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Marawa Ibrahim

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Performer Marawa the Amazing holds a microphone and smiles while sitting in a [[Director's chair]]. Her hair is pulled back and she is wearing a red outfit with red lips and long, dangling earrings.
Marawa the Amazing speaks during the premiere of the Lucha VaVoom documentary on 17 October 2018.

Marawa (née Ibrahim, formerly Wamp), stage name Marawa the Amazing, is an Australian-born performer, athlete, and author. She has held 12 different Guinness World Records, but is best known for holding the record for the most simultaneous twirling hula hoops, having spun 200.[1]

Career

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In 2007, Ibrahim began performing her hula hoop act with La Clique, a variety show that included cabaret, burlesque, and circus performances.[2][3]

Later in 2008, Ibrahim went on to perform the role of Josephine Baker in the show Désir, a Spiegelworld production.[4] She played the role for six months,[5] earning a positive review from the New York Times: "A banana-skirted virtuoso of the Hula-Hoop named Marawa Ibrahim blissfully reincarnates Josephine Baker as channeled by Betty Boop."[4] Ibrahim then continued performing with La Clique,[6] and eventually joined other La Clique cast members to perform in La Soirée's inaugural season in London in 2010. Also in 2010, Ibrahim performed in the Marisa Carnesky stage show Dystopian Wonders, where Ibrahim climbed a ladder of swords barefoot, recreating an act popularized by Koringa in the 1930s.[7]

Ibrahim then created a solo show, Exotica, that she performed in the 2011 Jacksons Lane Postcards Festival.[8] The solo show covered a history of exoticism in women and performance, including such women as: Saartjie Baartman, Josephine Baker, Koringa, and Yma Sumac.[9] Each act was based on one of the featured women and Ibrahim's circus skills, which included: trapeze, hoops, the ladder of swords, high-heeled skates, dance of the seven veils, and a watermelon on her stomach getting sliced in half.[9]

In 2012, Ibrahim launched a U.K.-based hula hoop troupe—the Majorettes—and performed with them at the London Olympics.[5][10][11] Ibrahim and the group have been credited as helping repopularize hula hooping.[12] While in London, Ibrahim also held her weekly hula hoop class Hoola Schoola, and taught and performed with the Majorettes.[9][11]

Ibrahim performed with her hula hoops and skates in Lucha VaVoom and appeared in the 2018 documentary Lucha VaVoom Inside America's Most Outrageous Show.[13] Other notable performances of Ibrahim's include hooping on stage with Toddla T and performing regularly with Major Lazer at London's annual Notting Hill Carnival; she has also starred in music videos for Chilly Gonzales and Eliza Doolittle.[9]

In 2019, Ibrahim premiered her own circus show, Quality Novelty, at Adelaide Fringe.[1] The group of novelty acts included juggling popcorn pieces in the performer's mouth, a performer spinning 100 hula hoops, and a performer skating while whipcracking.[14]

Skating

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Comparison of the quad skates Marawa created in collaboration with Impala Skates. The rose gold skate (left) has a traditional sized 4cm heel, the orange skate (right) has an 8cm high heel.

Roller skating has held a prominent role in Ibrahim's career. For instance, a notable early feature was at the 2008 Sydney Mardi Gras where Ibrahim roller-skated onstage while Olivia Newton-John sang a ten-minute version of the theme from Xanadu.[15]

Ibrahim is particularly known for skating in high-heeled roller skates. The initial design of "Heels on Wheels" was created by Hannah Havana, which Ibrahim then commissioned a functional pair for her personal use.[16][17] One of Ibrahim's world records was set using a pair of skates using customized high-heels by British shoe designer Terry de Havilland.[18]

In 2022, Ibrahim collaborated with the brand Impala to create the first commercially available high-heeled roller skate.[19] Ibrahim had previously collaborated with the brand on a popular rose-gold roller skate design in 2019.[20][21]

Other work

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Ibrahim's book The Girl Guide was published in 2018 by HarperCollins and illustrated by Sinem Erkas.[22] The book is geared towards preteen girls navigating puberty and discusses a variety of topics including body image, menstruation, bras, eating and exercise, meditation, gender identity and expression, moods, and more.[22] Ibrahim incorporates personal stories⁠—including menstrual leaks, a yeast infection, and chafed thighs⁠—to help normalize the events for young readers and provide encouragement.[22] The book's illustrations include cut-paper illustrations of a variety of vulvas and a photo of Ibrahim with makeup on only half her face to demonstrate the power of makeup and Photoshop.[22]

Ibrahim owns a gear shop, I Want to Go to Paradise.[23] Ibrahim also runs Hooper Market in East London, where hula hoop supplies can be purchased and where she and The Majorettes practice and offer lessons.[11][24]

Television appearances

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Ibrahim has competed in four different Got Talent shows, namely: America's Got Talent, Arab's Got Talent, Australia's Got Talent, and Britain's Got Talent. Ibrahim was a semi-finalist in both Britain's Got Talent and Arab's Got Talent,[25] competing in the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2011[26] and Arab's Got Talent in 2015.[25] There were 300 million live viewers during Ibrahim's run on Arab's Got Talent,[27] and one of her performances included a burning hula hoop.[25]

World records

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Ibrahim holds the current record for most simultaneous twirling hula hoops at 200 hoops.[23] This was her fourth time breaking the record.[28] Three of the hoops rely on the use of her long middle fingernail to provide extra length when her arms are outstretched to the side.[23]

