Difference between revisions of "Yasmine Smart"

From Circopedia

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Image:Yasmine Smart chimp.jpg|A young Yasmine Smart grooming a friend.
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Image:Yasmine Smart chimp.jpg|A young Yasmine Smart grooming a friend
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Image:Smart Yasmine on horse.jpg|Yasmine Smart on her first horse
Image:Smart Yasmine super circus.jpg|Yasmine Smart Super Circus
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Image:Smart Yasmine super circus.jpg|Poster of David Smart's Super Circus (1980)
Image:Smart Yasmine BAC 20070922 1.jpg|Yasmine Smart Big Apple Circus September 22 2007
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Image:Smart Yasmine BAC 20070922 1.jpg|Yasmine Smart at the Big Apple Circus (2007)
 
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[[Category:Artists and Acts|Smart,Yasmine]][[Category:Equestrians|Smart, Yasmine]]
 
[[Category:Artists and Acts|Smart,Yasmine]][[Category:Equestrians|Smart, Yasmine]]

Revision as of 18:12, 23 October 2008

Equestrienne

By Dominique Jando


Born in Windsor, England on November 24, 1953, Yasmine Smart is the daughter of David Smart (1929-2007) and Olga Elleano-Stey (b. 1932 to a Swiss family of wirewalkers). She is the granddaughter of the famous English showman Billy Smart. Yasmine made her debut in the ring at age 11, at Billy Smart's New World Circus, with a group of twelve Shetland ponies. She was tutored in horse and animal training by John Gindl, who was at the time Billy Smart's Circus's head trainer.

Although an equestrienneA female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback. by choice, Yasmine also worked with exotic animals and elephants, animals she presented in other British circuses, such as Blackpool’s Tower Circus and Belle Vue Circus in Manchester, after Billy Smart's Circus folded its tents in 1971. She also presented horses for other circuses, notably for Circus Knie in Switzerland and Circuses Krone and Hagenbeck in Germany. Eventually, Yasmine became a celebrated "Ringmistress"—a role she originated at the Billy Smart’s Circus Christmas Spectacular, a BBC Holiday special that aired for several years after the Billy Smart's Circus had ceased touring.

It is in her capacity as Ringmistress that Yasmine participated for the first time in the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 1975. The following year, she presented a group of horses "at liberty"Liberty act", "Horses at liberty": Unmounted horses presented from the center of the ring by an equestrian directing his charges with his voice, body movements, and signals from a ''chambrière'' (French), or long whip." from Circus Krone at a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee at Windsor. In 1980, she purchased a group of ten Arab stallions, which she trained herself and with which she worked until 2003, when she went to the U.S. to perform as Equestrian Director at the Big Apple Circus. In 1981, she participated again in the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo—this time as an equestrienneA female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback.—and won the prestigious "Dame du Cirque" award. She returned to the Festival in 1985 to win the coveted Silver Clown award for her liberty"Liberty act", "Horses at liberty": Unmounted horses presented from the center of the ring by an equestrian directing his charges with his voice, body movements, and signals from a ''chambrière'' (French), or long whip. act. She was awarded a second "La Dame du Cirque" in 1995.

Yasmine was the first British circus artist to be awarded in Monte-Carlo and remains the only artist to be awarded three times. Among other venues, she has been featured with Circuses Jacobi-Althoff and Roncalli in Germany, Liana Orfei's Golden Circus Festival in Italy, and the Big Apple Circus in the U.S., where she spent four seasons, creating a new act each season. Yasmine has also appeared in several horse shows and festivals in Germany and France, as well as on several TV shows in Europe. In 2007, she was a Jury at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo.

Yasmine Smart married Dany Cesar (Bradford) in 1978; they separated in 1989.

See Also

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