Iron jaw (circus)

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The Iron Jaw is a traditional aerial circus act.

Newspaper advertisement for Leona Dare's ascents from Crystal Palace in London.

The act consists of a performer raised into the air by a cable, trapeze or other similar apparatus, supported only by a bit clamped between her teeth. Depending on the apparatus the bit is attached to, the performer can alternately swing in circles around the ring below or spin wildly in place, controlling speed by alternately extending her arms and legs out or bringing them in close to her body to speed up (known as the conservation of angular momentum principle).

The act is frequently referred to as the Human Butterfly due to the removable wings which traditionally adorn the performer's costume.

It is also known as the 'Jaws of Life'.^[1]

Tiny Kline, in a footnote to her memoir, describes Iron Jaw as:

"(a) holding one's grip by the teeth bulldog-fashion, suspended in the air; (b) lifting another person's weight; (c) juggling furniture or tugging an automobile- in short, any work involving teeth-power."

There are now only 6 Iron jaw artist in the world in the 21st century:^{[citation needed]}

• Rebecca Ostroff has been performing iron jaw since 1993, and is still performing iron jaw. She has been the Ring Master for Kelly Miller Circus from 2015 to 2017.
• Nik & Erendira Wallenda still perform. A husband and wife team, they hold the world record for the highest Iron Jaw act 350 ft. Erendira broke her husband's world record in Canada. They still perform together in the US and Canada.
• Igor Zaripov still performs. He holds the Guinness world record 3 times for Iron Jaw. He is also an actor working all over the world in films and circuses. Zaripov was born in Russia and now lives in the US.
• Roberta (Bobbie) King, born in Dorset UK in 2001. Trained in iron jaw at the age of 15 years, she is believed to be the youngest Iron Jaw artist in the world. She is also an actor trained in Shakespearian and classical acting.
• Michael Radiff is an aerialist in Las Vegas who performs Iron Jaw.

Notable performers[]

• Leona Dare (American, 1854–1922)
• Miss La La (German, b. 1858)
• Tiny Kline (American, 1891–1964)
• The Curzon Sisters (American, 1906–1920)^[2]
• The Tybell Sisters (American, 1910–1926)^[2]

References[]