January 25, 2011

Burlesque Artists By Show

Have you been waiting for the performer line-up to reserve your Burlesque tickets? It's your lucky day! The performers for each Burlesque show are now listed on our calendar.

Check out our brand new easier to navigate calendar, which is also now sortable by event type or artist. You can also find show listings for your favorite artists under their bio. (Please remember that even up to the last minute schedules are subject to change.)

We are busily working on the line-ups for the rest of the over 50 shows in the festival, so sit tight and we'll have those online soon.

Most Burlesque shows sold out last year so advance tickets are highly recommended. Hope to see you there!

More Burlesque 2011 Line-Up: Ernie Von Smaltz, Iva Handful, Evilyn Sin Claire & Belle Cozette, Heavenly Spies, Aviatrix, and City Circus

We just can't get enough stunning burlesque artists in the Libertease tent. These acclaimed performers will join the 2011 line-up:


Ernie Von Smaltz is a ladies man. "I really enjoy treating the ladies to a real man; a real man that can perform. You ladies like a man that can perform, dontcha?" He can be seen performing, seducing women and taking off his clothes all over Seattle including The Pink Door, Columbia City Cabaret, Theatre Off Jackson, The ReBar, The Rendezvous and what used to be Leilani Lanes (a moment of silence please - RIP). He's been entertaining the women publicly since the middle of 2005, but has been satisfying in private since the beginning of time. Website.


New to Moisture Festival this year, Iva Handful says that she is Rock n Roll Burlesque and assures us that the person you see on stage is not so much a stage character as she herself -- "pure me - unedited". She tells us that, in addition to her love of dance she takes pleasure in doing accounting. Please insert bookkeeping joke of your choice here.




Evilyn Sin Claire & Belle Cozette will reprise last year's hit performance of “The Porcelain Promenade”. These ladies take the ladies' room to new heights, making the privy pretty with their can-can in the can. Evilyn is a burlesque starlett who performers classic, comedy and theatrical bump 'n' grind with Sinner Saint Burlesque at the Noc Noc every Thursday. She's also a second generation belly dancer (by the name of Laura Rose) who teaches private and group classes at VDP Studio in the Fremont neighborhood. Belle has been performing burlesque in and around the Seattle area for over four years. With extensive classical music training and natural grace, her performances include vintage cabaret and burlesque dance movements topped off with captivating facial expressions, gorgeous costuming and slapstick humor. Myspace.


The Heavenly Spies made their mark in the Neo-Burlesque movement as winners at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Pageant and have continued to wow sold-out audiences with their special blend of contemporary dance and the art of tease. Known for their death-defying high kicks and gravity-defying hair, members of The Heavenly Spies include creator Fae Phalen, AKA Agent Rhinestone, Honey Sexpot, Kimberly Galore, Nightingale Noir and Cobra Kai. Their combined specialties include fishing for clues, fishnets, venom tolerance and vodka tolerance! Myspace.


And to raise the bar (or tissue) even further, we are pleased to welcome Moisture new comers City Circus and the return of Aviatrix. Both Aviatrix and City Circus will perform at Burlesque and Variete shows.



Aviatrix aerial artists Esther Edelman, Martha Enson, Cathy Sutherland and Carri Andersen returning to the festival this year to perform their remarkable "triple trap" in Burlesque shows at ACT. The group, comprised of members from Seattles' Aerialistas, The Velones and Silk Aerial, will also perform at select Variete shows.


Sasha Harrington and Chloe Gordon-Murer are San Francisco based performers, with the troupe City Circus. They create doubles aerial acts on tissue, rope, hoop and straps, as well as work as an acrobatic duo on the ground. Their work is a dynamic and original combination of traditional and contemporary circus, moving from the floor to the air and back.

