Stacey "Firefly" Guard (in hat) didn't twirl a hula hoop around her hips until she was 40 years old. Now, at 43, she leads classes in choreographed hoop dancing and is asked to perform at festivals and community events on a monthly basis. Guard, a self-identified "hoop missionary," founded the RVA Hoop Lovers as a way for nimble Richmonders to find each other and "spread the hoop love," she says. The group offers donation-based classes in dance and yoga for beginners to advanced hoopsters. "It makes you feel like a kid again," Guard says. Find details at rvahooplovers.org.
