Techswan
Josh Philippi - St Petersburg, FL
Photo Credits: Bailey Elle Photography
Josh Philippi (Techswan) began hooping in 2015 while away at college. Crediting hooping to bringing him out of 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 has taught in person, online, and at many of the hoop retreats around the US and internationally.
q & a
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.
Single hoop, double hoops.
Being a member of the flow community has had a big impact on my approach to hoopmaking and working at Moodhoops. Sometimes it almost feels like I’m making hand-made gifts for my friends, and honestly, a lot of the time I am! Being a super perfectionist already, I try to make every prop as if it were my own, and that helps me keep a very high standard that doesn’t waver.
I look up to other hoopmakers and have learned so much just from owning hoops from many other companies and adopting the things I like from each one. I want to encourage the growth of some of these more niche props, like the shape hoops, the star hoop, etc. and make them accessible and high-quality, and easy to use. I hope to be a positive contribution to the hoopmaking space and to the flow community as a whole. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and ways to make hooping more exciting, not just for the community, but for me!
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 would say I was originally inspired by watching color guard in high school. Anything that combines highly technical skill and expressive movement like that piques my interest.
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.
In finding my own flow, I’ve realized that you can learn a lot about someone by the way they move and express themselves. Movement has helped me lean into who I am and manifest in physical form how I want others to perceive me. It’s really taught me how to feel comfortable in my own body, and helped grow my confidence.
My playful creative itch – hooping has always served as a massive outlet for creation and exploring possibilities in the most playful way. It stimulates my brain and body in a way I can’t fully explain.
Flow arts has definitely helped me feel better connected to myself. I was a bit lost in life when I discovered hula hooping, and it kickstarted a lot of self discovery and self improvement. Flow arts also has connected me with a massive community, both online and in person, and many of these people have become some of my best friends.
I see myself teaching more than performing – but I’d also like to get more opportunities to perform.
The star! I’m in love with the star shape, and it’s everywhere in my life recently. It also symbolizes so many things. I’m so happy to have brought star hoops to moodhoops ~ they are so fun and I’m so glad other people like them as much as I do.
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.
