Bonsoir 2011!!

We sat down to compile a list of all the events, shows, and antics that occurred in the tent over the last year.  After creating an exhaustive list, one thing became abundantly clear:

2011 was a crazy year for the circus!

And that is saying something!  Aside from our delightful dinner shows, we had a plethora of Big Top Rock concerts and carnivals, 12 saucy late-night Mezzo Lunatico shows, many circus camps, a Francine Reed concert, our Third Annual Gala, and so much more!

Hold on…

Sorry, our fingers cramped from all that typing.

Whew.  Okay…

After tallying everything up we put on over 300 show, led 12 camps, and had more than 70,000 guests – all under the big top. Antics and shenanigans count exceeded 10 million.

Revisit these wonderful memories in the slide show below and happy 2012!!!

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Now Broadcasting!

Moonlighting has taken on a whole new meaning as the cast of Teatro ZinZanni is serving up a gourmet feast AND a “live” radio broadcast in Radio Free Starlight, the all-new evening show playing at Teatro ZinZanni now through May 8, 2011. And the radio tower is UP! Tune in to 101.9 FM — just be sure to be no more than 200′ from the tent!

 

Mouth-Watering Goodness!

Celebrated Northwest chef Tom Douglas designs our dinner menu for Teatro ZinZanni, and the new menu for Radio Free Starlight is so decadent we just had to share!

Appetizer

Smoked Salt Spring Island Mussels, Brie, marinated artichoke hearts, shaved red onion, and cucumber spears. Drizzled with light Balsamic vinegar.

Soup

Carmelized Sweet Onion Soup, seasoned with thyme, sage and Italian parsley in a beef-based stock. Festooned with Beecher’s Pike Street Gruyere toasted crouton.

Salad

Crisp arugula and red butter lettuce, lightly dressed in classic red-wine vinaigrette, sprinkled with Laura Chenel chèvre and toasted green pistachios and topped with roasted red baby beets.

Main Course

Northwest prime cut beef from the Double R Ranch in Okanagan, slowly roasted to medium rare perfection and dressed with a savory merlot demi sauce, served over olive-oil and herb oven-roasted celeriac and seasonal vegetables.

~or~

Broiled Steelhead topped with sautéed capers, cherry tomatoes and lemons, set atop a chive-potato croquette and finished with nutty brown butter sauce. Served with seasonal vegetables.

~or~

Medley of Mushrooms, Cauliflower, Chard, and Beecher’s Flagship Cheese in a savory Custard, with a side of Garlic-fried Chick Peas and crisp Green Beans, garnished with Tomato Confit.

Dessert

High Frequency Molten Chocolate Cake with a dollop of crème Anglaise.

 

Danielle Rueda-Watts Has Arrived!

Photo by Michael Doucett

Originally from Boston, Danielle Rueda-Watts launched her career as an aerial acrobat after graduating from art school with a degree in fine art photography. With a background in competitive gymnastics, coupled with years of dance and yoga, she made the transition to professional aerialist quite naturally. “It just seemed like a logical jump,” she says.

Danielle can be seen on silk in the “razzle dazzle” scene in the hit movie musical Chicago, an experience she called “wonderful”, as well as being the featured aerialist in the documentary of Michael Jackson’s final tour, This is it. “Getting to work with Michael Jackson was such an amazing experience, it’s too bad it was cut short.” In addition to her film and tour credits, Danielle has been in two different Cirque du Soleil productions; the cabaret style Zumanity and the Beatles show Love.

Now at Teatro ZinZanni Seattle, Danielle believes that her journey as an acrobat continually evolves and her repertoire has grown from her first love -silk- to include hoop, rope, straps, hammock, trapeze, pole, and hand-to-hand balancing. As one apparatus informs the next, Danielle sees each skill as if it were a different camera or lens, each with a new opportunity to compose. “I really like Teatro ZinZanni, and I’m glad to be here!” And we’re glad to have her! Catch Danielle in Radio Free Starlight, now playing through May 8, 2011.

25 Things You Didn’t Know About Juliana Rambaldi

Operatic extraordinaire Juliana Rambaldi wows crowds nightly in the current ZinZanni production of Radio Free Starlight. Hailed as a “bright-voiced beacon” by the New Yorker and lauded as “Radiant!” by The New York Times, this soprano has earned international critical acclaim  for her many roles with leading opera companies across the United States and abroad. Sneak a peak into her life and learn 25 things about her you might not have known, and why we at ZinZanni just adore her.

1. I love baking cakes, pies, cookies, etc., and pressing my own espresso shots.

2. I’m a sucker for spicy chicken wings, and anything with milk chocolate on it.

3. Seattle’s great! People live here because they want to live here. That’s not true in a lot of other places. People are here because they appreciate the beauty of what’s around them.

4. If I could be an animal, I’d be a cat. I love their independent, “screw-you” nature, but they’re loveable at the same time.

5. I just saw Harry Potter 3. Yes, I’m a bit behind, but now I have lots to look forward to!

6. My husband is a fabulous baritone who has a busy career singing opera.

7. I’m an only child.

8. I love France and Italy, and visiting my family in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

9. I love reading Oprah’s magazine and Consumer Reports.

10. If I’m traveling alone, I always bring a trashy magazine to read on the plane.

11. When I have time, I like watching “Modern Family ” and  ”John Stewart”.

12. Opera inspires me. The vastness of the music and the stories; the human condition expanded out into a grand art form; those sublime moments in the music that make you glad to be alive.

13. As a kid I fell over on a bicycle and broke my wrist. I went to summer camp for a week with a bag over my cast so it wouldn’t get wet while swimming.

14. I’d love to explore Morocco.

15. I can knit socks like nobody’s business.

16. I’m open-minded. I’m also geeky and social.

17. I want to learn how to tango (the real kind they dance in the bars in Buenos Aires)… and French cooking.

18. The most important thing to me right now is to get my sons through their childhood in one piece and prepare them to go out into the world.

19. When I look out my window, I want to see rolling hills and trees.

20. I was born in New York, NY.

21. I studied voice at University of Washington, and did my opera training at Chicago Lyric Opera.

22. When I was younger, my best friend and I got jobs together as waitresses at the A & W restaurant.

23. I don’t believe in fear… except for maybe spiders.

24. I’ve traveled to an active volcano in Costa Rica. Yes, I did this on purpose, and it was thrilling!

25. Violet is my all time favorite color.

To learn more about Juliana, visit her opera website julianarambaldi.com