Anna Fisher is an internationally recognised circus artist and hula hoop specialist who has spent more than fifteen years redefining what the hoop can do. Born and raised on the wild North-West coast of Tasmania, she grew up inside youth circus from the age of eight — performing in annual productions for a decade before moving to Melbourne at seventeen to train at one of the world’s leading circus institutions. Today she is based in Germany and performing at Palazzo Wien in Vienna, widely praised as one of the most technically accomplished and artistically distinctive hoop artists working anywhere in the world.

Anna grew up on Tasmania’s wild North-West coast — one of the most remote and beautiful corners of Australia — immersed in youth circus from the age of eight. She performed in annual productions and regular gigs for a full decade, discovering early that hoops, above all the other apparatus she trained, were where her heart lived.

At seventeen, she made the move to Melbourne to pursue serious training at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), completing her Certificate III and IV in Circus Arts while simultaneously finishing high school. From the beginning, she refused to separate artistic ambition from academic rigour — she would later also complete a degree in Psychological Sciences.

“I grew up immersed and enthralled in youth circus since I was about 8 years old. It was during this time I began hula hooping and it quickly became one of my favourite specialties. Gradually I drifted away from my other circus disciplines and now strictly train my absolute passion — hula hoops.”

The hunger for deeper hoop knowledge took her to the European Juggling Convention, where she encountered the breadth of what the hoop could become. It was the beginning of an international trajectory that would eventually take her to every inhabited continent.

In 2018, Anna joined forces with her brother to co-direct and produce their own original work — PHAT CAB CLUB — a passion project built around their shared love for cabaret, high-quality specialist circus, and pop culture. It was a creative leap: from performing other people’s visions to building an entirely new one from scratch.

The gamble paid off spectacularly. PHAT CAB CLUB won the overall Best Circus award at Perth Fringe World Festival in 2019, and went on to sell out runs at both Perth and Adelaide Fringe in 2020. The show is a demonstration of Anna’s philosophy in its purest form: that hula hoops belong on the world stage, not as a novelty act but as a genuine art form capable of anchoring a full production.

“In 2018 I premiered my own co-directed and produced work PHAT CAB CLUB, which went on to receive the overall Best Circus award at Perth Fringe World Festival in 2019 and had sold out shows in Perth and Adelaide Fringe in 2020.”

Anna’s relationship with NICA — the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, the same institution where she trained as a teenager — came full circle when she was appointed as the specialist hula hoop coach for the Bachelor program. For three years she shaped the next generation of professional circus artists, focusing on technique depth, body maintenance, and the advanced skills that define elite-level hoop performance.

Her teaching approach is rooted in theory as much as practice. Lessons encompass in-depth biomechanical analysis of hoop technique, splitting, drills, one and two hoop technical work, and multi-hoop skills — the same rigorous framework she applied to her own 15+ year development. The Psychological Sciences degree sits quietly behind all of it: an understanding of learning, movement, and how people progress.

“I have a wealth of experience teaching hula hoops from children to specialised classes for adults. I love to teach splitting technique and hoop skills to people of all levels. My lessons focus on in-depth theory of hula hoop technique as well as body maintenance.”

She also co-founded Australia’s only dedicated hula hoop convention — building the very kind of community infrastructure she describes as central to her own development as a young hooper in Tasmania.

Over her professional career Anna has performed at notable shows across the Australian festival and cabaret circuit, the international fringe circuit, and specialist hoop events worldwide. Notable productions include:

• —Palazzo Wien — Vienna, Austria (current)
• —Best of Burlesque — Edinburgh Fringe
• —Shake It — Adelaide Fringe
• —St Kilda Royale — Melbourne
• —The Cheeky Cabaret — The Brunswick Picture House, Melbourne
• —No Frills Cabaret — Melbourne
• —Specialist hoop events — Italy, Spain, Holland, New Zealand, Mexico

Taught & Performed In

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Spain
• Italy
• Ireland
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Austria (Vienna)
• The Netherlands

Anna credits the hoop community — and the events and conventions that make it tangible — as a core pillar of her own development. Growing up in Tasmania, access to hoop community required travel and intention. She never forgot what that access meant.

“The people hooping has led me to — I’m so grateful for all the wonderful friendships I have made because of it. I am also passionate about hoop conventions and events, as I owe much of my own hooping experience to events like this growing up as a kid. I think it’s a great way to learn, meet people, have fun and get inspired.”

• The North-West coast of Tasmania
• Ten years in youth circus
• NICA — Melbourne
• The European Juggling Convention
• Pushing what the hoop can do
• Hoop conventions & community
• Splitting technique & tech
• Cabaret, theatre, pop culture
• Co-creating with her brother
• Tricks no one has done before