Leona Dare
Encyclopedia
Leona Dare was an American trapeze
artist and aerial acrobat
, billed often as the "Queen of the Antilles" or the "Pride of Madrid". She was famous for her stunts on trapezes suspended from ascending balloon
s.
Leona Dare's real name was Susan Adeline Stuart or Stewart. Her teachers in acrobatics were the Hall brothers, Thomas and Stewart Hall, who were sometimes billed as the "Brothers Dare". In 1871, she married Thomas Hall in New Orleans or in New York City (sources disagree). The same year, she debuted as an artist at Nixon's Amphitheatre in New York City
; a year later, she was with the circus
of Joel E. Warner. Her specialty was the "iron jaw
" act, in which she held onto her supporting apparatus with nothing but the strength of her bite, or in which she herself held other artists or their supports with her mouth only. In August 1872, she performed in Indianapolis
for the first time suspended under a hot-air balloon, lifting her husband and partner off the ground, holding him by his waistband only with her teeth.
Subsequently, she toured through Europe. Her performances at the foremost locations in Europe, including the Folies Bergère in Paris
, made her rather famous in Europe. In 1875, she left her husband, though she later claimed he had abandoned her. An accident in the late 1870s forced her to put her career on hold for several years. In June of 1880, while still recovering, she married Mr. Ernest Theodore Grunebaum in London, a well-off son of a family from Vienna. Back in Chicago
later that year, it was discovered that she was still married to Hall, yet she managed to get a divorce from Hall (in absentia) on November 15 and re-married Grunebaum in Chicago on November 17, 1880.
Later in the early 1880s, she appeared again on European stages. In 1884, she had accident during a performance in Valencia in Spain, where she let drop her partner, who died of his injuries.
In 1888, Leona Dare teamed up with Swiss balloonist Eduard Spelterini
. He would take her, suspended under the basket of his balloon, to great heights (some sources speak of 5000 feet), while she performed her acrobatics. Their ascents in June and July 1888 at the Crystal Palace in London
made them world-famous, and together they toured through Europe until Moscow. In October 1889, they were at Bucharest, apparently their last performance together.
In 1890, Leona Dare was again in Paris. During another balloon show, she let go of the trapeze when the balloon drifted away, and broke her leg. Around 1894/95, she appears to have stopped performing altogether. After her retirement, she lived at Oakwood, Staten Island
. She died at Spokane, Washington
at the age of 67.
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
artist and aerial acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, billed often as the "Queen of the Antilles" or the "Pride of Madrid". She was famous for her stunts on trapezes suspended from ascending balloon
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
s.
Leona Dare's real name was Susan Adeline Stuart or Stewart. Her teachers in acrobatics were the Hall brothers, Thomas and Stewart Hall, who were sometimes billed as the "Brothers Dare". In 1871, she married Thomas Hall in New Orleans or in New York City (sources disagree). The same year, she debuted as an artist at Nixon's Amphitheatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; a year later, she was with the circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
of Joel E. Warner. Her specialty was the "iron jaw
Iron jaw (circus)
The Iron Jaw is a traditional aerial circus act.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...
" act, in which she held onto her supporting apparatus with nothing but the strength of her bite, or in which she herself held other artists or their supports with her mouth only. In August 1872, she performed in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
for the first time suspended under a hot-air balloon, lifting her husband and partner off the ground, holding him by his waistband only with her teeth.
Subsequently, she toured through Europe. Her performances at the foremost locations in Europe, including the Folies Bergère in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, made her rather famous in Europe. In 1875, she left her husband, though she later claimed he had abandoned her. An accident in the late 1870s forced her to put her career on hold for several years. In June of 1880, while still recovering, she married Mr. Ernest Theodore Grunebaum in London, a well-off son of a family from Vienna. Back in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
later that year, it was discovered that she was still married to Hall, yet she managed to get a divorce from Hall (in absentia) on November 15 and re-married Grunebaum in Chicago on November 17, 1880.
Later in the early 1880s, she appeared again on European stages. In 1884, she had accident during a performance in Valencia in Spain, where she let drop her partner, who died of his injuries.
In 1888, Leona Dare teamed up with Swiss balloonist Eduard Spelterini
Eduard Spelterini
Eduard Spelterini was a Swiss pioneer of ballooning and of aerial photography.- Early life :Spelterini was born in Bazenheid in the Toggenburg area in Switzerland as Eduard Schweizer. His father, Sigmund Schweizer, was an innkeeper...
. He would take her, suspended under the basket of his balloon, to great heights (some sources speak of 5000 feet), while she performed her acrobatics. Their ascents in June and July 1888 at the Crystal Palace in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
made them world-famous, and together they toured through Europe until Moscow. In October 1889, they were at Bucharest, apparently their last performance together.
In 1890, Leona Dare was again in Paris. During another balloon show, she let go of the trapeze when the balloon drifted away, and broke her leg. Around 1894/95, she appears to have stopped performing altogether. After her retirement, she lived at Oakwood, Staten Island
Oakwood, Staten Island
Oakwood is the name of a neighborhood located in east central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It lies near the southern shore, and is bordered by Ebbitts Street ; the Atlantic Ocean ; Great Kills Park ; and the Staten Island Railway...
. She died at Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
at the age of 67.
Sources
- Leona Dare's Trapeze, New York Times, June 9, 1879; from the London News, May 29, 1879.
- The Romance in a Trapeze Performer's Life, New York Times, November 26, 1880; from the Chicago Tribune, November 17, 1880.
- An Acrobat's Nervousness, New York Times, November 23, 1884.
- Leona Dare, Acrobat, Dead, New York Times, May 25, 1922.
- Leona Dare's accident at the Princess's Theatre, Valencia, Spain, The Entr'acte, London, December 13, 1884.
- Buiu, I. V.: Contributions to the history of aeronautics in Romania, English abstract, Ph.D. thesis, 2007.
- Capus, A.: "Geschenke des Himmels", p. 36-50 in Das Magazin 38/2007. In German.
- Crouch, T. D.: The Eagle Aloft: Two Centuries of the Balloon in America, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1983. ISBN 087474346X.
- Slout, W. L.: Olympians of the Sawdust Circle: A Biographical Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century American Circus, Clipper Studies in the Theatre, No. 18; Borgo Press, 1997. ISBN 0809503107.
- Tait, P.: Circus Bodies: Cultural Identity in Aerial Performance, p. 45-48 and p. 159, notes 23 and 24. Routledge Chapman & Hall, 2005. ISBN 0415329388.