Chloe Somers Wall is an international award-winning circus and variété artist whose career spans continents, companies, and disciplines. Raised as a shy wild child in Vermont and New Hampshire, she found her way to the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) as a teenager — and never really looked back. She trained and graduated in solo trapeze, competed at the Riga Cirkz Festival, completed NECCA’s ProTrack program, and went on to earn an MA in Human Rights before deciding, definitively, to run away with the circus.

Today, Chloe is best known as the hula hoop artist at the heart of Les 7 Doigts de la Main’s acclaimed production Dear San Francisco at Club Fugazi — where one reviewer wrote of being utterly transfixed by her “ever so casually dangling a ring from her foot, right above my head.” That quiet mastery in the middle of chaos is pure Chloe.

Chloe’s path to the hoop began with an injury — and an open mind. After tearing her knee, she realised she needed skills that carried less danger than solo trapeze, the discipline she had trained at circus school. She had always admired hula hoopers, but doubted herself.

“I have always admired hula hoopers but thought that I wasn’t the right fit for hoops. Boy, was I wrong!!!”

She began her hoop journey in Osaka, Japan, trained simultaneously by a Mongolian coach and a Spanish coach — two artists with completely different approaches. That contrast gave her room to play, to explore, and to develop a style that was entirely her own.

Once she got past the steep early learning curve, she was completely and utterly hooked. Multi-hooping, technical isolation, comedy flow — the hoop opened up a world she hadn’t anticipated, and she has gone far deeper into it than she ever imagined.

“The hoop has taught me to never give up, and that I can always delve deeper.”

Chloe describes her hoop journey as a story of being continually surprised by her own potential. She expected to learn the basics. Instead, she found herself going deeper and deeper — mastering techniques she never thought possible, building a multi-hoop practice that keeps evolving.

That philosophy — that there is always more beneath the surface — is also what drives her as a teacher. She brings the same curiosity and openness to every class and coaching session that she brings to her own training: no ceiling, no limits, just the next layer waiting to be discovered.

Coming from the competitive and physically demanding world of circus acrobatics, the hoop community’s unconditional warmth was a revelation. She now counts it among the things she values most in her professional life.

Chloe brings a rare depth to her teaching: a human rights academic background, a professional circus career, and a genuine belief that hoop dance is for everyone who shows up willing to try. She taught at Circus Smirkus — Vermont’s award-winning youth touring circus — and has coached and created acts for the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour.

“I love that the hoop community is so welcoming and inclusive. Everyone is always kind and open to helping and collaborating — which is such a welcome quality, especially coming from a circus and acrobat background.”

Her community goals are as clear as her technique: be an articulate and open-minded teacher, keep learning from as many hoopers as she can, and make new friends everywhere the tour takes her. Multi-hooping, comedy, and flow remain ongoing personal missions alongside the relentless demands of life on the road.

She describes her touring life with unmistakable joy: “I love this wild life on tour, and I’m really excited to continue with so many people that I love.”

Fun fact: All of Chloe’s tattoos are stick-and-pokes done by friends. She hates pickles and mustard. She is genuinely terrified of grasshoppers. She came to circus as an older athlete — after finishing an MA in Human Rights — and says she’s grateful for it: “I like to think I bring a passion for social justice with me to my circus practice.”

• Vermont & New Hampshire roots
• Osaka — where it all began
• The 7 Fingers company
• Multi-hoop & technical flow
• Comedy and performance
• Circus Smirkus youth work
• Social justice & activism
• The kindness of hoopers
• Never stopping at “basics”
• Life on tour with people she loves