Juggling Hall of Fame

Jenny Jaeger

1909-1986


Five tricks

From "Juggler's World", Summer 1988 edition

Jenny Jaeger, the Ten-Ball Woman
By Karl-Heinz Ziethen

Balance and juggling combo Jenny Jaeger's tricks have hardly been equalled to this day. Born in Odessa, Russia, in 1909 into a circus family, Jaeger's life was devoted to the practice of the art of juggling. Her name stands alongside those of Kathe Gultini, Trixie and Lottie Brunn as one of the top female jugglers ever.

At age five she debuted with her father's "Willy Jaeger" act. At age nine she did eight balls, and at age 12 she did nine. At age 15 in Riga, Russia, she first performed 10 balls. The trick stayed in her act for four years until her father forbade her to continue it because it required too much practice. She remains to this day the only performer to do 10 daily in an act. Rastelli only did it in practice.

Triple balance Her balancing act was fantastic. As she sat down, she controlled five gold, shimmering bowls on straight and bent canes. She also balanced with her toes and on her head various other objects on canes. She juggled six hoops while heading a ball, then danced the old Russian squat-and-kick dance "Bojaren Prisattka," while again heading a ball.

She moved to Berlin in 1930 and juggled in Western Europe. She performed in Berlin on June 20, 1944, in the last program in the Wintergarten before this world-famous variety theatre was reduced to rubble by bombs. Düsseldorf became her new home after World War II, and she died there in 1986. Her son, Sasha, worked in her act the last few years. He is now a photographer in Düsseldorf.


Six rings and head bounce

References

"Juggling, the Art and its Artists"
by Karl-Heinz Ziethen and Andrew Allen, Berlin 1985. ISBN 3-9801140-1-5.

The Juggling Hall of Fame is maintained for the Juggling Information Service by Andrew Conway. Comments and suggestions to fame@juggling.org. Thanks to Wolfgang Schebeczek and Mary Wilkins for help with research.

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