(MOBILE, Ala.) April 2 - They jump. She sews. They twist. She mends. They scuff. She polishes.
They are the amazing cast of Cirque du Soleil's show "Saltimbanco." But with all their talent and flexibility, they could not do what they do with her and her staff.
Who is she? For the answer, the backstage of the show has to be opened, because before all the magic can happen on the stage, the wardrobe department has to do a lot of work behind the scenes.
Yanya Jacobs, Saltimbanco's wardrobe director, says the wardrobe department does 12 loads of washing every show, because everytime a costume touches part of their skin, the costume goes into the washing machine.
But, the wardrobe department does much more than merely wash clothes.
Jacobs says she sews snaps back onto costumes, mends and repairs to keep performers from having mid-show wardrobe malfunctions.
But, the question is why does Jacobs, an Australia native, command the wardrobe?
She says she has been with Cirque du Soleli for three years, traveling with three washing machines, three dryers and 50 cases holding everything she might need. That is what she needs to make the performers shine and her family in clothes.
Jacobs says sometimes the performers take her for granted, but she thinks most of them know, deep down, how much they need her and her department.
So when the performers are onstage flipping and tricking, Tanya Jacobs and her crew are behind the curtains stitching and washing.
