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.

Why Blue?

Some of our favorite-est people help make Moisture Festival.  We are especially grateful to our wonderful website creators The Medium's Lisa & Josh!  Not only do they rock out a great website, but Josh has recently published a children's book Why Blue?

When a little girl wonders that age-old question, "Why is the sky blue?" her imagination takes her on a beautiful journey of color, science, and friendship.

It's a gorgeous book full of imagination and discovery.  Congratulations Josh!





You can purchase Why Blue? at Amazon or Xist Publishing

Moisture Festival is hiring an Administrative Assistant!

Join the team!

We are seeking an Administrative Assistant to join our staff through April 2015.  You will provide general clerical support, including but not limited to data entry, filing, web research, phone/email customer service, and other projects.  In addition, assist the Development team with fundraising outreach including delivering marketing collateral to community businesses, and assist the PR team with contact list and calendar maintenance.

The ideal candidate will be personable, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and desire to learn what goes on behind the scenes of a performing arts nonprofit.

Required skills:

• A strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (esp. Word and Excel).
• Working knowledge of Google Suite (esp. Drive)
• Comfort online using internet tools such as Blogger, online forms/ interfaces, various online applications, and various Social Media platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and customer service —face to face, email and on the phone.
• · A desire to learn a must.
• · A sense of humor a must.                                      

Bonus skills:

• Filemaker Pro database experience.
• Adobe Design and Web Suite experience.
• Experience in the nonprofit arts sector.

To apply please email your resume and brief cover letter telling us why you are a good fit for Moisture Festival to jobs <at> moisturefestival <dot> org.

Position is open until filled.  $11.50/hr.  Temporary (Dec 2014 – Apr 2015). Part-time (begins 15hrs/week ramping up to 35hrs/week by March/April)

More about Moisture Festival:
Moisture Festival is a 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit with offices in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. For the last 11 years we’ve produced a four-week festival in the spring, presenting comedy/varietè and burlesque performances, including benefits for charity, in numerous venues around Seattle.  In the spring of 2014, approximately 13,000 patrons delighted at all the weird, wonderful and sublime talents of the Moisture Festival’s aerialists, acrobats, clowns, comedians, puppeteers, jugglers, dancers, musicians and more.  We are currently the longest and largest festival of this kind in the world, presenting over 250 performers in more than 50 shows in 2014.

2015 Benefit Show Application Process Open!

At Moisture Festival, we are grateful to be part of an overwhelmingly generous community and we value the importance of giving back.  Each year we produce several shows to support other outstanding 501(c)3 nonprofits.  In 2015 we will be producing two benefit shows.

Does your organization fulfill an impactful mission?  Additionally, does your organization have a robust contact list and a dedicated group of supporters?  If so, consider partnering with Moisture Festival to present an exciting benefit show in our upcoming festival. For more information and to apply to be a 2015 beneficiary visit our website benefit show page.  Applications must be submitted by January 15, 2014.

Past beneficiaries include: New Old Time Chautauqua, Circus Contraption, SANCA- the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts, "Aerlift" presented by The Aerial Army of Love, Vashon Youth & Family Services, B.F. Day School Foundation/BF Day Elementary School, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Clowns Without Borders, Hands for a Bridge, Phinney Neighborhood Association,  Fremont Arts Council and Backbone Campaign.

Apply now for a chance to be a beneficiary in our sensational 2015 festival.