Caikachu
Casey Gottlieb - Appleton, WI
Casey was born in Los Angeles, CA and currently resides in Appleton, WI. He's a hooper, a dapper business-man, and a ‘metalhead’ all wrapped into one. He enjoys the little things in life – like coffee, sunshine & sarcasm. His hobbies include binge-watching nature documentaries, crafting pointless nicknacks, and being over-the-top. He also loves swimming in the ocean, long-boarding and playing the ukulele.
q & a
I bought my first hula hoop almost 4 years ago, but didn’t really dedicate my time to it until about 2 years ago. So when I’m asked, I always tell people I’ve been hooping for 2 years on a consistent basis. I also enjoy using other props, such as the wand, buugeng, or anything that I can set on fire! My passion, however, is within my circles. I specialize in single hoop flow, whether it’s with a day hoop, LED hoop, or fire hoop. I’ve started to expand my interest into multiple hoop flow as well.
Energetic and powerful, yet graceful and windy. I like to use tech, but I also like to get glitchy & squiggly. I’ve recently been trying to draw my inspiration from hip hop dance, circus arts & belly dancing.
Living in the Midwest, I’m obviously limited to certain spaces during the cold Winter months. I also tend to work a lot – making my living room my favorite flow space. I’ve essentially converted my living room & backyard to my personal hoop areas! During the warmer months, I really enjoy bringing my props to local parks, downtown, and really anywhere with inspiring surroundings.
I went to my first festival about 4 years ago and I saw a girl hooping in the crowd. I was immediately captivated & mesmerized by her flow, so I decided I’d give it a shot. I bought a couple hoops from Walmart, emptied the water, & duct-taped them together. I spent a year or so practicing with it, but not as often as I would have hoped. About 2 years ago, I made a commitment to enhance my skills and practice on a more regular basis. I believe that is when I started to develop a flow – and since then, the flow arts have consumed my life in all the best ways!
As a child, I struggled with accepting myself for who I am. I was always the kid picked last in gym class & picked on for not being the traditional ‘manly’ man. I also struggled, and continue to struggle with depression, anxiety, and self-confidence. I believe that the flow arts has completely changed my life for the better. I’m no longer afraid to put myself out there, accepting myself for who I am, and my confidence has increased significantly. Specifically, I believe the positive feedback I’ve received has changed my mindset and makes me an all-around better person. I think the flow community can impact any and every person what wants to be a part of it, in a positive way. When you involve yourself in the flow arts, you automatically gain friendships and allies that you would never expect. Kids especially, can be impacted the most. I’m always so happy to see that children are my biggest fans at performances, and I like to think that I inspire the next generation to become the best people that they can be, and open their minds to believe they can be whoever they want to be.