January 24, 2011

Burlesque 2011 Line-up: The Swedish Housewife, Miss Indigo Blue, The Shanghai Pearl, Waxie Moon, and Fuschia FoXXX

Burlesque luminaries The Swedish Housewife, Miss Indigo Blue, The Shanghai Pearl, Waxie Moon, and Fuschia Foxxx will grace the Libertease stage this year. TICKETS


Born in Stockholm and raised a broad, The Swedish Housewife is a Seattle based international performer and nationally working producer extraordinaire. Short-listed for The Stranger’s “Genius Award,” Paula the Swedish Housewife has mounted award-winning, sold-out shows starring some of the modern underground’s most celebrated performers for more than 20 years. A "modern day Minsky of the Avant-garde with a little Ziegfeld tossed in for good measure", Paula has spun her gold lame in venues from the posh-and-private Ruins to the The Triple Door to down-and-dirty Masonic temples and gambling halls. We are always delighted to welcome Paula back to the Moisture Festival. Visit her website for more information.




Sexy, funny, irreverent and ingeniously clever, Miss Indigo Blue flirts with the edgy, exotic and erotic fringes of burlesque. More than just a great practitioner of the ol' bump and grind, she enlivens her performances with a heady blend of brainy and bawdy that makes audience's mouths water, as their minds whirl. Miss Indigo has performed across the globe and is a three-time award-winner at the annual Miss Exotic World competition, and also currently holds the First Runner Up title from the Jenny Lee Tassel Twirling. Miss Indigo founded BurlyQ Queer Cabaret in 2002, which now has outcroppings in New York and London and is the founder and Headmistress of the Academy of Burlesque in Seattle which was featured in the documentary film, A Wink and a Smile (directed by Deirdre Timmons, Golden Echo Films). We look forward to what she has in store for the festival! For more about Miss Indigo check out her website.


The Shanghai Pearl is The Tantalizing Temptress from Taipei and Princess of Pulchritude! She infuses traditional bump and grind with her signature Shanghai sweetness. Her range is broad; spanning the burlesque gamut from tantalizing tongue in cheek tease to irreverent vaudevillian vignettes. Always entertaining and full of sizzling striptease, her moxie and bravado is not to be missed! Catch her on the Libertease stage and allow her to Shanghai your heart! Website.










Waxie Moon is a gender bending queer lady "boylesque" performance art solo stripping sensation. He has performed at various venues throughout Seattle. Waxie studied ballet and modern dance at Juilliard and danced with the prestigious José Limón Company for six years. He earned an MFA in acting from the University of Washington and cofounded Washington Ensemble Theatre (WET). His solo performance, "Waxie Moon: EXTREME Boylesque"was featured at On The Boards in the Northwest New Works Festival and her original play, Waxie Moon; Boylesque Cinematique was produced by Next Stage. She is featured in the documentary film, A Wink and a Smile (directed by Deirdre Timmons, Golden Echo Films) and is the subject of the documentary Waxie Moon (directed by Wes Hurley, I Ate My Eye Films).


With over 11 years of bellydance performance, Fuchsia FoXXX embodies the sensual, athletic, decadent, intense and powerful persona's on stage as a bellydance-burlesque fusion sensation- voted Seattle's "Sexiest Bellydancer" 2007 & "Sexiest Burlesque Performer" 2008. Fuchsia specializes in combining a variety of traditions and experiences creating her own unique hybrid of exotic dance. Fuchsia has been known to hypnotize audiences near and far with her stellar musicality and unforgettable energy. This jet setter has performed on the T.V. show "Americas Got Talent", in the "London" & "Amsterdam International Burlesque Festivals" & tours regularly with bands. When not clearing security with her pink luggage full of sparkles Fuchsia is a highly sought after bellydance instructor Seattle's Academy of Burlesque.

January 22, 2011

Worldwide Grand Opening Bargains At Moisture Festival's New 24/7 Online Merchandise Store

Looking for a cool item for your love on Valentine's Day? Well we got the answer for the wondering your doing about where you can get that unique limited edition gift. The Moisture Festival's on-line merchandise  store at CafePress is now open for business every where on earth that has a freaking Internet connection, and our door buster blow out grand opening is underway. CafePress is known for being tops in customer service and guarantees your satisfaction or your money back, so you can shop for Moisture stuff on-line hassle free.

