- [Announcer] Support for this program was generously provided by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with generous funding from the Muriel O'Neil fund.

- So when I tell people I'm in the circus, they usually ask me, "Are you a clown?

Can you unicycle?"

So I have to explain to them that being a clown isn't the only thing that the circus has.

(warm music) - Being around the circus most of my life, I always liked to say I had the best of both worlds because I had my home life being part of the community and all the activities here in Sarasota, but also because Sarasota is a circus community.

There was a lot of circus kids in Sarasota.

So we would congregate at somebody's backyard that had all kinds of riggings and that was our play day.

So for me, it was the norm.

A lot of times I got asked, "What's it like to have a father as a clown?"

It was normal for me.

I'm the daughter of the late, great Lou Jacobs, a very famous clown on Ringling for over 60 years.

If you ever saw the movie "The Greatest Show on Earth," you saw him.

(powerful music) At a young age, I started traveling with my father on Ringling and I always knew in my heart of hearts that I wanted to have my own act.

And as soon as I graduated, I stayed home and my godmother taught me the Roman ring act that took me around the world.

(powerful music continues) My finish trick was a full flyaway somersault, completely releasing from the rings and catching a rope at a distance away.

It was the only trick that I practiced with a safety belt on because it's so dangerous.

I actually mastered it and was able to take the belt off and travel around the world with that incredible trick, which I was very proud of.

- [Announcer] Dolly Jacobs.

- Proud to be alive to talk to you about it today.

(laughs) Sailor Circus was started because there were so many circus families that lived here and homesteaded here with Ringling, so their kids were in the school system and they're very athletically inclined and advanced.

So in the PE class they decided to create Sailor Circus.

So it's over 70 years old and started right on the Sarasota High School property and still is here, but it involves all the kids from in Sarasota County.

- Okay, everybody.

Happy dress rehearsal day.

- [Dolly] So they train, train, train, and then they get to perform and it's incredible.

- I've been in the Sailor Circus for seven years and I'm an aerialist, so I focus on the Roman rings, lyra, and the flying trapeze.

The lyra is a hoop that you do contortion movements on and shows your flexibility and strength.

The flying trapeze is a bar and you have a catcher and you do a trick across to grab the catcher's hands and you return and grab the bar and go back to the board.

And the Roman rings are two sets of rings that you show power and grace on and shows also your flexibility and strength.

(audience applauding) So I'm definitely here most of my day.

Since I'm also in the circus magnet program, I'm here for the last two periods of my day.

(girl screams) - Close together.

Nice.

There you go.

(empowering music) - [Emma] The more and more you stretch, the more and more things you can do, depending on what it is.

And the more and more strength you have, the more acts you can do.

Usually three o'clock I start flying.

- [Woman] Convince her to climb and get somebody to climb with her.

- [Emma] Saturdays, I do rings as well.

It's the most of the time a one-on-one, so me, Aunt Dolly, and Uncle Pedro.

- Get those rings behind you now.

Hold it.

Slow movements.

She's very special to me.

I look forward every day to coming in and training with her and seeing her accomplish more and the act get more finished.

And that's what it's about.

The more you do it, the better you get at it.

And that's what I keep telling them, and to point their toes, (laughs) and to smile, and to enjoy yourself.

And she's doing that.

- Look how strong I am.

(laughs) Good, good job.

- Couple of weeks before performance, I feel like I live here.

(empowering music) All the girls here, we're all super close.

We hang out outside of circus too and they are like sisters to me.

I know I can trust them and count on them.

So when I walk into the arena during showtime, it's like a different feeling.

The lights, the music are on, and I can feel like come out of my shell.

It's time to perform.

(empowering music continues) - [Dolly] Teaching these kids here, I live through them and I know what they're going through 'cause I was there at one time.

And so seeing them accomplish a trick, a feat that they've been practicing, and seeing the excitement on their face and the pride is priceless.

The life lessons that they learn here are incredible, and they take them with them in no matter what type of work they go into.

- I feel so proud because when I see that the audience stands up or claps, or I can see their smiles, I know that I've contributed my happiness to theirs, so we definitely connected, which is a good feeling to have.

- It's so important for the arts to continue during this dilemma because the arts is what keeps the community together.

And nowadays I think that's real important.

- I hope that the audience feels that I'm inspiring them.

So the way I feel, I want it to connect to them and I want them to feel the same way.

So if I feel happy or if I feel strong and confident, I want them to feel the same and then it'll inspire them to do something for someone else.

And then it's just a chain reaction.

(empowering music ends)