Moisture Festival

Aardvark Sooner is a stupid name made up by Paul Nathan so he could be the first performer on our list. Star of The I Hate Children Children's Show, Devil in the Deck, and Dark Kabaret. Unkle Paul...

Acrobatic Conundrum

Seattle's "Acrobatic Conundrum" presents original, extraordinary circus acts alongside moments of absurd and intimate humanity. Collective members Zora Blade, Tanya Brno, Marta Brown, Arne Bystrom, Tyler...

Adrienne Jack-Sands

Adrienne Jack-Sands has been involved in performance art since childhood, playing violin from age six and viola since she was 12. At the American Ballet Theatre school in New York City she trained in classical...

Al Simmons

In the tradition of the great comedy kings, Danny Kaye, Spike Jones and Jimmy Durante comes Al Simmons - a man dedicated to the all but lost art of combining comedy, with song, dance, magic, sight gags...

Alex Allan

Alex Allan is an Aerialist and physical theatre artist. Born and raised in Australia, Alex completed his Bachelor of Arts in Communication – Theatre/Media. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Alex...

Alex Zerbe

Professional Zaniac, Alex is a two-time Guinness World Record holder who was voted Seattle’s Funniest Prop Comic. He has appeared on prime-time television in three countries including the hit NBC TV shows,...

Armitage Shanks

Making his 7th appearance at Moisture Festival, Armitage Shanks is one of the most sought after MC/Performers on the International Burlesque, Cabaret & Vaudeville scenes, with performances throughout North...

Arne Bystrom

Arne Bystrom is one of the premier jugglers in the Pacific Northwest. Arne performed in productions in Quebec City, Chile, toured New England with Circus Smirkus, and performed for a variety of clients...

Aviatrix

Aviatrix has presented some stunning aerial displays for Moisture Festival and this year will be no exception ... We're thrilled that they will bring their unique Martini Glass prop and we will sip then...

Avner the Eccentric

Avner Eisenberg was one a handful of 1970s street performers who took their acts into theaters and, along with the Flying Karamazov Brothers and others, gave birth to the New Vaudeville movement. Even...

Baby Gramps

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 along with...

Bellini Twins

"The Bellini Twins take inspired idiocy to new heights" is what Seattle Times wrote about this very unusual act. They have two different fathers but share one mother who was a bohemian trapeze artist....

Bill Robison

Bill Robison is a physical comedian.....His performances are a synthesis of outlandish comedy, an elastic face, a penchant for the absurd and a reckless sense of abandon. He has been touring internationally...

Bobs

The Bobs return to the Moisture Festival this year. Angie Bob Doctor joins Richard Bob Greene, Matthew Bob Stull and Dan Bob Schumacher. This is not your run-of-the-mill a cappella quartet -- not by a...

Booby Trap Players

The Boobies have giggled audiences from Seattle to Vegas, while performing new and old burlesque comedy sketches.

Brittany Walsh

Brittany Walsh is one of the most sought after equilibrist acts on the West Coast, recognized by The New York Times as “beautiful, exciting, and fun.” Brittany is best known for the manner in which she...

Caela & The Dangerous Flares

Caela Bailey’s sultry lead vocals with Katy Webber, Cathy Sutherland and Mari Finch’s smooth and seductive backup vocals are fire roasted. They’re coming back to the Moisture and they’ll make you want...

Canote Brothers

The Canote Brothers from Seattle, WA, are as renowned for their affable attitudes and humor as they are for their music. Greg on fiddle, and Jere on guitar, and both on banjo ukes, perform zany concerts,...

Catfish Jack

Harmonica player Catfish Jack (aka Jack Chauvin) grew up in Oakland, California. He was originally inspired by the Chicago blues’ legends Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Big Walter...

Charly Castors

Charly was born in the heart of Paris to the fifth generation of Castors in show business. Charly and his brothers Toly and Eddy make up the acrobatic trio Les Castors which has entertained audiences around...

Checkerboard Guy

The Checkerboard Guy (AKA David Aiken), beyond being a snappy dresser and regular at Moisture Festival, has also landed the gig of being the Editor in Chief for the Stories from the Pitch podcast - a semi-regular...

Christian Swenson

Performing artist, Christian Swenson, was born and raised in NH. He has an extensive background in dance, mime, voice and improvisation, and is known for his pioneering work in a form he calls "Human Jazz",...

Della Moustachella

Della doesn't have business cards, she has fun cards! She's shared her fun through physical comedy/dance/satire at Dream Science Circus, Oregon Country Fair, Moisture Festival, New Old Time Chautauqua...

Doc Sprinsock and the SANCApators

Doc Sprinsock and the SANCApators are the fabulously eclectic house band for SANCA, the Seattle circus school. When Fabio Sprinsock was born on a cold, gray Seattle morning, he was so surprised he didn't...

Dr. Calamari & Acrophelia

The good but creepy doctor and his cool-skinned lover are remarkably nimble for those who teeter on the brink of life and death. Dr. Loligo Calamari and Acrophelia (A.K.A Jason Williams and Evelyn Bittner),.members...