Buying items at the on-line store is a great way to get those unique gifts you want for that special someone while at the same time helping the Moisture Festival raise some money. The on-line merchandise is available 24/7, and there is a huge variety of goods for sale from your regular favorites like tee shirts sporting the new

Moisture Festival designs, to your groovy messenger bags, coffee mugs, tanks tops, sweatshirts, hoodies, buttons, stickers, Godfrey shirts for kids and even stuff for toddlers and infants, the list goes on and on with most of the items in a variety of sizes and colors. If you care about the environment how about getting a Moisture Festival stainless steel water bottle instead of using plastic?

So have at it Moistcateers, and check out the new store today!

Make a statement in the latest Moisture Festival fitted tee sporting that brand new design, or impress your friends with the new festival super small hipster buttons. Your love will croon when they see you in a pair of Moisture Festival boy briefs.
 
We are keeping the prices low during this introductory grand opening period,  but can't do it forever, and thank you for helping the Moisture Festival by buying official Moisture Festival gear.


January 21, 2011

Burlesque Stars Lolo Flamingo , The Luminous Pariah, Lily Verlaine, and Inga Ingenue

These brilliant star of the burlesque stage will join us at ACT - A Contemporary Theatre's gorgeous Allen Theatre. The Allen Theatre is a converted ballroom that has been transformed into a beautiful, intimate theatre in the round offering a thrilling all-angles view of Moisture's Libertease Burlesque.

Bringing her bag full of tricks to the Festival for the first time, Lolo Flamingo is a one-of-a-kind performer who combines vaudeville, circus ,and burlesque in a dazzling display of skill and mischievousness. As she prepares to juggle three flaming torches while riding a unicycle, she dares you to guess which item of clothing she might take off next! For for about Lolo including video take a peek at her website.












Nationally recognized burlesque sensation the Luminious Pariah joins Moisture Festival for the first time bringing saucy, intelligent satire, witty comedy, avant garde artistry, and tantalizing tease. Luminous draws upon his dance and physical theater experience to present you with a fresh form of storytelling: Neo-Burlesque, the innovative striptease. Luminous is the founder of five person theatrical collective Mod Carousel. For more of Luminous and Mod Carousel visit his website.


"A Living, Breathing Work Of Art", Lily Verlaine is a classically trained ballet dancer turned burlesque artist. She has appeared alongside such talent as Dita Von Teese, Julie Atlas Muz, Dirty Martini and author Andrei Codresceau. She is the co-producer and Artistic Director of the smash hit Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker which just closed its fifth anniversary season at Seattle’s illustrious Triple Door. Lily has has had the pleasure of performing across The United States, in Europe and in Asia, and now we have the pleasure of welcoming her back to the Moisture Festival. Website.







Inga Ingenue, "The Little Blonde Bomb", infuses her bubbly personality with traditional bump 'n' grind, resulting in an adorable mix of sexy ambition and innocent "ingenuity". Beginning at age two Inga studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance and choreography for dance and theater. One of only five American performers accepted into the first annual Amsterdam Burlesque Festival in 2009, Inga has become an international burlesque star. She is also a founding member of DANCE BELT, a Seattle burlesque/dance power trio. In addition, Inga is an instructor for the world-renowned Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque. For more about Inga visit her website.

January 20, 2011

The Chairmen, Master Payne, Scot Nery, The Quidldlers, and Robet Lok

I think we can pack a few more clowns into this car! We'd like to welcome to the Festival for the first time:

UPDATED 1/27: Unfortunately, the Chairmen will not be able to attend this year, but we hope to bring them to a future festival.
The Chairmen
are James O'Shea and Bob Palmer of the very popular comedy juggling duo Flying Debris. These are two obsessed individuals dedicated to exploring and expanding the world's perception of those white plastic stacking resin patio chairs that are found everywhere on the planet. Their extremely funny, extremely weird antics will cause you to jump out of your seats in amazement. We can't wait to bring this this chair-raising experience to the Moisture Festival. Website.


