Don't Drop the Ball and Miss These New Acts!

Planning for the festival involves scheduling new and old acts alike. We have been juggling these tasks for twelve years now, and think we've become quite good at balancing known crowd favorites with soon-to-be crowd favorites. This year, you'll want to keep an eye open for these stunning performers who are no strangers to catching the eyes of audiences all over the world.

Jay Gilligan photo by Hans Vera

Jay Gilligan has many talents, and juggling is certainly one of them! He has toured the world with various juggling companies and as a solo act, and when he is not touring and showing off his skills, he teaches juggling in Stockholm, Sweden. Over the years, Jay has performed a number of fascinating shows, including Prototype, a unique experience where the act of juggling creates music! If you want to know more about Jay and his juggling history, check out his recently published book 5 Catches. To see him in action, check back here in late February for his performance dates at Moisture Festival 2015!

Steven Ragatz

Another performer who knows how to captivate a crowd is Steven Ragatz. He has been performing for three decades in multiple locations worldwide, and spent ten years touring with Cirque du Soleil. Steven is at home on any stage, from juggling in front of live orchestras to being the opening act for John Mellencamp! He has even performed on ice. Yes, you read that right... Steven has performed juggling and variety acts on ice! Our stage at Hale's Palladium is made of wood, but Steven Ragatz will transform it with his remarkable circus antics that you are sure to enjoy. Check here for updated show dates near the end of February.

Patrick McGuire

 Originally from Pittsburgh, Patrick McGuire was invited to the very first Portland Juggling Festival and eventually made the Pacific Northwest his home. He has toured extensively, including stints with Cirque du Soleil, performing in both Mystere and Quidam. He started work on Mystere just out of high school at the age of 18! Patrick has even appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Don't miss this talented character on the Moisture Festival stage! Showtimes will be posted here by the end of next month.

Join the Fun! Volunteer Orientation February 9th

Have you ever wondered how such a fun, fabulous festival actually happens? In addition to the talented performers, tireless producers, and amazingly generous sponsors, we have a stellar team of volunteers that help make our Moisture world go 'round! Are you interested in being part of the festival? Come to our Volunteer Orientation on February 9th to find out how you can help! You can meet the festival organizers, chat with returning volunteers, and talk to the team leads about various volunteer positions available.

Our motto “Laughter is the key” emphasizes that our volunteer team’s main mission is to have fun while we work together. Each year we seek new volunteers to join our returning teams who take care of greeting patrons at the door, box office, bartending, transportation, artist accommodations, set building, data management  – to name only a few of the areas necessary for the continued success of this annual springtime festival.

We have a lot of fun together each and every night of the festival. Be a part of the amazing family that makes this unique event happen!

photo by Michelle Bates

WHEN: Monday, February 9th. Registration begins at 6, meeting at 6:30
WHERE: Hale's Palladium, 4301 Leary Way NW (the Palladium is located behind Hale's Brewery)

If you cannot attend the meeting but still wish to volunteer for the festival, fear not! While the meeting is the best place to learn about the festival and meet the team leaders, we'll send a recap after the meeting with info you need to volunteer.  Be sure you are signed up on Moisture Festival's Shiftboard: www.shiftboard.com/moisture. This is our volunteer mailing list.

For more information, visit our website or email volunteersATmoisturefestivalDOTorg.

Group Acts Bring More Life to the Party

They say two heads are better than one, so by that logic, groups of three or five have to be even better, right?! We have a couple of group acts that will be gracing the Palladium stage for the first time ever this year, so come check them out!

Gentile5 Photo by Gary G Thomson Photos

Have you ever been sitting around with your family and thought to yourself, "Maybe we should start juggling each other with our feet!"? I'm not sure that's the exact progression that happened in the Gentile family, but that is some of what you will see when you watch them perform at the 2015 Moisture Festival. Parents Carlo and Orlene have been performing all over the world as a duo, and as can happen when you watch your parents do really fun things, their three children (ages three to eight!) joined in on the party. 

The Gentile5 perform the Risely Antipode, which is defined as "any circus acrobalance posture where the base is lying down on their back, supporting one or more flyers with their hands, feet and/or other parts of the body; spinning a person or object using only one's feet". This act was named for Richard Risely Carlisle, who is noted as the first to perform the act in the Guinness Book of World Records sometime around 1840. The Gentile5 will astound you with these "feets", plus many more tantalizing acrobatics! Check this page for show dates in late February. 

Company Cirque en Deroute

Another new circus group for 2015 is Cirque en Deroute. These eccentric, entertaining clowns use comedic acrobatics to bring laughter and delight to audiences all over the world! In addition to acrobatics, these folks tap, juggle, and even do something they call Tappling. Tap juggling... talk about some serious coordination required! The members of Company Cirque en Deroute strive for "art within clown, clown within life, and life drenched with laughter." You will not want to miss the acrobatic antics of this group, so check here for confirmed performance times in the coming weeks.

Blast from the Past!

Sometimes the stars align just right and we get the pleasure of bringing back performers from years past that we haven't seen in awhile. For the 2015 festival, we have two acts that you may have missed in previous years, but will surely want to see this year!

Photo by Michelle Bates

You won't have to stand out in the rain to see the fabulous street performance of Aileen Wilkie. She will once again be bringing her talent to the Moisture Festival stage. Not only can she ride a tall unicycle and juggle, but she can do both at the same time!

Aileen is from Scotland, studied physical theater under the famed Jaques Lecoq in Paris and has performed in festivals in Australia and New Zealand. We are delighted to be able to bring her back to Seattle for another dazzling performance of physical theater! In late February, check here for performance dates.

Photo by David Rose

Have you had the joy of seeing the award-winning magic of Stoil and Ekaterina? Their high-energy quick-change performance, featuring magic, comedy, and stunning illusions will surely delight audiences of all ages. Hailing from Europe, this dynamic duo has performed all over the world, including Hollywood's Magic Castle! 

Their nearly instantaneous costume changes may leave you scratching your head and wondering if you could shorten your morning routine of getting dressed for work. If you haven't seen it, or saw it once and need to see it again to believe it, don't hit the snooze button on this opportunity! Performance times will be posted here by the end of February.