Dolly Jacobs (born c. 1957 in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

) is an American circus aerialist. She is the daughter of famed

circus clown Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Traditional types Traditionally, there are t ...

Lou Jacobs Johann Ludwig Jacob (January 1, 1903 – September 13, 1992), professionally known as Lou Jacobs, was a German-born American Clown#Auguste, auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 60 years. ...

and former New York fashion model turned circus performer Jean Rockwell Jacobs. She began her circus career in 1975 and has been working ever since. She was a featured performer with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. She left Ringling in 1984 for the Big Apple Circus where she worked until 1985 and again during 1987 and 1988. She and her husband, fellow circus performer Pedro Reis, founded Circus Sarasota in 1997. In 2012, Jacobs received the Florida Folk Heritage Award. She is a recipient of the 2015 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States. She is the first circus performer to receive the prestigious NHF award. She has also won a Silver Clown award at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo.

References

Acrobats American circus performers Living people National Heritage Fellowship winners People from Sarasota, Florida Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-entertainer-stub