Master Payne, purveyor of thematic thaumaturgy, is a noted Northwest performer who has traveled the world assuming and shedding a series of characters and in an unending effort to give a new twist to ancient arts. His is a respected voice in the world of magic and we're proud to have him, for the first time, on our Moisture Festival stage. Website.







Scot Nery's unique and acclaimed performances combine his one-of-a-kind personality and newfangled object manipulation. Every show is a refreshing splash of unexpected ingenuity. Whether Scot is working in theater, at a party or on the small or large screen he regards each performance as an opportunity to apply “unexpected ingenuity”. He's noted for his comic daring and his carefree stage presence. We're looking forward to this first time Moisture Festival appearance by this fearless LA performer. Website.




The Quiddlers' Micro Jackson and other comic characters will blow you away. These International Ambassadors of Physical Comedy started out in the mid-1980s as The Marauding Miners and they are still going strong with worldwide performances of their unique costumes, puppetry and comedy. This is their first Moisture Festival and Seattlites are in for a treat. Short, sweet and hilarious.




Rob Lok is an international variety performer and contemporary clown. An unpredictable combination of slapstick comedy and high-octane circus skills has made his shows in demand around the globe. Since receiving his BFA (Bachelor of Funny Arts) at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, Robert has spent over a decade traveling the world and performing his unique style of contemporary clowning and physical comedy. We look forward to welcoming him to the Moisture Festival. Website.

January 18, 2011

Festival Tickets Now on Sale!

Tickets are now on sale for each of our over 50 shows! We know that's a lot to choose from so over the next several weeks we'll start working out the actual lineups for each show. As we confirm performers and lock in which dates they will be joining us, we'll add that info to our online calendar. Stay tuned here as well as we continue to announce performers who will join us for this year's festival. (Please remember that our line-ups are always subject to change right up until the last minute.)

For a quick overview of the festival venues and the dates we will have shows at each check out this post from last week.

Quick links for tickets:
Hale's Palladium
ACT - A Contemporary Theatre (Burlesque)
ACT - A Contemporary Theatre (Grand Varietè)
Georgetown Ballroom
SIFF Cinema
Open Space on Vashon

Lady Rizo & Rose Nisker join Burlesque Line-up

We are so excited to welcome these two astounding artists to our Burlesque shows at ACT - A Contemporary Theatre.

In the words of The Village Voice: "Comedienne, chanteuse and "cabaret superstar" (NY Mag) Lady Rizo and the beauteous Assettes ... host an incomparable evening of caburlesque. Their unbridled femininity will "blow your heart and go down on your mind."
Known in New York circles as "caburlesque", Lady Rizo's performances draw inspiration from vaudeville, burlesque, cabaret, and performance art to give birth to a new genre all its own. We couldn't be happier about having her company and her talent here in Seattle. Website - with video!


Rose Nisker comes to us this year from the San Francisco Bay Area. A remarkable aerialist with extensive dance training, at the age of eight Rose made her debut dance performance with award-winning troupe Gamelan Sekar Jaya at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, and has performed extensively in Indian classical dance theater and Flamenco dance in America and abroad. Her love of movement took her into the air in 2005, when she began intensive training on aerial rope and fabric. It was a natural fit. Now she will bring that beauty and experience to our festival and we are delighted to have her.

January 17, 2011

NEW in 2011: Eric Schwartz, Michael Trautman, Richard Hartnell, and Thomas John

We always love welcoming artists new to performing at the Moisture Festival. Here are a few we've convinced to join in the springtime fun.

Eric Schwartz's razor sharp, adults-mostly, on-the-spot wit combined with his exceptional musicality have made him a stand-out performer when appearing alongside comedy masters, on the Comedy Central Stage, at clubs, on the radio, and on the web, where his edgy, political YouTube videos chalk up millions of hits and garner him illicit proposals from all corners of the globe. We're ever so glad he took us up on our invitation. Check out his website for more video and info.

