Family team are pioneers in thrill, stunt industry'
Nerveless Nocks daredevil shows date back nearly two centuries
AT: Ron Gustafson
Special to Amusement Today
SARASOTA, Fla. —Michelangelo Nock and family have a tradition of living on the edge and embrace a daredevil lifestyle to prove it.
"In 1840 our family created Switzerland's original circus," Michelangelo, 58, said during an extended interview with Amusement Today. "We were really pioneers in the thrill and stunt industry and I'm the seventh generation doing this."
As owner of The Nerveless Nocks Inc., Michelangelo and company produce a variety of extreme stunt shows seen around the world. Most notable are the Sway Pole Extravaganza, FMX Motorcycle Stunt Spectacular, Monster Trucks, Cirque Equinox,Extreme Water Ski and Stunt Spectacular and motorcycle Globe of Death.
Flying over the Alps
"My grandmother performed a trapeze act suspended by a hot air balloon while it floated over the Swiss Alps," he said of the family's performance history. "Early on, we were an outdoor attraction, predating tented circuses. Being recognized as Switzerland's first circus speaks volumes because there was a lot of theatrical circus in the country at the time."
The original Nerveless Nocks troupe included Eugene Nock Sr. - Michelangelo's father - along with other family members, Charles, Elizabeth and Dorothy Nock and Joseph Bauer. They made their U.S. debut in 1954 headlining John and Henry Ringling North's Greatest Show On Earth with the sway pole and balancing ladder acts.
The sway pole routine was such a huge success that the North brothers extended the contract for three more years.
In his published memoirs, John Ringling North referred to the exhilarating act as "palm trees swaying in a hurricane."
The performance to this day- nearly 100 feet in the air - is done without any safety harnesses or nets.
"Mom (Aurelia Canestrelli) and dad met in 1956 at the Boston Garden while both were performing for Ringling," Michelangelo noted. "My mother was from Italy and that is where the theatrical part of the family came from. Her family was opera singers, but mom became a star circus performer."
British and Swiss invasion
The Nocks were propelled into the television spotlight with the sway pole act on the Ed Sullivan variety show in February of 1964. It wasn't that more than 70 million viewers tuned in to see the fabulous daredevils strut their stuff, but rather to hear British pop sensations The Beatles in their U.S. television debut.
The hour-long show marked the beginning of Beatlemania sweeping across the world while the Nocks benefitted from the monumental exposure.
"After Sullivan, Roy and Walt Disney (brothers) called us for shows at the World's Fair in New York," Michelangelo recalled. "More television appearances followed including the Hollywood Palace show Bing Crosby, Robert Goulet and Mitzi Gaynor. My dad was even hired by billionaire Howard Hughes to do an outdoorsway pole show in Las Vegas."
Eugene Nock Sr. used wood poles in the Vegas show, which were considered extremely dangerous due to the desert climate. The show had to close when the poles became too dry for performances to continue. Soon after, the Nocks created the Swiss Steel Pole to accommodate live performances.
Nocks in the Dells
The family found a new and lasting partnership in the late '70s when helicopter trapeze artist Dave Merifield introduced them to water ski show pioneers Tommy Bartlett and Tom Diehl.
A performance deal was struck and Eugene and Aurelia were joined by sons Eugene Jr., John, Michelangelo, and Bello to perform as part of the Tommy Bartlett Show in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Bartlett was also a recognized broadcast personality, serving as host of the radio's popular Tommy Bartlett Show and Welcome Travelers.
"He really put the Dells on the map," Michelangelo asserted. "We worked with Bartlett for 45 years until the show closed in 2020. He was the one who came up with the idea of a water circus"
The Nocks went all in during their Dells tenure by incorporating the sway pole act, Space Wheel, helicopter trapeze, motorcycle high wire, Carolina (Michelangelo's wife) Espana Nock's Contortions and the Globe Of Thunder.
Michelangelo acknowledged that the time with Bartlett allowed the Nocks to learn every aspect of the water ski show industry as well as speed boats and associated maintenance.
"Being around it for that long, you come to know it," he said of the experience. "We now do our own water shows (retaining the rights to the Bartlett brand) in Wisconsin and Georgia as well as traveling productions."
He said other permanent productions are done at theme parks, while mobile shows are featured at fairs and festivals. A portable Olympic-size pool holding 70,000 gallons of water is used for jet ski and jet pack acts.
"We hire Tommy Bartlett skiers - all of which are world champions," he explained. "Of the 150 or so water shows we do each year, there is always a family member there helping the oversee the production."
Famous family members
While the heart of today's Nerveless Nocks continues to be a family affair (Michelangelo and Carolina and their children, Angelina and Cyrus), other Nocks have their own claim to fame.
Bello was a headliner for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 2001.
"He did four headliner tours with them - the last being Bellobration" Michelangelo said of his brother.
Late uncle Pius "Pio" Nock, was recognized as the original comic daredevil and a featured performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. He also appeared in the 1964 motion picture Circus World starring John Wayne.
Michelangelo readily credits his parents and uncle with teaching the younger generation all the ropes to be exceptional death-defying entertainers.
He emphasized: "My mother molded all of us. She was the master and all the glory to her!"
Brother, Eugene Jr., owns a helicopter and pilots for aerial trapeze shows.
"I've flown over every major football and baseball stadium in America doing that act," Michelangelo said of teaming up with his sibling.
The other brother, John, is "the most talented in acrobatics."
Carolina Espana Nock, a renowned trapeze artist, represents a fifth generation of circus entertainers in her family. She is also the only woman to ever perform on the Double Space Wheel.
"She reinvented flying trapeze," Michelangelo said of his wife, who also makes most of the family's performance costumes. "Carolina was also named top female in the World Stunt Association, along with Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci."
Angelina is an accomplished sway pole artist, a world-class water skier as well as an aerial stunt performer. She is also the newest star and competitive driver in Monster Jam for Feld Entertainment, which produces a number of arena shows, including the latest edition of The Greatest Show On Earth.
Cyrus, who started entertaining at age 4, is now considered a top motorcycle stuntman of his generation. He has also been working the revolving Space Wheel since he was 11.
Simon says
Angelina and her father made the international spotlight in 2022 with their sway pole act on the popular NBC show America's Got Talent Extreme and again in 2023 on America's Got Talent.
"It was amazing and now people recognize us worldwide," Michelangelo said. He also credited British critic Simon Cowell, one of the show's hosts, with providing the opportunity.
"Simon is the guy on the top on that show and the ultimate critic," he added. "We connected with the world those nights and he just loved us!"
The shape of things
Reflecting on the rigors associated with being a thrill show artist, Michelangelo said: "My dad told me years ago to 'learn this stuff, because some day you will need it.'"
"I have to stay in shape to this day," he continued. "I still do the sway poles with my daughter and the motorcycle globe with Cyrus. It's still exciting for me because I get to relive what I did with my mother and father."
While he readily admits that his days of performing the jaw-dropping acts are counting down, Michelangelo says he may have to step out of the limelight "in another 10 years."
"I feel like I can still give a little more as a performer," he added. "We are doing upwards of 200 shows in the summer - two to three a day - and people like our values and integrity. When the time comes, I'll continue to be the owner, agent and producer for The Nerveless Nocks while our two kids carry on the family legacy."
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