MOINES - Cassie Beverly, 26, is a music fan you may have seen hula hooping at Iowa concerts and festivals.
What was the first show you ever hula hooped at and why did you do it? The very first one was Yonder Mountain String Band about three years ago. I don't publicly dance, so hooping was my way of grooving. It's how I get into the music. When I have the hoop with me, that's when I can dance.
What kind of music is best for hula hooping? I think it's different for everybody. I love rock 'n' roll, jam, psychedelic music, any of that. I'm a big fan of Led Zeppelin and the Dead. I feel like I'm a little more in touch with the older stuff. I have a playlist on my iPod of all my hooper songs and there's some pretty good variation. I like Joanna Newsom a lot; it's kind of slower. Her songs are my nice, reflective hooping songs.
Do you only hula hoop at outdoor shows? I've done indoor. We've performed at the Des Moines Social Club for art openings, and People's, or sometimes the Val Air. It's a lot nicer outside, you have so much more room. And I'm an outdoor girl, anyway. It's more comfortable. Basically, wherever people will let us hoop, I'll hoop.
Does anyone ever ask you to stop? I follow really good hooper etiquette. I have a set of rules for myself. I try to stay at the back of the crowd and as out of the way as I can. People are usually pretty accommodating.
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