Ariana’s Pointe of View

Ariana Lallone is famous for her stunning 24-year career as a ballerina with Pacific Northwest Ballet.  More recently she has graced the mirror-topped spiegeltent in both our dinner performances and kid-centric concert series. This spring she has taken flight as an aerialina (ballerina + aerialist =aerialina) in our newest production, Dinner at Wotan’s. Ariana documented her magical transformation and shared it with us to share with you. Without further ado, here is Ariana’s Pointe of View:

Ariana en pointe.
Photo credit: Keith Brofsky

As I was working towards my final bow at Pacific Northwest Ballet, I was so grateful to know I was only months away from embarking on a new adventure. I loved my life as a ballerina, and deep in my heart I knew it was too soon for me to stop performing. Providing joy to an audience and giving young children their first memory of a ballet were some of the most important parts of my career. It gave me tremendous meaning not only as a performer, but also as a person. My passion never faded.  I knew I would miss that beyond measure.

Two months after my last performance at PNB, I had my first rehearsal at Teatro ZinZanni. I had always been a huge fan of ZinZanni, and now I was in rehearsal with some of my favorite performers. I was awe struck. Not to mention, I was working under the direction of Tommy Tune. I could only think, “How on earth is a ballerina going to fit in this magical tent with all these amazingly talented people?”

Immediately, I was embraced with love, support and most importantly – encouragement. It was only a matter of days before my first name was dropped; I simply became “Ballerina.”  I was handed a bass drum to play in the opening (after a small stint with a triangle that didn’t work out so well) and given lyrics to learn for songs I would sing. Luckily, it all happened so fast, I just did it without thinking about nerves. I was, however, very aware that my world was opening in a new and exciting direction.

After 118 shows of Bonsoir Liliane!, another end seemed near.  I had formed intense friendships with our cast, and the thought of not working with them again was too painful to think about. I set a new goal. I wanted a chance to do another show.

This ballerina is flying!
Photo credit: Keith Brofsky

I wanted to expand my ballet act – I wanted to push the boundaries of my ballet/pointe work, I wanted to see if I could move off center, travel, turn, and possibly jump within the space of the tent. In order to do these things, I knew I needed something to assist me. I chose a lyra. It was not my intent to become an aerialist, but I thought I might be able to use the lyra as my “partner”… as if it and I were dancing a pas de deux.

Over the next 12 months, I discovered endless possibilities and impossibilities… it was not easy! Adjusting to spinning/turning without spotting, being upside down 15 feet above the floor, and most importantly gaining upper body strength. were new challenges. I worked with Lexi Pearl, an aerial coach in Los Angeles and Jonathan Porretta, my friend and former coworker at PNB, who helped with the ballet choreography. I then relied on Anne Gish, a back stage manager at Teatro ZinZanni who operates the winch that raises and lowers the lyra, to wait patiently while I united these two art forms. Certain ideas that I thought would work, became impossible, yet I found perfect symmetry with others. It was at times frustrating and at times exhilarating! With perseverance, an intense desire to make it work, and much encouragement… I slowly carved out my act. The end result has meant another opportunity for me to perform with Teatro ZinZanni. I am beyond excited to premiere my new act and look forward to further creations with my new “partner.”

As rehearsals began for Dinner at Wotan’s, I was/am so grateful for the opportunity to meet a new cast of performers and be a part of the process of building a new show. This ballerina is flying high!

25 Things You Didn’t Know about Ariana Lallone

“Graceful“, “stunning“, and “a twirling beauty“  are all terms used to describe Ariana Lallone, the  5-foot-11 (6-foot-5 on pointe) ballerina featured in our current production, Bonsoir Liliane!. The former Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Ballerina has been astounding audiences under the velvet topped tent.  Get a peek into her life below and find out why we love, love, love her!

1. I try to live each day to the fullest and not waste a minute of time.

2. I love Mexican food.

3. I hope to continue to learn and grow as an artist, perform and bring joy to people’s lives.

4. I was called “Big Bird” in high school… for obvious reasons.  Sometimes it was a little tough being the tallest girl in school.

5. I have always wanted to try parasailing… don’t tell my mom.

6. I fell in love with ballet from the first class I took at the age of 7. After graduating from high school, it was my desire to not only continue my ballet training, but to pursue ballet as a profession. I gave myself one year to see if it was possible. Luckily, after a summer course at PNB and a year in their school, the artistic directors (at that time Kent Stowell and Francia Russell) were willing to take a chance on a very tall, aspiring young ballerina… and the rest is my history.

