Hula-hooping may seem like a childhood pastime to you, but it’s considered art, exercise and a freeing form of expression for an emerging group of Austinites. In fact, “hooping” is part of the larger circus culture growing in Austin and around the world.

Each Wednesday night between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. at the Tiniest Bar in Texas, beginners, more advanced hoopers and poi spinners gather to practice, socialize and learn tricks with a group called The Gyronauts.

Founding members Sean Stogner and Tash Kouri describe themselves as “a space-age glam-rock hoop troupe.”

The troupe of Gyronauts Hula-hoop with large, customized hoops, and spin poi — a performance art in which a ball or balls are suspended from a length of flexible material and are swung in circular patterns. The duo’s interest in circus performance arts began four years ago when they were in college. After a brief stint in Thailand, where Stogner says there is really no community for hoopers and poi spinners, the two decided to move to Austin.

“We were in Thailand and getting so lonely because we didn’t have any circus around us,” Kouri said. “And we saw a YouTube video of hoopers in Austin, and we were like, we have to come.”

The two teach hooping and poi tricks weekly at the Tiniest Bar in Texas and other venues in Austin. When it gets dark outside, The Gyronauts “light up” by lighting their hoops and poi tools with fire while performing.

C.U.@Circus is a much larger circus event that takes place each Sunday afternoon in the park behind Barton Springs Pool.

“Hoop and poi — these are known as optic manipulation,” professional hooper Georgina Toland said. “Some of it comes from the old rave scene, but some of it comes from the circus scene. There’s this intersection between circus arts and flow arts. C.U.@Circus kind of unites all of these circus enthusiasts.”

C.U.@Circus participants have the opportunity to show off what they know while learning from other people who perform circus art, such as hooping, poi, acrobatics, stilt-walking or unicycle-riding. There is also an electro-circus, which is a circus with disc jockeys, that takes place every month or two in Zilker Park.

Toland has never “lit up” — she got into hooping more for exercise than the performing arts. She was a ballroom dancer for a while, but wanted to do something that didn’t involve a partner. In late 2007 she learned about hooping and has stuck with it ever since. Now Toland is a certified hoop instructor and teaches private lessons as well as lessons at Shipe Park in Hyde Park.

“The beautiful thing about the hoopers is that for a long time, nobody knew about it except the people that were into it, so it was a small community. So, everybody knew each other,” Toland said. “Over the past five years, it’s gone from you may know one or two people who hoop to suddenly 20 or 30 in your immediate circle that hoop.”

And the hoop community isn’t only growing in Austin — the performance art is becoming a trend in alternative exercise.

Actress Marisa Tomei will release a set of hooping exercise DVDs in August, although many already exist from brands such as HoopGirl and Hoopnotica. They each claim that the hooping exercises will strengthen and tone the core, give you energy and burn calories.

“It’s becoming a big business now,” Toland said.

But The Gyronauts have actually found it difficult to make money off hooping because the saturated entertainment culture in Austin is focused on the idea of free recreation.

“Realistically, even if you can get a really good gig, to constantly be getting good-enough gigs — enough to pay your rent and to not have to worry — is really difficult,” Stogner said.

But the hoop community isn’t really about money. For The Gyronauts and others in this growing sphere of hoop aficionados, hoop is for improving both mind and body, an avenue for artistic expression and a way to just get out and let loose.

“I believe that hooping keeps you young,” Toland said. “And I wish I had gotten into it when I was much younger.”