Camp ZinZanni, Final Performance

By Alison Sargent, Camp Counselor

Saturday was the big day, and it was even bigger and better than I could have imagined.

I think all of the counselors were feeling bittersweet as we went outside to greet our campers for the last time. I was surprised at how attached I had become to this group of kids after just one week. After spending all day with them, sharing stories and snacks, learning, goofing off, and witnessing their progress, it was sad that it was our last time following this same routine as a group.

The excitement was palpable as everyone warmed up and did last minute run-throughs of acts and group numbers. But the closer we got to show time the more and more nervous kids became. Waiting backstage, the kids were completely jittery as they peeked out at the audience, exclaiming over the crowd of about 150 friends, fans and family members.

This was actually my favorite part of the day; not the show itself, but the few minutes before, when all of the kids were high-fiving, whispering good luck, and squeezing each other’s hands.

The show itself was nothing short of amazing. The kids were clearly learning firsthand the difference that comes when performing in front of an audience. Tricks that had been shaky during the final rehearsal went flawlessly, and kids that had been too shy to really smile during rehearsals were beaming. The kids were proud of themselves, and we were all really proud of them.

There was also the added excitement of finally getting to meet Linda, the grouchy security guard who ushered the children on and off the stage with her gruff voice. As much as they enjoyed Linda, the kids were happy at the end of the show when Linda morphed back into Doloreze to wrap the kids in one last group hug. The kids also got a chance to show their affection for Sergiy, as they whooped and cheered him through his juggling act, while the audience watched in awe.

Once the final notes of the camp song faded from the tent, the room exploded in a hubbub of congratulations, goodbye hugs, promises for next year, and frantic searches for misplaced juggling balls. It took at least a half hour for everyone to meet each other’s guests, buy practice supplies, pick up questionnaires, eat the extra muffins, and say their final goodbyes.

Now, a full day later I still have the camp song stuck in my head. And even when that goes away, I’ll still have enough memories from just one week to last me until next year. Summer Camp Zinzanni is definitely the place I’ll want to be, champ.

Camp ZinZanni, Day 5

By Alison Sargent, Camp Wranler

If one were to ask all counselors and staff to describe today in one word we would all probably use the same one: crazy.

Scarves, clubs, balls, rings, and even a few kids were flying through the air all day. Group juggling numbers were choreographed, clowning acts reworked and perfected, props added into the mix, music selected, lighting set, until finally, Doloreze emerged miraculously from the chaos with a final schedule for the show.

Somehow we also managed to squeeze in a light and sound presentation, brought to us by Ian, Molly, and Kyle. A thunderstorm, a train, and a very loud kiss passed through the room, and the kids had fun requesting various lighting techniques and were especially mesmerized by the simple yet magical effect of a disco ball in fog.

At lunchtime Les Castors joined us once again, this time to show us the ancient art of Risley, also know as “foot juggling” or “antipoe juggling,” that has been passed down through their family for five generations. As always, the kids were blown away and seemed to already be hatching mental plans to train for future foot juggling careers. But this time they got to become a part of the act – testing out Les Castor’s chairs, and becoming human juggling instruments on the feet of Toly.

Photos by Christopher Nelson

Camp ZinZanni, Day 4

By Alison Sargent, Captain of “Team Water”

After three days of forcing the kids outside of their comfort zones, today the counselors and staff had to step outside of their comfort zones and into some crazy costumes. One by one we lived out our runway dreams on the ZinZanni catwalk, while the kids whistled and catcalled.

Jen, our Camp Manager, demonstrated a before and after, ending the show with her big reveal, while I was afraid of revealing too much. Dressed in my flirty, feathery diva costume, it was hard not to act the part – which proves the lesson that when it comes to creating a character, costumes have an important role to play.

In addition to Jen and I were a magician, a very regal Glenda, a chef clown, several sexy evening gowns, a visit from the queen, and a scantily clad cross-dressing Education Programming Director, Markus, complete with a five-foot tower of hair. The kids absolutely loved it – almost as much as the staff did.

