Danger constant companion for the Nerveless Nocks
Young performers continue with exciting, dangerous family tradition
The Nerveless Nocks Thrill Show, a heart-pounding and death-defying stunt show at this year’s Saskatoon Exhibition, features two young performers who are involved in the show because of their lineage.
The Nock family has been putting on stunt shows for years.
Cyrus and Angelina Nock, two of the three performers at the Saskatoon Ex, are eighth-generation daredevils from the Nock family.
They said being part of a longstanding family tradition actually takes some of the pressure off the performance.
“We were never pressured to perform. They always told us if we wanted to be a doctor or anything else, obviously they would support us no matter what we did,” Angelina said.
The Nock siblings have been involved in stunts and stunt shows for almost as long as they can remember. Angelina said the first performance she can recall taking part in was as a three-yearold, when her parents put her in a costume and brought her in front of the crowd during a show in Thailand. Cyrus got his first bike at the age of three from Santa Claus, she added.
“We were basically born into it.” The stunts in the thrill show look dangerous — Angelina free-climbs a towering “sway pole” that swings back and forth in the wind, and Cyrus and the show’s third member, Brad Keogh, zip around on motorcycles inside the metal “globe of death.” According to the performers, the danger is no illusion.
“One mistake equals death,” Cyrus said, adding that he feels fear every time they perform.
Keogh said he first met the family while doing shows in China as a jet ski stuntman. Originally from Brisbane, Australia, he said he loves travelling with the Florida natives and being a part of the stunt show.
He added that Cyrus has been helping teach him how to handle some of the more daring stunts, like the metal “globe of death.”
“I’d never really done anything like this before … you’ve gotta stay really focused,” he said.
“If you go off track one little bit, it can be tragic.”
They all have different answers when asked which stunt is the most intense or difficult to perform. Cyrus said each one requires a totally different set of skills and is dangerous for different reasons.
The Nerveless Nocks got their name back in 1954, when the family performed a show in front of Queen Elizabeth.
As the Nocks tell the story, Her Majesty referred to all of them as “nerveless,” and the name stuck.
The Nerveless Nocks still tour around the world showing off their talents, continuing a decades-long business.
“I’m actually really proud to say I am the eighth generation, along with my brother, to continue this family tradition,” Angelina said.