CallMeKeeks
Kaneesha Ross-Baird - Edmonton, AB Canada
Photography by: Derek Repchuk
Kaneesha has been hula hooping since 2014 and it’s been a wonderful journey so far. She’s from Edmonton AB and has traveled to various parts of British Columbia and the USA to be a part of music videos and music festival performances.
q & a
I’m mostly into a solid 29″ 3/4 polypro hoop. I used dollar store hoops for the 1st 9 months of my hoop journey to make sure it’s something I could stick with. Then I dove in and bought my first poly. I can use a variety of sizes. I have some mini’s I’ve just began spinning & I’ve also begun the long journey of multiple hoops. I’ve used doubles for about a year and a half. I’m looking to branch out soon. I’d like to give poi a solid shot!
The flow community can literally change the world. We could literally change the world but we need to work together in order to do this. There has been far to many times I’ve come across hula hoopers who don’t have supportive spouses or families. To many hoopers who are in competition with one another. To many hoopers who are afraid of their mistakes. I do my best to uplift everyone I can. I’ve held hula hoop giveaways online. The 1st one was called the “HooperBlooperGiveaway” and all contestants needed to do to enter was to post a video of their mistakes. This was brought to light when I had an influx of people commenting on my posts saying I never make mistakes. Far from the truth, my hoop has caused me more nose bleeds and black eyes then I can count, as long as you pick that hoop back up and keep trying then you can achieve anything. The 2nd one was called the “FlowForYourSelfie” challenge. I just wanted people to pick any picture they felt beautiful in and post it. This was because one of my followers said her boyfriend told her she looked ugly in a picture she had taken with her hoop and that was just the unacceptable. I want to do amazing things for the hoop community.
Currently I practice at my house. Usually on my front yard, this helped me get over the initial fear of hula hooping in front of people. I enjoy hooping and practicing pretty much anywhere outside. I live in Canada so it’s freezing here in the winter time. I’m working towards having an area to practice in for the winter months so that I can keep working on my skills instead of just not hooping for 4-5 months straight. I do my best to hoop in my house but, I don’t own my house and the roof and my T.V have taken a beating from when I 1st started to learn.
I’ve been dancing and performing since I was 9 years old. I took a pretty big break from performing when I turned 12. Now of course I had played with hula hoops before but it was the summer of 2013 when I really found a passion for it. I was at a music festival called Boonstock. One of my friends who was camping with me bought a few plastic hula hoops from the dollar store. After multiple attempts I managed to keep it up on my hips. Me and my friends we’re just wandering around when I saw a girl with an LED hoop. She let me try it which was amazing of her. Then she showed me a bunch of cool moves. I’ll never forget that moment. I literally told myself “give me 12 months and I’ll figure out how to do that” I never got her name and I regret that because she will never know how greatly she impacted my life and changed it for the better.
Being part of the flow community has changed my life in so many different ways. When I 1st picked up a hoop I would have never imagined my life the way it is now. We can literally change the world. Right now currently I do have something called scoliosis. It is an curvature in my spine that causes an arch in my back. When I was about 13 I was diagnosed. I tried yoga, physiotherapy, working out & nothing worked. Eventually I had to stop doing a ton of my favorite activities because my back just couldn’t take the pressure. Since I picked up my hoop my mobility is 1000 times better. And the main thing is the hoop doesn’t just help with physical ailments. I’ve heard multiple people who tell me their hoops we’re not only a gateway to loosing weight but also helped with their anxiety. Being part of the flow community has really opened my eyes to the fact that I am not alone. There are millions and millions of other people who are facing problems and issues in their lives and our hoops help us get through everything. Hooping and the hoop community has really helped me grasp the fact that anything is possible.