The Word at Church & Elm: ​“Soul” Hooper Follows The Flow

No one rushing by the commerce-crossroads of Church and Elm Streets could hear the Sean Paul beats coursing through the headphones of a woman commanding the corner as her stage. They could see her hips keeping the beat — and keeping a hula hoop suspended above the sidewalk.

Diamond Tree, perhaps New Haven’s best-known hula hooper, was in the zone mid-morning Wednesday and Thursday.

This spring the New Havener began performing down the block at Church and Chapel as she waited for her morning bus ride to a Wallingford community garden to tend plants. This week she moved to the bus stop at Church and Elm, offering lively grassroots performances for passersby hours before the nightly entertainment offered on the New Haven Green stage across the street during the Arts & Ideas fest.

“It’s about the rhythm,” Tree — nee Angela Carroll — said as she effortlessly defied gravity. ​“You have to gain the rhythm to keep the hoop up.”

A martial artist, Tree began seriously hooping five years ago. She practices daily while walking her ​“chipin” (chihuaha/miniature pinscher) Paco. She maintained that she kept the hoops in the air, even at red lights, on a walk with Paco along the full 2.6 miles of Whalley Avenue.

She teaches others at community festivals, promoting the four ​“benefits of hula hooping”: ​“Endorphin release,” ​“fitness and fun,” ​“stress relief,” and ​“community and connection.’” Her hula videos are building a following on TikTok and Instagram. Meanwhile, she’s combining her floral and movement talents in a nonprofit called Soul Roots.

“I’m getting ready for the Caribbean [Heritage] Fest Saturday,” Diamond Tree added — when she and her ever-spinning accessory will cross the street and entertain on an A&I stage.