7. I cannot resist buying vintage kitchen items that have a rooster on them.

8.I love the comedy of Modern Family and the drama of The Good Wife. I also have a weak spot for reality TV.

9. The last book I read was The Witch of Portobello by Paul Coelho: “When you dance, the spiritual world and the real world manage to coexist quite happily. I think classical ballet dancers dance on pointe because they’re simultaneously touching the earth and reaching up to the skies.”

10.I am afraid of earthquakes and wind…. a side effect of growing up in Southern California!

11.My celebrity crush will always be Paul Newman.

12. When I was 17 years old, I had a make-over on national television. I still have the cue cards that they used on the show to introduce the “all new Ariana Lallone!”

13. I really only speak English and some scattered Spanish, but since joining Teatro ZinZanni, I think I need to learn French!

14. My Favorite book is A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway… in fact, it’s time to re-read it!

15. I have four brothers that I tried very hard to keep up with. There was no crying over scraped knees.

16. I have unconditional love for those in my life, I will go out of my way to do something for someone, I am a good friend and I love to laugh.

17. I lettered in basketball in high school and had my jersey retired upon graduation.

18. I am unable to throw away anything that has sentiment. I save a lot!

19. I love the boardwalk between the Double Helix Bridge and Pier 70, along Elliott Bay.

20. I have a twenty-year old black, long hair cat named Celia.

21. I have never been to Spain.

22. Right now, I love the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

23. My list of favorite PNB roles is extensive. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to dance many ballets and work with numerous choreographers/stagers… each being a memorable experience. I couldn’t pick just one.

24. I am most proud of transitioning from my 24-year career as a ballerina at PNB, to having the opportunity to join the cast of Teatro ZinZanni in Bonsoir Liliane!,

25. My favorite drink is a combination of cherry juice, lemonade, mint and soda water.

Need more Ariana (who doesn’t)?  See her in our newest production Bonsoir Liliane!, a magical train ride through the life and fantasies of Liliane Montevecchi. Get your tickets here!

Bonsoir Liliane!: The Saucy Review by Erika Hobart

Opening Nights: Bonsoir Liliane!

Teatro ZinZanni salutes a legendary star’s career, from MGM to LQA.

By Erika Hobart

Wednesday, Oct 12 2011

If your significant other has a wandering eye, leave him (or her) at home. Teatro ZinZanni’s cabaret-style homage to singer/actress/dancer Liliane Montevecchi, who celebrates her 79th birthday this week, could be its sexiest production ever. At the center of this three-and-a-half-hour spectacle, which recounts her long, illustrious career (accompanied by a five-course feast), she may be its most alluring performer. 

Born in France and subsequently a contract player at MGM (where she supported Brando, Elvis, and Astaire), Montevecchi remains a magnetic force on stage. (Given that her legs still look flawless, she either has a pact with the devil or drinks the blood of virgins.) Playing the younger version of Montevecchi is former Pacific Northwest Ballet star Ariana Lallone, whose dancing en pointe is both stunning and painful to watch. Rounding out the so-attractive-it’s-creepy ensemble are Ukranian contortionist Vita Radionova, whose moves make the Kama Sutra look tame, and Swedish singer/dancer/acrobat Tobias Larsson, who looks like he belongs in a Calvin Klein underwear ad. (Swoon.)

Coming from a company that prides itself on kookiness, of course, Bonsoir Liliane! would be incomplete without silly antics. Enter improv master Kevin Kent, unquestionably TZZ’s most popular performer, who provides plenty of laughs by poking fun at willing (and unwilling) audience members. During a recent show, he shrieked at a group of bald men, “I want to rub all of you together and start a fire!” To a guest embarrassed by the unsolicited attention, he quipped, “You’re like the prom queen at 4 a.m. going home to Daddy.” Upping the outrageousness is Parisian acrobatic trio Les Petits Frères, which combines slapstick with gravity-defying stunts.

The whole glittery shebang is directed by Tommy Tune, who helped Montevecchi dance her way to a Tony in the original Broadway production of Nine. That, if you’re counting, was 29 years ago. Today her legs would make most 29-year-old women envious.

See the full review!

KOMO News Queen Anne Interviews Bonsoir Liliane! Star Ariana Lallone

Prima ballerina begins a new adventure – Teatro Zinzanni

Written by Miryam Gordon, Communities Arts Commentator

Prima ballerina Ariana Lallone (photo by Angela Sterling)

Until June, Ariana Lallone had spent the last 25 years with Pacific Northwest Ballet, 17 of them as an acclaimed principal dancer. Retirement, however, didn’t come with golfing and a porch! September 1st introduces her next phase – as a dancer in Teatro Zinzanni’s newest creation, Bonsoir Liliane.