"Blending politically savvy comedy with music has always been a slippery slope. Eric Schwartz knows just how to meld funny and funky."
- Hustler Magazine, March, 2008






Variously identified as a visual comic, performance artist, new vaudevillian, mime (gasp), physical comedian, storyteller, magician, and fool, Michael Trautman claims only to be a clown...and not a very traditional clown at that. Cringe in horror as Michael Trautman runs with pointy objects. Gasp in disgust as he plays with his food. Just try to look away as this overgrown delinquent stuffs five ping-pong balls into his mouth, all at the same time! Michael has performed around the world and we are delighted to welcome him to our corner of it at the Moisture Festival. Website.


Richard Hartnell's contact juggling performance showcases the art form's ethereal fluidity. Currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, this particular sphere charmer shocks and amazes audiences on stages and streets, and in clubs and parlors between Seattle and San Francisco, Bourbon Street and Black Rock City. Richard's style of contact juggling is mystical, hypnotic, precocious, and inspiring. Originating in Bellingham, WA and influenced by the East Bay fire spinning community, Richard claims an impressive repertoire of fluid manipulations and glass-smooth isolations. We can't wait to experience his magic. Website.





Thomas John is a juggler, physical comedian, and puppeteer based in San Francisco. He is recent graduate of the advanced clowning program at the San Francisco Circus Center and is also a seasoned street performer. Wit is his weapon of choice and with explosive performances, built on juggling, clown, audience participation, and circus apparatus we think he'll fit right in at the Moisture Festival.

January 15, 2011

Valentine's Celebration and Fundraiser

Celebrate the magic of romance at the first annual Valentine’s Rendezvous. We love you and the Moisture Festival wants to feed you treats, entertain you and celebrate our relationship as together we raise funds for the 2011 festival. Don’t miss this fun evening of romance and dancing – for couples, hopefuls, dreamers and children too.

Entertainment includes Advice For Lovers from the ghost of Mae West, also Dr. Calamari and Acrophelia (of Circus Contraption), The Canote Brothers, and the festival’s first Square Dance called by Charmaine Lavens.

The doors open a 6:00 pm. We have several different ticket prices, please pay what you can to support the festival. Advance tickets are recommended as we have a limited number of tickets available. We hope you will join us! BUY TICKETS

January 14, 2011

Moisture & Seattle International Film Festival Present: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

The Moisture Festival and The Seattle International Film Festival join forces once again to present an exceptional experience with a one-of-a-kind feast for your eyes and ears, presenting The Adventures of Prince Achmed with live accompaniment from David Miles Keenan and Nova Karina Devonie. This extraordinary event will be presented one night only on Monday, April 4 at SIFF Cinema, underneath McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. You will not want to miss this show!

David Miles Keenan and Nova Karina Devonie, AKA "Miles and Karina", have been performing together since 1991. They were commissioned to compose an original score to the 1926 silent, animated classic feature film The Adventures of Prince Achmed and this year we are extremely excited to be presenting this film event. Their live accompaniment will consist of a variety of instruments: accordion, guitar, viola, banjo, glockenspiel, percussion, slide whistle, and other gadgets.

When The Adventures of Prince Achmed premiered in Germany on September 23, 1926, it was hailed as the first full-length animated film using the silhouette technique invented by director Lotte Reiniger. 82 years later, this enchanting film still stands as one of the great classics of animation -- beautiful, mesmerizing and utterly seductive. Taken from The Arabian Nights, the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse sending the rider on a flight to his death, however the prince foils the magician's plan, and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures. Thrilling, sensuous and dazzling, The Adventures of Prince Achmed will enthrall children and film enthusiasts of all ages.

We hope you will join us for this very special screening and performance.


