Why Surprise! is So Cool

Surprise! (aka Katie Desmond) has been spreading her love and joy of hooping for over six years. A California native, she has wowed audiences across the United States with her campy, fun and theatrical style of hoop and fire dance. In 2009, she was nominated for Fire Hooper of the Year by Hooping.org. Katie is a licensed HoopGirl Level 1 teacher who believes that she can teach anyone to hoop.

Katie is a member of the fire dance troupe Dance Afire, a collective of professional artists and dancers who have come together to develop and promote the practice of accentuating the art of movement with the rich and beautiful spectacle of fire. Dance Afire offers a unique and unforgettable performance element that can be worked into any event. From light atmospheric movement to driven center-stage choreography, Dance Afire's interested in finding how dance and fire can be woven into your event.

Katie's previous performance troupes have included Solar Flare, The Bad Kitties, Los Suenos Del Fuego, and Bomtribe all based out of San Francisco, CA.

For nearly a decade, Katie has investigated movement through object manipulation (including hoop, poi, and staff), yoga and dance. Katie  often credits the inspiration and teaching of several fabulous Hoop Stars including Baxter and Ann (The HoopPath), Christabel Zamour and Candice Shutter (HoopGirl), Diana Lopez (Body Hoops), Miss Rosie (Hero Hoops), Michele Clark, and Brecken Rivera.  Katie also studied poi dance at the Temple of Poi with "GlitterGirl" Isa Isaacs, and learned to staff dance from Andres Amador (IK)and Noel Yee (Vulcan Crew). Katie has studied yoga with Leslie Howard, Jonathan Reynolds and Chrissy Carter. Katie is a Licensed Level 1 HoopGirl Teacher, and also completed the first ever teacher training from BodyHoops in 2004. Katie is in the process of a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program through YogaWorks. Katie also studied Thai Massage at the Sunshine Network in Northern Thailand.

In addition to countless performances at clubs and private events, Katie has performed at the following events:

  • FloydFest, Floyd, Virginia
  • All Good Music Festival, West Virginia
  • Taste of DC, Washington, DC
  • Artomatic!, Washington, DC
  • Vixen Variety Show, Washington, DC
  • Tilted Torch, Washington, DC
  • The Weirdo Show, Washington, DC
  • Flights of Fire, Washington, DC
  • Belly Horror Show, Washington, DC
  • VirginFest, Washington, DC
  • Temple of Poi Expo, San Francisco, CA
  • Santa Clara County Fair, Santa Clara, CA (as part of the Mutaytor)
  • Fire Arts Festival, Oakland, CA
  • Fire Arts Expo, San Francisco, CA