Directed by legendary song and dance man Tommy Tune (recipient of the National Medal of Arts and 9-time Tony Award-winner), this production is jam-packed with local and national talent. Teatro ZinZanni veteran, French ballet star Liliane Montevecchi  worked with Tommy Tune on Broadway in Nine and won a Tony Award. So Ariana has some heady company to share this experience with.

In fact, Ariana’s in such awe of Tommy Tune that “we’ve had long days in the tent, but I find myself not wanting to leave because I want to watch him work and how he coaches other people in movement or voice and want to have this experience last as long as possible,” she says.

“I had not met him before. I grew up knowing about him and watching Will Rogers Follies and watching him tap dancing. My mom would always say, ‘You can always have Tommy Tune as a partner,’ because I’m tall. So, I’m just star struck.

“When this came about, I just couldn’t believe it. He’s talented, smart, handsome, and speaks so clearly. It’s a dream to work with him and Liliane.”

Veteran Zinzanni choreography Tobias Larsson worked with Ariana for a couple of weeks before rehearsals started. Ariana explains, “We worked on my ballet so I didn’t have to spend time in a full company rehearsal in what I was going to do.”

One of the aspects that was different for her was the amount of rehearsal time. “I innocently asked what the rehearsal process was (thinking it was weeks). And I was told ten days. I was shocked by that. That is definitely not something I was used to. PNB has at least 3 weeks before we get into the theater and then another couple of days before we open.”

Her life during the years at PNB was fairly regimented. “We had a 40 week contract and took class in the morning, rehearsed during the day, and every three to four weeks we’d have a series of performances, and of course a month long Nutcracker. So my artistic focus was being a ballerina,” Ariana says.

“The thing I’ve said to people is that my life has been very linear and proudly so. Directed towards maintaining my body with Yoga and Pilates, outside my regular schedule, to stay in shape as a ballerina, and I believe that is why I had been able to dance as long as I did.”

But now, so many things are new. “One of the differences between Teatro Zinzanni and a dance company is that at TZ they needed to have a full effect of a performance in a short time (a ballet can be 20 minutes long) in a very small space. As a ballet dancer, that’s very challenging.

“I use a ballet bar, but I use an arch rather than a square bar, and I wrap around it as a partner, and an apparatus. It’s a twist on the ballerina. It’s the most classical thing I do in the night.

“I also take part in the group singing. Tommy will say, ‘I need you guys to come in on the background singing.’ I’m not a singer and I’ve never attempted to sing. It’s so exciting to have the opportunity in one’s life. Everyone is very nice and makes it very comfortable to help you try new things.”

She’ll also be dancing mere feet away from patrons, instead of on a proscenium stage. “The intimacy is so wonderful,” Ariana says.

“It will be odd for me at first and I’ll be nervous. In the ballet, you don’t see the audience. When I have been an audience member at TZ, I catch the energy of the performer since (the performance) is right in front of me, and I imagine it reciprocates from a performer to the audience member.”

Tommy Tune is working in a unique environment in his own experience, as well. He says, “This is really going to be a departure from other shows created by Teatro Zinzanni. “It’s all completely new. It’s not a play, it’s not a musical, it’s not a circus, it’s not a rock n’ roll show or a ballet, but it has all of those elements in it. The challenge is to sew all of those diverse elements into one fulfilling evening that has variety. I’m not looking for the usual ZinZanni tone, I’m aspiring to give Norm (Langill, artistic director) something new.”

Full article here…

Tommy Tune watches Tobias Larsson and Ariana Lallone rehearse (photo Teatro Zinzanni)

Spring Arts Fling

Last Wednesday May 27, Teatro ZinZanni hosted the Spring Arts Fling in collaboration with The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Opera, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Symphony. The Spring Arts Fling was a celebration of the arts for 20 and 30 somethings and gave all the organizations a chance to show off their programs for young professionals and arts patrons. The sold-out evening featured hors d’oeuvres, hosted beer and wine, and presentations by Village Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre and Teatro ZinZanni’s Duo Madrona.

Teatro ZinZanni’s young professionals group, The Troupe‘s next event is Friday, June 26th.

Mingling in the lobby before seating in the tent began.

Billie Wildrick from The 5th Avenue's "Sunday in the Park with George."

Teatro ZinZanni's Duo Madrona performed their breath-taking act for a full-house of young arts supporters.

The 5th Avenue's Mo Brady and Billie Wildrick lounging with Teatro ZinZanni's Duo Madrona after their performance.