Circle Cirque

1. Bio - Flying trapeze was Jenny’s gateway drug to circus, providing weekly thrills throughout her first year as an undergraduate at New York University and prompting endless questions from classmates about the white powder all over her clothes. While studying in London in 2012, she fell in love with the fire spinning community and started her long-term relationship with hula hoops spinning a giant 3-wick monster of a hoop on the beach of the Thames. Upon returning to New York and finishing her degree, Jenny decided that a job in her field of academic study (politics) sounded exceptionally un-fun. She has since worked as an assistant editor, an ESL teacher, an academic administrator, a live-in nanny, and a professional dog walker while training with circus industry professionals at studios including Circus Warehouse in NYC, Gorilla Circus in London, Centro Acrobático Fedriani in Madrid, and the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, among many others. Jenny now specializes in aerial hoop and hula hoops - but has a habit of falling in love with any new circus discipline that crosses her path. She can currently be found teaching aerial arts, hula hoops, handstands, and flexibility in Berlin and around Europe, but is looking forward to switching her focus to performing later this year!

2. Tell us your roots - where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in a small Vermont town. Unfortunately I had *no idea* Vermont was a hub for American circus (Smirkus, NECCA) until I moved to NYC for college!

3. Why hooping? How did the journey begin? While studying abroad in London in 2012, a classmate of mine asked me to go with her to a fire jam on the beach of the Thames because she 'didn't want to be the only American.' I had never seen fire spinning or picked up a hula hoop before, but I was instantly hooked! I learned most of my basics from her in a rainy park between classes (thanks, Milo!) and from Babz YouTube tutorials. I LOVED that, unlike aerial arts, I could practice hula hooping essentially anywhere, anytime, even during periods when I couldn't afford classes.

4. What has the hoop taught you about life? Hooping has taught me that there are INFINITE ways to move with the same prop - I could practice my whole life and barely scratch the surface of what's possible with hula hoops, or any movement art. This should be inspiring! I've moved between styles quite a lot over the years: from obsessed with fire, to dancey single-hoop rolling around on the floor, to technical multihooping inspired by the incredible Australian circus scene. Hooping has taught me persistence, patience, and to make peace with the fact that 'good enough' is a target that will never stop moving, so you might as well enjoy the journey!

5. What's next? How is your hoop life evolving? I identify strongly as a circus generalist - since I began hooping, I've left it for months at a time to focus on other movement arts (handbalance, partner acro, aerial apparatuses of every variety, poi/fans/dragon staff you name it I've tried it!), but every time I come back, I find new transferable skills that make my hooping even stronger and more unique! I'm a big believer in cross-training, and will continue to feed my hoop life with input from other circus arts for as long as my body will let me. The past two years have been heavily focused on teaching, and I adore sharing this passion with others. Later this year however I'll be shifting gears to full-time performance (as a hula hooper and aerialist) and am excited to see how this evolves my skills!

6. What aspect of the hoop community do you value the most and what do you hope to contribute to the future of hooping? I'm continuously impressed with how many people in the hoop community are both highly skilled artists AND generous, enthusiastic teachers. Special shout-out to the London Spinning@ crew (at whom I accidentally threw so many hula hoops when I was a beginner determined to learn foot hooping - sorry!), and the folks at the Australian Hoop Convention for bringing together exceptionally talented, warm, welcoming people and creating a fun learning environment for all! I hope to never stop developing my own style of hooping, and to share that with the community through a combination of both performance and teaching.