FEATURELOOK
Jeremy Philo and Morgan Smith
Chelsea “Hooplahoma” Parks
Inspyral: A New Way to Circus By Amy Dee Stephens
If you hear the word circus and think of three-ring acts with exotic animals—then you haven’t met the modern circus. Contemporary circus (nouveau cirque) focuses on interactive event entertainment without animals. Inspyral Circus, owned by Jeremy and Kelsey Philo, provides acts ranging from stilt walking to fire juggling for Oklahomans seeking family-friendly entertainment. Inspyral offers customized packages for children’s events, conferences, weddings, and even black-tie parties. “We initially struggled with the word circus and its stigmas,” said Kelsey, “but the culture has rebranded a lot since we started eight years ago. Now it’s about showmanship, costumes, choreography, and stage presence.”
“Hi, I’m Kelsey, and I’m a hooper.” They welcomed her, and before long, Kelsey and Jeremy were performing for local events and at libraries all over Oklahoma—and loving it! They also grew to love each other. They married, moved to Tulsa, and decided to grow their hobby into a business. The Philos formed Inspyral and began adding other performers, like Chelsea Parks, who lives near Edmond. “When I was 25, I taught myself to unicycle, just for fun,” said Chelsea Parks. “I didn’t know anyone else doing it, but it brought me joy. Then I started hooping, which led me to a friendship with Kelsey and Jeremy.” Chelsea watched the Philo’s circus business developing and asked herself tough life questions, like, “Why am I still waiting tables?” and “Could I perform for a living?” Before taking that Kelsey’s Hoop Story leap, she wanted to add another So how did the Philos start their Inspyral is performing at specialized skill to her slate; a Cyr circus? With play and practice. Edmond VIBES in September Wheel, a giant metal ring large “I could never hula hoop as enough to stand inside of while it a child, but in college, a woman and October. rolls and spins. handed me a big heavy hoop, “No one else in Oklahoma was doing the Cyr Wheel,” Chelsea and I could do it!” Kelsey said. “At 23, I became obsessed with said. “I ordered one online, and it took me a year to teach ‘playing’ with hoops. I wasn’t great, but I allowed myself to myself. Then, I formed Hooplahoma and started booking gigs, keep working on it. Hooping was meditative. It occupied the like street events and festivals.” anxious part of my brain struggling from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Kelsey became known as Hula Hoop Girl, performing for her friends and at parties. “I didn’t know any other adults who did this weird thing,” Kelsey said. “When I moved to Norman, I heard about a group doing circus stuff at a park.” Jeremy, then single, and some friends were meeting weekly to practice juggling. Their “juggle jam” grew into a public event, in which they pushed each other to add new skills. Kelsey gathered up her hoops and her courage, and she went to the park. 16
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Circus with Purpose Inspyral invited Chelsea to become a regular member of their entertainment team, while still maintaining Hooplahoma independently. The Inspyral performers, now numbering 20, learn from each other, cross-market, and share events. “We know people are trusting us with extremely important events,” Kelsey said. “We are punctual, classy, and professional. We pay our performers equitable wages. Our costumes are incredible, which my mom makes, and we dress modestly so no
