Newsletter

Being an ICC Admin

As we grow to almost 13,000 members, Infinite Circles will be adjusting the guidelines and looking for new admins.

In addition to everything a group member can do, a group admin can:

 Edit the group description, tags, and settings

 Add more members to the group

 Remove abusive posts and remove or block members

This is a very technical description of what admins on Facebook do. The admins at Infinite Circles take extra steps to consider the atmosphere and health of the group. All our representatives are held to a professional standard as a helper and role model in the community. Admins for ICC volunteer 3 hours a week, during which the tasks vary wildly.

Each week an admin will add hundreds of interested flow artists to the community. Every new member must be personally greeted by an IC Admin and shown the community guidelines, which highlight our two rules. This builds a unique relationship and if you remember the admin that welcomed you, they will usually be the first you look to when there is a problem.

Other volunteer hours go to watching the newsfeed. Not hard, as most of us already spend a chunk of time doing just that, but admins must look carefully. Preventing spam, scammers, and abusive interactions are the priority. Hundreds of spam accounts try to break into Infinite Circles every day to spread junk around the group. Most of them are screened out before ever being accepted. The few that make it, are quickly banned when their true intentions become clear. People who try to abuse the group by scamming or harassing its members are also buffered by the admin team. When searching for new community admins we look for people with strong skills in conflict resolution and logical thinking. High-stress situations are rare, but they do happen.

For these tedious aspects there are plenty of rewards. Directly aiding in the growth of the community, supporting all members with helpful advice and guidance, finding solutions when there appear to be none, and experiencing the daily inspiration in Infinite Circles can send you to bed at night smiling.

VIDEOS • ART • PHOTOS • STORIES

So much happens every single day in our fast paced community that it’s hard to keep up. It’s posi- tively tragic to think of the lost knowledge and inspiration that Facebook has consumed over time. This section aspires to be a small reimbursement of that knowledge. Check out all the cool stuff you may have missed:

••• Prodigy Smart Hoops

Exciting things are being offered by the new company Prodigy Hoops. Of special interest are the Protégé and Tesla smart hoops.

None of the hoops have been posted for sale but the community is buzzing about the amazing new features. Both hoops boast incredible stats and we look forward to seeing reviews from the first customers in coming months.

Follow the shop on Facebook: facebook.com/prodigyprops Join the discussion in the Prodigy group: facebook.com/groups

The Hoop Art of Cosmic Charlie

Chuck Pagel is an artist from the south Chicago suburbs who uses acrylic paint to depict landscapes, cosmic , and impressions of magic. On large canvases he combines different elements that are both traditional and psychedelic. While originals are typically not for sale, poster and canvas prints are available and commissions will be considered.

Follow the artist on Facebook: facebook.com/CosmicCharlieArt

2016 Hoopie Awards

Submissions are now open for the 9th annual Hoopie Awards! Your votes for the awards consideration are now being accepted on Hooping.org until 11:59 pm PST on Friday, January 15th, 2016.

There are over 30 categories for recognizing the amazing members of our huge community.

Follow the award process on Facebook: facebook.com/hoopingdotorg

The Seattle Fire Petition

With out the attention of the Fire Arts community a rule proposed by the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) would have unfavorably regulated Art in Seattle effective January 1, 2016. The proposed law held many concerns for the local fire community including: age restrictions, unreasonable permit prices, and a ban on Coleman’s camp fuel. All of which would have drastic impacts on the local fire scene.

Hayden, of Hayden Spins , is a talented 9 year old prop artist from Seattle who participates in local fire jams regularly. When he and his parents discovered that the new law would keep Hayden from spinning fire for 7 years they created a petition. “Seek Community Input Before Restricting Fire Performance Art in Seattle” garnered 1,399 signatures and an interview with the local news.

Hayden Spins Poi

Thanks to this amazing community outreach, the Seattle Fire Department suspended the law and agreed to discuss terms with the Fire Arts community.

The Seattle Fire Arts Alliance was created to represent professional (paid) fire performers as well as hob- byists. The SFAA and the SFD will meet at the end of January to discuss changes to the proposed rule.

If you are a resident of Seattle you can show your support by showing up when the public meeting is scheduled. If you are not local you can still show your support by signing the petition here: http://chn.ge/1NGNlOb

If you want to keep up on the latest updates from SFAA you can follow them here: www.facebook.com/SeattleFireArtsAlliance

#ICHoopers

We are pleased to announce a new treat for our members using Instagram!

From now on any photos tagged with #ICHooper will automatically be uploaded to a photo gallery on the community fan page.

Follow your fan page: facebook.com/infinitecirclescommunity

First You Take a Concept..

“Start simple, make it difficult.”

youtube.com/watch?v=_X5wkF7zWtk

Willow Solow has just released the 3rd installment of this concept series. His videos brilliantly demonstrate how one can master any technique. A must-see for all prop spinners.

TUTORIALS ARTICLES

Single Hoop Tutorial | The Outside Escalator Hula Hoop History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHHAwZ2SR38 http://www.hooping.org/hula-hoop-history/

Beginner Double Hooping and Drills How to Make a Great Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVYMD5Wdbp0 http://infinitecircles.org/tutorials/make-great-hoop-tutorial/

Leg Hooping Stage Fright Solutions for Hoopers https://youtu.be/9cNRafdR4uE http://bit.ly/1Kfk5qQ

Balance to Body Roll The Ultimate Guide for Pricing Your Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c2Xo1u3Ots http://bit.ly/1URvrad

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Festivals and Retreats

Out of Season

Workshops

Hoop Research January 31 Stockholm, Sweden https://www.facebook.com/events/1651554705113041/

Creative Folding February 14 Brandon, Florida https://www.facebook.com/events/201057413563405/

Disconnected Flow February 15 TBA https://www.facebook.com/events/1725892214314170/

Contests & Sponsorships

EDC Ticket Giveaway June 1 EDC Las Vegas https://gleam.io/GSEj1/edc-las-vegas-2016-giveaway

Insta LED Giveaway Details on IG @Shelledhoops https://www.facebook.com/shelled.hoops/

Morph LED Giveaway 8,500 Likes JAMHoops http://on.fb.me/1URC64o

Props & Apparel Giveaway TBA Flowtogenic Props https://www.facebook.com/flowtogenic

If you would like your contest or sponsorship to be featured in the next community newsletter please message us at:

[email protected]. Shops must have a 5 star Etsy rating and a substantial sales history.

If you are interested in joining the ICC Admin team please send us an e-mail.

Special thanks to the amazing members of Infinite Circles, and the too few featured in this letter.

Did we miss anything? Do you have suggestions or helpful feed back?

See our e-mail below.

Thank you for your time, and see you next month!

Photo pro- vided by

What do You do? By Sydney Quick

Follow the Infinite Circles community fan page on Facebook to see daily snap shots from the group. https://www.facebook.com/infinitecirclescommunity If you would like to help with next months Infinite Circles newsletter reach our team at: [email protected] & goo.gl/forms/oN6lvNQwha