Lilly Yokoi - Revision history

Djando: /* The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle */

2026-08-04T05:33:53Z

‎The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle

Djando: /* The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle */

2026-08-04T05:33:14Z

‎The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle

Djando: /* The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle */

2026-08-04T05:32:15Z

‎The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-08-03T22:24:24Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando at 22:10, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T22:10:38Z

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-08-03T22:01:07Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* The Elusive Lilly Yokoi */

2026-08-03T05:43:15Z

‎The Elusive Lilly Yokoi

Djando: /* The Elusive Lilly Yokoi */

2026-08-03T05:41:44Z

‎The Elusive Lilly Yokoi

Djando: /* The Elusive Lilly Yokoi */

2026-08-03T05:36:29Z

‎The Elusive Lilly Yokoi

Djando: /* The Elusive Lilly Yokoi */

2026-08-03T05:27:26Z

‎The Elusive Lilly Yokoi

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 ===The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle===
-[[File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi at Circus Knie]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
+[[File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi at Circus Knie (1975)]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
 She made numerous appearances on television. In the United States, she was introduced by host Joan Crawford on ABC Television’s ''Hollywood Palace'', and she was featured three times on CBS’s ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. She was also one of the mystery guests on the popular game show ''What’s My Line'' on CBS. In France, she appeared on the long-running television circus show, ''[[La Piste aux Etoiles]]'', and in England on ITV’s ''The Paul Daniels Magic Show''. While performing at the London Palladium in 1975, she was invited to participate in a Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, which was also broadcast on British television: She was in the company of Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Jack Benny, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the French upcoming "nouvelle vague" star, Johnny Halliday, among others.  In addition, Lilly was featured in Gilbert Cates's circus movie documentary, ''Rings Around The World'' (1966).

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ===The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle===
-[[File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi (c.1960)]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
+[[File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi at Circus Knie]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
 She made numerous appearances on television. In the United States, she was introduced by host Joan Crawford on ABC Television’s ''Hollywood Palace'', and she was featured three times on CBS’s ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. She was also one of the mystery guests on the popular game show ''What’s My Line'' on CBS. In France, she appeared on the long-running television circus show, ''[[La Piste aux Etoiles]]'', and in England on ITV’s ''The Paul Daniels Magic Show''. While performing at the London Palladium in 1975, she was invited to participate in a Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, which was also broadcast on British television: She was in the company of Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Jack Benny, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the French upcoming "nouvelle vague" star, Johnny Halliday, among others.  In addition, Lilly was featured in Gilbert Cates's circus movie documentary, ''Rings Around The World'' (1966).

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ===The Ballerina On The Golden Bicycle===
-[[File:Lilly_Yokoi_on_Bicycle.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi (c.1960)]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
+[[File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lilly Yokoi (c.1960)]]Lilly Yokoi became one of the highest paid solo performers in the circus and variety world. In his memoirs, ''Bertram Mills Circus &mdash; Its Story'', [[Cyril Mills]] remembers: “…she was about the highest paid circus artiste in the world and having had to do battle with all the great circuses, I still had to wait two years until she was free.” And he added, “I think she was one of the greatest performers I ever engaged. She was an artiste down to her fingertips, her costumes were magnificent, and she had a smile which was so infectious that her audience was with her in the first minute.” Just before her engagement with Bertram Mills Circus in 1962, Lilly had her bicycle gold plated; she became known as "The Bellerina On The Golden Bicycle."
 She made numerous appearances on television. In the United States, she was introduced by host Joan Crawford on ABC Television’s ''Hollywood Palace'', and she was featured three times on CBS’s ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. She was also one of the mystery guests on the popular game show ''What’s My Line'' on CBS. In France, she appeared on the long-running television circus show, ''[[La Piste aux Etoiles]]'', and in England on ITV’s ''The Paul Daniels Magic Show''. While performing at the London Palladium in 1975, she was invited to participate in a Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, which was also broadcast on British television: She was in the company of Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Jack Benny, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the French upcoming "nouvelle vague" star, Johnny Halliday, among others.  In addition, Lilly was featured in Gilbert Cates's circus movie documentary, ''Rings Around The World'' (1966).

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 File:Lilly_Yokoi_Portrait.jpg|Lilly Yokoi (c.1970)
 File:Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|Lilly Yokoi (c.1970)
 File:Knie_Program-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|Circus Knie Program Cover (1975)
 File:Knie_poster_-_Lilly_Yokoi.jpg|Lilly Yokoi at Circus Knie (1975)
-File:Lilly_Yokoi_on_handle.jpg|Lilly Yokoi (c.1970)
+File:Lilly_Yokoi_-_one_wheel.png|Lilly Yokoi (1977)
 File:Lilly_Yokoi_-_old_age.jpg|Lilly Yokoi in retirement (c.2010)
 </Gallery>
 [[Category:Artists and Acts|Yokoi, Lilly]][[Category:Acrobats|Yokoi, Lilly]][[Category:Bicycle Acts|Yokoi, Lilly]]

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 File:Lilly_Yokoi_-_Knie.jpeg|Lilly Yokoi at Circus Knie (1962)
 File:Lilly_Yokoi_-_London.png|Lilly Yokoi at the London Palladium (1965)
 File:Lilly_Yokoi_Collector_Card.jpeg|British Collector Card of Lilly Yokoi (c.1965)
 File:Lilly_Yokoi_Portrait.jpg|Lilly Yokoi (c.1970)

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 By temperament, Lilly was a very private and discreet person; after her retirement, her many colleagues and admirers around the world wondered what had become of her&mdash;until her and Rolando's daughter, Monica (b.1964), let it be known in 2009 that her mother, who was then eighty-two years old, had retired in Japan, the country of her roots, if not of her birth. She passed away in Tokyo, Japan, on May 11, 2026, at age ninety-seven. She was survived by two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
-Yet, even when she had disappeared in Japan, Lilly Yokoi never disappeared from the collective circus memory: She had become a much admired and never-to-be-forgotten circus legend.  Without a doubt, Lilly Yokoi was  one of the greatest circus artists of the twentieth century.
+Yet, even after she had retired in Japan, far away from the spotlights, Lilly Yokoi never disappeared from the collective circus memory: She had become a much admired and never-to-be-forgotten circus legend.  Without a doubt, Lilly Yokoi was one of the greatest circus artists of the twentieth century.
 ==See Also==

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ===The Elusive Lilly Yokoi===
-By temperament, Lilly was a very private and discreet person; after her retirement, her many colleagues and admirers around the world wondered what had become of her&mdash;until her and Rolando's daughter, Monica (b.1964), let it be known in 2009 that her mother, who was then eighty-two years old, had retired in Japan, the country of her roots, if not of her birth. Yet Lilly Yokoi never disappeared from the collective circus memory: She had become a much admired and never-to-be-forgotten circus legend. She passed away in Tokyo, Japan, on May 11, 2026, at age ninety. Lilly Yokoi was without a doubt one of the greatest circus artists of the twentieth century.
+By temperament, Lilly was a very private and discreet person; after her retirement, her many colleagues and admirers around the world wondered what had become of her&mdash;until her and Rolando's daughter, Monica (b.1964), let it be known in 2009 that her mother, who was then eighty-two years old, had retired in Japan, the country of her roots, if not of her birth. She passed away in Tokyo, Japan, on May 11, 2026, at age ninety-seven. She was survived by two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
 ==See Also==