Difference between revisions of "Dolly Jacobs"

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(Roman Rings)
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''By Dominique Jando''
 
''By Dominique Jando''
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Dolly Jacobs was born to a circus family: her father was the celebrated clown [[Lou Jacobs]] (1903-1992), whose image was for decades associated with [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey]], where he performed from 1925 to 1985. Her mother was born Jean Rockwell. An adventurous woman, she had been a photographer, a published writer, a model and cover girl, and even held a pilot license—at a time when women were supposedly destined to become homemakers.  
 
Dolly Jacobs was born to a circus family: her father was the celebrated clown [[Lou Jacobs]] (1903-1992), whose image was for decades associated with [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey]], where he performed from 1925 to 1985. Her mother was born Jean Rockwell. An adventurous woman, she had been a photographer, a published writer, a model and cover girl, and even held a pilot license—at a time when women were supposedly destined to become homemakers.  
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Meanwhile, in 1994, after Pedro had fully recovered, they began performing an aerial duet together, titled ''On Wings Of Love''. In 1977, Dolly and Pedro created [[Circus Sarasota]], a non-profit organization devoted to teaching circus arts, and to celebrating Sarasota's rich circus heritage through high-quality circus performances. In spite of its short winter season, Circus Sarasota has since become one of the most respected circuses in the United States.
 
Meanwhile, in 1994, after Pedro had fully recovered, they began performing an aerial duet together, titled ''On Wings Of Love''. In 1977, Dolly and Pedro created [[Circus Sarasota]], a non-profit organization devoted to teaching circus arts, and to celebrating Sarasota's rich circus heritage through high-quality circus performances. In spite of its short winter season, Circus Sarasota has since become one of the most respected circuses in the United States.
  
Rightly considered as one of the brightest stars of the American circus, Dolly Jacobs was inducted in 1997 into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota, and in 1998, she was honored by Sarasota's John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.  
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Rightly considered as one of the brightest stars of the American circus, Dolly Jacobs was inducted in 1997 into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota, and in 1998, she was honored by Sarasota's John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==

Revision as of 17:20, 26 October 2008

Roman Rings

By Dominique Jando


Dolly Jacobs was born to a circus family: her father was the celebrated clown Lou Jacobs (1903-1992), whose image was for decades associated with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, where he performed from 1925 to 1985. Her mother was born Jean Rockwell. An adventurous woman, she had been a photographer, a published writer, a model and cover girl, and even held a pilot license—at a time when women were supposedly destined to become homemakers.

In 1948, Jean "ran away and joined the circus" to become a showgirl with the Ringling show. This was still the era of the giant traveling big tops and circus trains, and the job not only meant dancing, but also riding elephants, parading in elaborate costumes, and participating in ensemble aerial presentations. Jean's circus career, though, was short-lived. On May 5, 1948, a few days after her debut at Madison Square Garden, she fell from an aerial revolving ladder while working in the aerial ballet. Whenever he had a moment, Lou Jacobs visited the beautiful aerialistAny acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc. in the hospital… And when Jean recovered, they got married. They had two daughters, Lou Ann and Dolly Jean.

Born in Sarasota, winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey until 1958, Dolly, like many other circus children living there, began training at Sailor's Circus, the Sarasota High School's youth circus. After graduating from Sarasota High, she followed in her mother's footsteps and joined the Ringling show's battalion of showgirls—and her father.

While on the show, Dolly began practicing for an act of her own. She first tried the tight wireA tight, light metallic cable, placed between two platforms not very far from the ground, on which a wire dancer perform dance steps, and acrobatic exercises such as somersaults. (Also: Low Wire), but she liked the freedom that aerial work gave her, and eventually decided to build an aerial act. Her godmother, Margie Geiger, came to help. Margie was the wife of Joe Geiger, who had been a member of the original Wallendas, and she was herself a former aerialistAny acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc. who had had a brilliant career in North America with a Roman Rings act—the particularity of which was that it was partially performed in full swing.

After trying to create for Dolly a trapeze act that seemed to go nowhere, Margie took her old rings from their box and, during the summer of 1976, in three hot months of unrelenting hard work, they managed to create a presentable first version of Dolly's Roman Rings act—just in time for the new show's auditions. Dolly's act was accepted, and she debuted it in the 1976 edition of The Greatest Show On Earth.

At first, of course, Dolly's was just another act in a show that, at the time, featured dozens of them. But she had all the qualities that make a circus star: she was a hardworking perfectionist, she had a keen artistic sense, she was ambitious, and she never took no for an answer. Moreover, she was strikingly beautiful and had a charismatic personality. In 1977, Irvin Feld sent her to the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo. Dolly came back with the coveted Dame du Cirque award, but she felt that she had gone there unprepared; she decided she would return to Monaco one day with an act that could be a winner.

For the next two years, Dolly Jacobs worked on fine-tuning her act. She also trained on the flying trapezeAerial act in which an acrobat is propelled from a trapeze to a catcher, or to another trapeze. (See also: Short-distance Flying Trapeze) with Armando Farfan, whose act, the Flying Farfans, was one of the show's highlights. This came handy when Joe Geiger came up with an idea for Dolly's finale: he had seen an aerialistAny acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc., Frank Sheppard, who, at the end of his act, jumped from his trapeze to catch a vertical rope. Even though Sheppard actually killed himself doing this trickAny specific exercise in a circus act. (his rope's attachment broke one day under the shock of his catch), Dolly though it was worth a try.

She began working on Sheppard's trickAny specific exercise in a circus act. with the help of high-wire walker Pedro Carillo and bear trainer Wally Naghtin. The first thing was to find the right distance between her release point and the rope. Then, she improved on Sheppard's flight by transforming it into a layout somersault instead of a straight flight. She presented her new act in 1979 to Irvin Feld—who gave her a solo spot above the center ring in the new production of The Greatest Show On Earth. She was a sensation: a star was born.

In 1984, Dolly Jacobs left Ringling and joined the Big Apple Circus, with which she performed until 1985, and again in 1987 and1988. She then returned to the International Circus festival of Monte Carlo in January 1988, and this time, Dolly won a Silver Clown.

Dolly Jacobs met South African aerialistAny acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc. Pedro Reis when he joined the Ringling show in 1984 with his aerial act, The Survivors. They became smitten and, although they worked on two different shows, they managed to get into a strong relationship. In 1990, Pedro, who was then featured at the Big Apple Circus as a solo performer with a Cloud Swing act, proposed Dolly. It was on July 4. Two days later, he had an accident that grounded him for a long while. The marriage was postponed until... January 2008!

Meanwhile, in 1994, after Pedro had fully recovered, they began performing an aerial duet together, titled On Wings Of Love. In 1977, Dolly and Pedro created Circus Sarasota, a non-profit organization devoted to teaching circus arts, and to celebrating Sarasota's rich circus heritage through high-quality circus performances. In spite of its short winter season, Circus Sarasota has since become one of the most respected circuses in the United States.

Rightly considered as one of the brightest stars of the American circus, Dolly Jacobs was inducted in 1997 into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota, and in 1998, she was honored by Sarasota's John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

See Also