Techswan
Josh Philippi - St Petersburg, FL
Josh Philippi (Techswan) began hooping in 2015 while away at college. Crediting hooping to bringing him out a dark time in his life, he brings both beauty and skill to the art. He's a teacher and a performer, always encouraging others to do their best, try their best, and not be overwhelmed with the hoop. He sees the beauty in others and strives to help you see it too. He teaches over Skype, in person, or at many of the hoop retreats scheduled for the year. Catch him on IG for one of his amazing tutorials!
q & a
Single hoop, double hoops.
I see myself teaching more than performing – but I’d also like to get more opportunities to perform.
I like to fuse tech and flow – I find that most people are either trick-driven or dance-driven, and I find myself smack in the middle for the most part.My goal is to combine both elements in a beautiful way.I think a lot about elements, moods, even other people I want to convey when I move.
I like to practice in private spaces outside – I find myself wanting to perform more when there are people around and this takes away from my deep thought and ability to create and practice tricks I want to get better at.
I discovered hooping while studying music at Florida State University in 2015. Two of my close friends hooped, and I always found myself mesmerized by it. Before I started hooping, I would even have flute/hoop dates with my best friend – we called it Flooping – don’t laugh! Eventually they taught me an isolation, an escalator, a vortex… and I was hooked. I had to stay in school an extra year while all my friends graduated and moved away – the hoop became my best friend. I actually found my flow out of a very dark depression, and the flow arts community truly healed me.
Flow has taught me about perspective, about individuality. You really get to see a variety of personality in the community and how it manifests in each person’s flow. Personally, I find flow to be a form of meditation and healing – I see myself as someone who has used flow as an escape from the everyday and a way to heal my emotional wounds. I try to be a bright light to those in a dark space – every workshop I teach I try to have a talk about persistence and moving forward – this not only breaks that mental cycle of “I’m not good enough” but it also opens for a nice platform for learning.