EVENT DETAILS & TICKETS

The Adventures of Prince Achmed
With German and English intertitles
Directed by Lotte Reiniger. (Germany, 1926, 72 min.)
Score by
David Miles Keenan and Nova Karina Devonie

2011 Festival Schedule

The countdown to the eighth annual Moisture Festival has begun! The Moisture Festival will open its annual springtime celebration this year at Hale's Palladium on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17. We can't wait to kick off this season under the warehouse bigtop. Created in a brewery warehouse, the atmosphere at The Palladium creates chemistry between audience and performer that is an absolute joy to behold. With four weeks of festival shows at Hale's Palladium this year, there will be even more opportunities to join in the fun.

During the second and third weekends, the festival will again return to ACT - A Contemporary Theatre on March 25, 26 and April 1, 2 for Libertease Burlesque from all angles, in the round, in the beautiful Allen Theatre. In addition, on Sundays, March 27 and April 3, Grand Varietè Shows for all ages will come to life, celebrating the wonderful surprises that guarantee comedy/varietè's endearing spot in the history of live family entertainment.

The Moisture Festival will also return to SIFF, Vashon Island, Georgetown in 2011. One part of the mission for The Moisture Festival is to bring world-class varietè entertainment to Seattle neighborhoods and to the surrounding area.

The Moisture Festival and The Seattle International Film Festival join forces once again to present an exceptional experience with a one-of-a-kind feast for your eyes and ears, bringing together film and live performance. Further south, Vashon Island and Georgetown have long been regarded as centers of creativity with communities that support art and fun, so returning the festival to both locations is irresistible. The Georgetown Ballroom is one of Seattle’s hidden treasures and a perfect venue for varietè shows. Moisture Festival will again bring a quirky and entertaining April Fools weekend to the neighborhood. Open Space for Arts and Community is a spacious warehouse slightly off the beaten path on Vashon Island. It is the new destination for shows and gatherings on the island – funky and elegant with plenty of parking! We'll ferry our clown car to the island for the final weekend of the festival.

Over the next few days stay tuned to our new website calendar for a detailed listing of each and every one of the over 50 shows we have planned.

2011 Moisture Festival:

WHEN:
March 17-April 10, 2011

WHERE:
Shows in 5 different venues:
Hale’s Palladium – Fremont District, Seattle
ACT- A Contemporary Theatre – Downtown Seattle
The Georgetown Ballroom – Georgetown, Seattle
Open Space for Art and Community - Vashon Island
SIFF Cinema – Seattle Center

VENUE DETAILS:
March 17-April 10
Hale's Palladium at Hale's Brewery, Fremont
4301 Leary Way NW, Seattle, WA 98107
TICKETS: Price range $10 - $20 BUY TICKETS
Show type: Comedy/Varietè shows
Matinees: Saturdays and Sundays – 3:00pm (all ages)
Evenings: Wednesdays-Sundays – 7:30pm (all ages) (exception: no Weds show week 1)
Late Night: Fridays & Saturdays – 10:30pm (21+)

March 25, 26, 27 & April 1, 2, 3
ACT- A Contemporary Theatre, Downtown
700 Union Street, Seattle, WA
TICKETS: Price range $10 - $25
TICKETS: on-sale Jan. 18th through the ACT Box Office
Show type: Four Grand Varietè shows (all ages)
Sunday 3/27 – 3pm & 7:30pm
Sunday 4/3 – 3pm & 7:30pm

Eight Libertease Burlesque shows (18+)
Friday 3/25 & Saturday 3/26 – 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Friday 4/1 & Saturday 4/2 – 7:30pm & 10:30pm

April 1-2-3
Georgetown Ballroom, Georgetown
5623 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA 98108
TICKETS: Price range $10 - $20 BUY TICKETS
Show type: Comedy/Varietè shows, Late Night is Comedy/ Varietè / Burlesque
Friday 4/1 – 7:30pm (21+)
Saturday 4/2 – 7:30pm & 10:30 pm (21+)
Sunday 4/3 – 3:00pm

