Signal Hill Elementary School students and staff expressed much gratitude and appreciation to the 2010 Legacies Now and Diana Billy from the group “First Nations Gathering” for facilitating the recent Art of Hoop Dance workshop with Alex Wells.

The school recently had the great honour of having Alex, internationally recognized world champion hoop dancer from the Lil’wat Nation, work with Grade 7s in a small workshop setting. He emphasized the importance of respect of the cultural teachings that go along with being a hoop dancer.

Alex, a natural-born teacher, really set the pace with the kids, taking them through a step-by-step hoop dance practice. The Grade 7s were introduced to the fast-paced challenges of working with the technical aspects of the hoop, including very intricate footwork and focused dance routines.

Although the hoop dance does not originate from the Lil’wat Nation, Alex has made the dance his own and enjoys teaching the youth of the school community about healthy choices and healthy lifestyles. Alex first learned to hoop dance when he was 13 years old. Now he has travelled the world to share the dance and through hard work, dedication and listening to his teachers, he has made dance his career and life.

The Grade 7s got the message that learning to dance takes much practice to master the skills. These qualities are good to have no matter where you go in life and SHES students and staff look forward to the next time Alex comes to share with the students of Signal Hill Elementary and perhaps inspire the next world champion hoop dancer!