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 Jenny Jaeger, The Ten-Ball Woman

Article and photographs courtesy of Karl-Heinz Ziethen

Jenny Jaeger's tricks have hardly been equaled 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 to daily in an act. Rastelli only did it in practice.

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 balI, 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 Wintergarden before this world-famous variety theatre was reduced to rubble by bombs. Dusseldorf 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 Dusseldorf.