April 8 & 9
Open Space for Arts and Community,Vashon Island
18870 103rd Avenue Southwest, Vashon, WA 98070
TICKETS: Price range $10 - $20 BUY TICKETS
Show type: Comedy/Varietè shows (all ages)
Friday 4/1 – 7:30pm
Saturday 4/2 – 3:00pm & 7:30pm

April 4
SIFF Cinema
321 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA
TICKETS: Price range: $12 - $15 BUY TICKETS
Show Type: Film with live accompaniment
Monday 4/4 – 7:30pm

January 12, 2011

Jason Webley, The Bobs, and Baby Gramps

What would the Moisture Festival be without music?! The festival would be a sad, sad circus tent indeed without the sounds and energy of the amazing musicians who come to play with us. To start off the list this year (and there will be so many more!), are these three returning favorites:


The Grammy-nominated Bobs are serious show business and four funny humans who take their music seriously. They're the world's only new wave a cappella singers, and with a 25 year history, boast over a dozen albums, and a DVD documentary: Sign My Snarling Dog. Moisture Festival is always pleased to have these insanely talented artists take the stage. Check out this video for a sneak peek at phenomenon that is The Bobs and browse their website for more audio and video clips.



Jason Webley is an enigmatic combination of folk, gypsy, punk, and everything in between. Jason has now released five full length albums including one that the Seattle Times called "One of the best Seattle CDs of the year". A prolific collaborative artist Jason has recorded and toured extensively with fellow songwriters most recently in Seattle with his Monsters of Accordion tour. You can currently find him traveling the country with his unique brand of sometimes bizarre, sometimes playful and always soulful poetry. We can't wait for his train to make a stop at the festival. Take a listen to this clip and more on his website.


According to an article in the special issue City of Music in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, Baby Gramps is acknowledged as one of the top 50 most influential musicians in the last 100 years. He is credited with making audiences aware of old blues and novelty songs that the rest of the world has mostly forgotten. Playing an acoustic antique National Steel guitar, he sings his own unique arrangements of rags, jazz, & blues songs from the 20's & 30's and many originals with wordplay, humor, and throat singing. Gramps is a high energy humorously entertaining performer with an endless repertoire. Check out this clip on his website and join us at the festival for more!

Burlesque Hosts 2011: Madame X, Kevin Joyce, and Blanche DeBris

Moisture Festival is pleased to welcome back our ever impressive and always engaging Burlesque hosts Madame X (& her lawyer), Kevin Joyce, and Blanche DeBris. Moisture's Libertease Burlesque will be presented this year in ACT - A Contemporary Theatre's gorgeous in-the-round Allen Theater for an all-angles showcase of jaw dropping burlesque artistry.

Mme X is just back from traveling around the world in a very, very, very slick black stretch limo. It really is a jungle out there. It was so hot… so wild… so many small people. Now that she is back in sultry Seattle she is pleased to be seeing you at the Moisture Festival Burlesque show again. All of you.

Elevating the stature of Moisture Burlesque Madame X will again grace us with her enchanting and commanding presence for another year, presiding over a host of alluring artists from near and far.







Over the past 20 years, Kevin Joyce has established himself as one of the most versatile and prolific creative artists in the Pacific Northwest. Kevin is a performer, event designer, producer, composer, leadership trainer and creative consultant. He is a Co-Founder of UMO Ensemble and a principal performer, and was a Director of Teatro Zinzanni. With his wife Martha Enson he runs EnJoy Productions. A regular at Moisture, we greatly look forward to Kevin's antics at this year's festival.


If America had a sweetheart, Blanche DeBris would be her well-meaning but less attractive best friend. Miss DeBris has been entertaining herself and occasionally others for more years than she is able to reliably count. She is pleased as champagne punch to be invited back to the Moisture Festival. In a recent interview, Ms. DeBris is quoted as saying, "I always love appearing at high-class functions, and The Moisture Festival is among my favorites!" Blanche DeBris...putting the "ass" in "High-Class." Website

