Michele Clark

1. Tell us your roots - where were you born and raised?

I was born in New York. My mom is half Hattian and half Dominican and my dad is African American. I was adopted at 9 by my aunt and uncle and grew up with them, my brother and two cousins in Alpharetta Ga.

2. Why hooping? How did the journey begin?

I began hooping when I was 19 at a music festival. I met Jessie Heid there and she gave me my first hula hoop. She formed the group Groovehoops a few months later and we did many events in New York sharing hoop love. My favorite was sharing hooping in the parks in Brooklyn, creating a feeling of community and fun. I was really into hula hoop from that first day and I hooped every chance I got. After the 2008 market crash I decided to try performing professionally. I worked really hard to create a hula hoop act that I hoped would be accepted in the circus world, mixing illusions, hoopdance and circus hula hoop tricks. I spent two years living in Taiwan and China training with friends, taking dance classes, and attending the National Circus School of China in Beijing. I was really honored to be invited to perform at Cirque De Demain, the premier circus festival for new circus in the world. There I won an award for innovation from the Chinese Acrobats Association, for creating a new type of hula hoop act.

3. What has the hoop taught you about life?

Hooping gave me something that I could always do and gave me freedom and control over my destiny. It gave me confidence and helped me learn how control trouble I have with anxiety. It also helped me to be more interested in health and fitness and learn what my body is capable of and I'm pretty happy to be in good shape and performing as I am entering my 40s.

4. What's next? How is your hoop life evolving?

Things took a little hiatus with the Pandemic but 2019 was a very exciting year for me which has led to a lot of professional development. I performed for the first time with Cirque De Solei in the show Joyeux Calvaire and then again as the main character of 'Twas the Night Before at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. Since then I am focused on working on new projects that reflect my values and experiences. I'm creating a duo hula hoop act with Sky Flow Artist which is based on concepts of hypnotism and is about love, connection and caring for each other. I'm also working on a few other circus projects which aim to offer more diverse perspectives.

5. What aspect of the hoop community do you value the most and what do you hope to contribute to the future of hooping?

The thing I most love about the hoop community is that is a very positive mostly femme space, that is very special. I have so many really great friends that I have because of hula hoop. That is just the best thing ever. I hope to visit other countries and share hula hoop with new communities that aren't reached by the hoop scene in the USA, Australia and the European circus communities.

• Upcoming performances:
• Fieri by Cirque Du Soleil Valletta, Malta Nov 25 - Dec 19 - Solo hula hoop
• Flying Dreams Wintergarten Variete Berlin, Germany Feb 23 - June 20 - Duo Hula hoop with Sky Flow Artist