The kids spent the morning with Sergiy, choosing a specific juggling tool and beginning to perfect their technique, and more and more acts are starting to develop. We also worked on a dance choreographed by Sergiy and Ginger, to kick off Saturday’s show.

After lunch we were wowed by both the bodies and talents of Ming and Rui, which can only be described – in the words of Doloreze – as beautiful. Ming and Rui then spent the afternoon working with each of the three groups to develop distinctive movements to introduce their element to the show.

The air group incorporated billowy, graceful movements reminiscent of windmills, while the fire group used bold movements and hissing sound effects to conjure up the image of smoldering flames. Water created a fluid fountain-inspired shape that finishes off, at the insistence of the campers, with a triple pyramid.

The camp song is sounding full of pep, and the kids are loosening up more and more and starting to show some serious dance moves. But with only one day left to put together and rehearse an entire show, the kids are about to get a serious crash course in theater production and how hard it really would be to drop out of school and join the circus. Even so, after what I’ve seen in the past few days, I’m finding myself far more excited than worried.

Camp ZinZanni, Day 3

By Alison Sargent, a.k.a. “Rhubarb”

Today was spent in twos, with the kids learning to work together in just about every way. In the morning the kids paired up, and each duo melded themselves into a single body, as they juggled together, each one acting as a hand.

The kids were absolutely fascinated by Die Maiers’s comedy trapeze act, but most fascinating of all was seeing twenty-seven distinct personalities start to emerge as they created short two-person scenes. Sabine and Yogi coached the kids in the basics of performing on a stage, and gave them tips and inspiration for creating their own clowns. There was a blind juggler, a feather-duster dog, and several vicious fights over juggling prowess and “fine-looking” boys.

Props were also an important partner for the kids today, and they were treated to a presentation by Teatro ZinZanni’s props wizards Shauna and Jake. The introduced the campers to Kiki, Doloreze’s – or, rather, Madame Zinzanni’s – stuffed poodle. Kiki illustrated that when doubles are available, a prop can evolve over the course of a show – surviving decapitation to emerge bandaged, as a puppet, and then again as good as new.

The kids’ relationships with each other and the counselors and staff are evolving the most. As we take risks together by throwing objects through the air and creating new characters, the energy of the group is becoming livelier, looser, and more comfortable. And it’s that sense of community that will be most important as we work to put together a show in the next few days.

The highlight of my day was watching two boys in the water group start with a simple juggling move, add in the physical comedy they learned yesterday, and end the day with two distinct characters and an entire routine. The show is slowly starting to take shape, and I couldn’t be more surprised and impressed by what I’m seeing.

Photo by Christopher Nelson

Photo by Christopher Nelson

Camp ZinZanni, Day 2

By Alison Sargent, Camp ZinZanni Counselor, Team Water

Since yesterday went so smoothly, today we decided to let the kids get physical, so we brought in Peter Pitofsky, “the human cartoon”, to smack the kids around a bit. It was hilarious to watch them learn slapstick as they knocked each other across the face, kicked each other in the pants, and rammed their heads into doors. The louder the smack and the cry of pain the better!

While this sounds like a camp counselor’s nightmare, it was just what we wanted at Camp Zinzanni. I’ve never seen kids look so happy after tripping over their own feet and running into a door. And over the course of their two hours working with Peter, their initial self-consciousness became replaced by a desire to make a fool of themselves and laugh about it – the most important lesson he taught them.

The kids also learned about the legacy of physical comedy of which they are becoming a part. They all agreed that clowns play an essential role in every society, and Markus and les Castors introduced us to Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Harold Lloyd and the Three Stooges, as well as the concepts of white, red and pink clowns.

While getting goofy today, everyone started to become more and more comfortable with each other, and I’m excited for tomorrow’s partner work to take their new friendships to the next step. Especially if that next step is as amusing as some of the steps – or trips – that I saw today.

Les Castors help Markus Kunz field questions about the role of the clown. Photo by Christopher Nelson.