German Wheel Artist Nich Galzin to Perform

Those of us who coordinate the Moisture Festival burlesque shows - Rhonda Sable, Cathy Sutherland and Martha Enson - are very excited to be adding a brand new element this year to both our varietè and our burlesque performances. We are inviting German Wheel artist, Nich Galzin to perform at the festival. If you have never seen this phenomenal piece of equipment in action you will not want to miss it. Nich is handsome, sexy and oh so flexible. Ooo-la-la! Stay tuned to find out when you will be able to feast your eyes on this new Moisture Festival performer. In the meantime, here is something to tide you over:

January 7, 2011

Trixie Little & The Evil Hate Monkey & Daredevil Chicken Club Join the Party

Never would i have imagined writing that combination of words together, but these two acts bridge Variete and Burlesque, bringing together all kinds of smart, sexy absurdity to delight and wow you.


Brand new to Moisture, Daredevil Chicken Club have entertained audiences with their innovative performances in over 34 countries. Combining comedy with absurd characters and circus skills they are modern comic Vaudevillians whose goal is to challenge and push the medium of live performance and search for the line between reality and absurdity, comedy and taboo. For more information visit their website.


"One part interactive street theatre, one part gymnastics demo, and a gazillion parts funny...Her crowd work...is some of the finest I have ever seen..."-Chris Harcum, Nytheatre.com








Superduo Trixie Little & The Evil Hate Monkey return to Moisture Festival with their highly skilled sexy-smart antics and a charming love-hate dynamic. Trixie and Monkey showcase trapeze, striptease, acrobatics and physical comedy in jaw-dropping burlesque, cabaret, variety and theater shows. This award-winning acrobatic burlesque team has been flipping and stripping for audiences since 2002. Mixing years of high level circus training, brilliant comedy and electric onstage chemistry their act defies description, chemistry, and expectation. Website.

Godfrey Goes Hollywood

Godfrey the goofy and beloved life size puppet clown well known by Moisture Festival fans is Hollywood bound to perform in Your Town Follies begining January 15th. If your in the Los Angeles area we urge you to catch the show.

The follies are the creation of Stefan Haves who's resume includes directing Teatro Zinzanni in San Francisco and working as a creative consultant for the Broadway Tony Award winning hit show Full Moon. Steven is best known as Back Man by Moisture Festival fans who saw the performance of his signature routine at the 2009 Moisture Festival.

The only question that remains now is when will we see Godfrey in the movies?

January 6, 2011

Al Simmons & NANDA Return!

Two festival favorites will return to share their unique brands of entertainment with us this year.

Al Simmons is a man dedicated to the all but lost art of combining comedy with song, dance, magic, sight gags and, of course, bad puns. His costume-and-prop routines have often been the most popular and talked about act in theatres, concert halls, and at folk, children's and other festivals across North America. The Globe & Mail praises "His act, at once frenetic and engagingly simple, is a tour-de-force of ingenious, charming silliness."
We can't wait to see what he has in store for us this year! For more info on Al visit his website.
UPDATE 1/18: Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, Al can't make this year's festival but will be blocking out some time in 2012.


NANDA's "Acrobaticalism" is a calculated chaos of dancing, juggling, music, acrobatics, and high energy kung-faux fighting. The show is all at once exuberantly innovative and widely appealing to audiences of all ages. NANDA defies convention and categorization by working within a limitless scope of imagination.
These artists’ unique blend of skill acts and hilarious antics will reward again and again with their innovative approach to pure entertainment. Check out their website for more!

Nate Cooper joins the 2011 Festival

Moisture Festival is pleased to welcome Nate Cooper back into our crazy clown car. Nate will be performing at this year's Festival, straight from Cirque du Soleil's "Love" in Las Vegas.

www.coopervaudeville.com
"Cooper is a natural physical comedian and eccentric dance aficionado. An endlessly talented clogger, tap and swing dancer, juggler, roller skater and clown. Dedicated to the art of play, Cooper explores physical limitation through clown logic."

January 3, 2011

Party like it's... 2011

Thank you to everyone who attended the New Year's party. We had such a wonderful time sharing the start of 2011 with you!