Ibrahim holds the record for the fastest 100 metres travelled in high-heeled skates.[29] She also holds the records for the fastest 100 metres on roller skates while spinning three hula hoops and the longest duration on high-heeled roller skates while spinning three hula hoops.[5][30] Additional records of Ibrahim's include the farthest distance on high-heeled roller skates while spinning eight hula hoops, the fastest mile while hula hooping, and the most hula hoops spun while suspended from the wrists.[5][30][31]

With the Majorettes, Ibrahim achieved the record for the most hula hoops spun by a group of 10; they set the record in 2013, spinning 264 hoops.[11] They also hold the record for the most passes of a hula hoop by the feet in one minute by a team of 8, by passing 26 hoops on 3 September 2017.[32]

Personal

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Born the oldest of four children to a Somali father and Australian mother, Ibrahim grew up in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Middle East.[33] The family eventually moved to the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell.[34] Ibrahim moved to the United Kingdom in 2007, then eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2016.[3][35]

Education

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Ibrahim has roller skated since the age of two.[23] She studied rhythmic gymnastics as a child, which is where she first hula hooped.[36] Ibrahim attended Strathcona Girls Grammar,[34] then studied social science at university before switching to a degree in circus arts.[37] She specialized in swinging trapeze and graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree from Melbourne's National Institute of Circus Arts.[33][38]

References

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  1. ^ a b Howard, Jane (22 February 2019). "Marawa the Amazing: how one woman with 200 hula hoops became a teen girl guru". the Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  2. ^ Mattarelli, Vito (29 October 2007). "La Clique | The Famous Spiegeltent". AustralianStage. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Hoops spring eternal: Marawa Wamp launches pop-up shop". Hackney Citizen. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b Brantley, Ben (18 August 2008). "Liaisons Dangereuses and Bodies Acrobatic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Houle, Erika (17 April 2020). "Chasing Infinity With a World Record-Breaking Hula Hooper". ssense. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ "La Clique extends London run". Official London Theatre. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Dystopian Wonders". carnesky.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Marawa The Amazing: Exotica". Sideshow Circus Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Butchart, Amber (18 September 2013). "Witness the Fitness: Meet Marawa the Amazing". VICE. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  10. ^ "MARAWA – THE LADY OF THE RINGS!". 8article Magazine. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Selvin, Rachel (6 December 2016). "Meet Marawa's Majorettes — London's Chicest Hula-Hooping Sisterhood". Yahoo!Life. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  12. ^ Scott, Alec (July 2018). "The Iconic Hula Hoop Keeps on Rolling". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  13. ^ Patrick, Sean (31 October 2018). "Movie Review: 'Lucha VaVoom Inside America's Most Outrageous Show'". Geeks. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  14. ^ Makonnen, Hannah (13 April 2021). "The Perfect Storm: Marawa's life on wheels". Teeth Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. ^ "How This Professional Circus Performer Learned to Shake Off Rejection". Oprah.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Marawa the Amazing | High heels skater | High heeled skates". Creative Fabrications. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Heels on Wheels". www.garudiostudiage.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  18. ^ superselected (11 September 2014). "Hula Hoop Specialist Marawa The Amazing Lands A Spot in the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records – SUPERSELECTED – Black Fashion Magazine Black Models Black Contemporary Artists Art Black Musicians". Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Impala x Marawa Release the First-of-its-Kind High Heel Skate". Shop Eat Surf. Emerald X. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  20. ^ "How Do You Roll? Marawa". Rollerskate Shop. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  21. ^ Luckhurst, Phoebe (13 August 2020). "Why 2020 Is The Summer Of Rollerskating". British Vogue. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  22. ^ a b c d "THE GIRL GUIDE". Kirkus Reviews. 19 February 2018.
  23. ^ a b c d Spurrell, Megan (24 May 2021). "Our Favorite Roller Skaters on Everything Beginners Need to Know". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  24. ^ Blake, Elissa (22 December 2012). "The spin doctor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b c Khalaf, Hala (21 February 2015). "11-year-old Mohammed Al Sheikh wins hearts on Arabs Got Talent". The National. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  26. ^ Nott, George (13 July 2011). "Get in a spin with Marawa The Amazing". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Marawa the Amazing's mission to inspire young girls". 7NEWS. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  28. ^ Mah, Sheena (16 December 2021). "MEJURI AND MARAWA THE AMAZING RELEASES A NEW HEIRLOOM RING". Holr Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  29. ^ Cooper, Leonie (28 January 2019). "How London Embraced Rollerskating". Time Out London. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  30. ^ a b Guinness World Records (2017). Guinness World Records 2018: Meet our Real-Life Superheroes. Guinness World Records. ISBN 978-1910561720.
  31. ^ "Most hula hoops spun whilst suspended from the wrists". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Most passes of a hula hoop by the feet in one minute (team of 8)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Hoops-a-daisy! Marawa puts Big Apple in a spin". The Age. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Strathcourier Winter 2018". Issuu. 17 July 2018. p. 23. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  35. ^ Local Stories (30 May 2019). "Meet Marawa Wamp". Voyage LA Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  36. ^ Roosblad, Shomara (16 June 2014). "Marawa Wamp". Vogue Italia. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  37. ^ Norton, Siobhan (18 September 2017). "How hula hooping has come full circle for keeping fit". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  38. ^ Leveille, David (6 May 2014). "There are risks, and rewards for a life in the circus". The World. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
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