Peter Pitofsky talks about his life in the circus. Photo by Christopher Nelson.

Campers enthusiastically volunteer to walk into a door during Peter Pitofsky’s workshop.

Another look…

by Stormy Edwards, Camp ZinZanni Coordinator

July 21, 2008 – Welcome to Camp ZinZanni!

On February 6th, 2008, an idea was born. That idea was put into the hands of a small group of people. Those people were given the task of making that idea grow.

Today, it bore its first fruit. And that fruit was amazing.

Final preparations for Teatro ZinZanni’s first summer camp began at about 7:30 this morning, with our camp staff and counselors. Campers began lining up outside the doors shortly after 8am and Sergiy Krutikov treated them to some accordion music while they waited.

From the moment the doors opened to the moment they closed at 3pm, it was a remarkable day, and definitely a learning process for us all.

There were a handful of highly skilled jugglers of all ages mixed into a group of absolute beginners. I spent the morning watching them work with Sergiy and with their counselors on a variety of instruments – balls, clubs, rings, and scarves. I enjoyed talking to the kids as they practiced, seeing what they had developed over the course of the morning. One entire group perfected a trick with two rings. Another moved on to passing clubs. The third group held some of the shortest and best ball jugglers in the tent. Kids who had never met become fast friends within the first hour.

It was incredible to watch.

And then we turned them on their heads. Literally. Once Doloreze Leonard took over in the afternoon, the kids were asked to perform, to be a stove, a giraffe, a lung. Some of the kids that were learning slowly in the juggling session became the masters of character creation. Some kids, too shy to perform on their own, became leaders within their group performances. The counselors all worked right alongside the kids, encouraging and proving by example that there is no such thing as too silly for the circus.

I cannot wait to see what these kids develop with Sergiy and Dolo this week, as jugglers, as characters, and as teammates.

Tomorrow, we throw Peter Pitofsky into the mix. I’m already giggling in anticipation of what these kids will do when the “Human Cartoon” arrives in their midst. Stay tuned…..

Camp ZinZanni Begins

By Alison Sargent, Camp ZinZanni Counselor

Today marked a historic event in the Kingdom of ZinZanni – the very first day of the very first session of Camp ZinZanni. With tables and chairs cleared away, Seattle’s spiegeltent takes on a whole new character, beginning a double-life as a schoolroom by day and a showroom by night. And like everything ZinZanni, the camp promises to be filled with love, a whole lot of chaos and a few snacks.

To kick off the week, parents and kids received a grand welcome, complete with balloons and a mini performance from Sergiy Krutikov (our Siberian juggling instructor), and a large group introduction to what Teatro ZinZanni is all about. Then we said “goodbye” to parents so the real fun could begin. The kids were separated into their groups for the week – air, water, and fire – and given either a yellow, blue, or red tee shirt to match their element.

The morning was spent learning – and for some kids perfecting – juggling. As it turned out, several of the kids were already pros, capable of juggling five balls and clubs! But, with a juggling guru like Sergiy around there are always new challenges ahead. The next time Teatro ZinZanni needs new recruits, Camp Zinzanni is definitely the place to look. Then, as added inspiration, we enjoyed a performance from their teacher himself, Sergiy Krutikov, who proved that you can juggle just about anything – including hats and cigars and rolled up gloves.

In the afternoon the kids were left at the mercy of the wild imagination of Doloreze Leonard (Teatro ZinZanni’s original Madame ZinZanni), who took them outside into the fresh air and turned them into tigers, monkeys, refrigerators, and the color green. The kids worked in groups to create movements inspired by their element which they will incorporate into their final performance on Saturday. They also learned to sing the official Camp ZinZanni song, with original lyrics by Doloreze, sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Doloreze also gave us some props to play with, and we learned that one can easily turn a blow up giraffe into a stylish chapeau, or a coat hanger into a bow and arrow.

By the end of the day, kids, counselors, and staff were all wiped out, but even then, many kids had a hard time putting down their juggling balls for the evening. It was an action-packed day – a little hectic, but undoubtedly a success.