Dream Frohe

Dream aspires to move like she means it-to approach her art with presence and wonder and offer her audience a uniquely engaging experience. She has been performing aerial dance for the past 5 years and...

Duo Rendez-vous

Graeme and Lori teamed up almost two years ago, excited to be training under the guidance of their coach, Charly Castors, a premier Parisian circus/Variete performer antipodist (foot juggler). Graeme has...

Duo Rose

The first American circus artists to perform in Havana, Cuba since 1959 The passionate, romantic trapeze performance of Duo Rose combines unique dynamic elements with aerial contortion. The seamless...

Duo XY

Thomas and Justin met while working on Cirque du Soleil's "La Nouba" and began to train duo static trapeze. From there they moved to Montreal to further their technique and create Duo XY under the direction...

Dusty Rhodes and her Handsome Cowboys

Do you crave the authentic Western cowpoke experience? The point of view of those who ride the real range and actually work among the herds? Yeah? Why’d you come to a Comedy/ Varietè Festival then? Dusty...

Frank Olivier

Frank Olivier is bringing his comedy varieté show “Twisted Cabaret” to Hales Palladium, immediately following this year's Moisture Festival (May 2-26). Tickets have just gone on sale through http://TwistedCabaret.com. Frank...

Fred Garbo's Inflatable Theater Co.

Fred Garbo and Daielma Santos will bring a taste of their Inflatable Theater Company to the Moisture Festival this year. Fred got paid for doing a card trick in 1974, and has been a professional performer...

Fremont Philharmonic Orchestra

Originally the Freiberg Philharmonium, the Fremont Philharmonic couldn't get a gig in town, as everyone in the little Alsatian town was in the band. Neighboring villages suspected with so much talent in...

Fyodor Karamazov

He spent 20-odd years (some of them very odd) touring the world as a professional juggler with the Flying Karamazov Brothers, then retired to his home in Seattle, his other home in Santa Cruz, and his...

Godfrey Daniels

Godfrey is quiet on stage but you should hear the tales he tells backstage! His trip to perform on French television is hilarious. His long time companion, Randy Minkler, confirms that the town and the...

Hacki & Moeppi

From Germany, the comedy and energy of this father and son clown duo have been a central part of the festival's original inspiration and a good bit of the imagery and cockeyed outlook that allowed us to...

Henrik Bothe

Born in Denmark, Henrik Bothe took a turn from the road to becoming an engineer and strayed down the performing lane in 1980. He now engineers clever and unusual ways of entertaining audiences all over...

Iman Lizarazu

Iman Lizarazu is a world-class entertainer, juggler and physical commedian. People who have seen Lizarazu on Bay Area and International stages already know the Santa Cruz resident is a unique performer. As...

Jason Rodgers

Jason Rodgers has been a tap dancer/actor/musician, working professionally since the age of 10. He's worked with Debbie Allen, Donald O'Connor, George C. Wolfe, Eddie Brown, Fayard Nicholas, and Danny...

Jay Alexander

We are sorry to report that Jay Alexander has had to cancel his 2013 Moisture Festival appearances when his grandmother passed away. Our hearts go out to him and his family and we look forward to 2014...

Jessie Sawyers

Jessie Sawyers is a Seattle-based tap dancer, producer, entrepreneur, artist, educator, cultivator of community, believer in our youth, life lover, and music maker. She began tap dancing at the age of...

Joey Pipia

Performing magic for children at the renowned Jewel Box Theater or for adults at famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, Joey Pipia can do it all and he can do it with grace and style. Joey is a very funny magician...

Jonathan Rose

Jonathan Rose’s interest in circus arts began in Mexico, where he was a roustabout in a small, family-owned circus. For several months he served as caretaker of the many exotic animals, including Maurice,...

JuggleMania

Whether walking up a stairway of blades, gliding along a slack rope, juggling pins, spinning crockery on sticks (for no known reason) or offering other circus-style feats Rhys Thomas’ climb-up, lay-down,...

Karen Quest

Dubbed "America’s Funniest Cowgirl", Karen has been blazing a trail since 1998 with her one-woman Cowgirl Tricks comedy show. Skillful trick roping, whip cracking and improvisational kooky cowgirl shenanigans,...

Kevin Brooking

Kevin Brooking presents a mime, music, juggling and magic act whom the French have compared to Chaplin and Mack Sennett (in France, there is no higher praise). Before graduating from Ecole Jacques Lecoq...

Kevin Joyce

Kevin is Creator and Host of the variety show Big Night Out on the Seattle Channel. With his wife Martha Enson he runs EnJoy Productions, which produces live entertainment for corporate and special events,...

Kevin Kent

Kevin was one of the original cast members of Seattle's acclaimed Teatro ZinZanni. He is a writer, director and producer whose work has led him overseas in addition to being a steady presence in Seattle's...

Lara Paxton

Founder of the Aerialistas and Circus Contraption, Lara has been performing this last year in Spain and Germany so we are so excited to have her back at the Palladium performing her beautiful mermaid aerial...

Lelavision

The name Lela is more than a play on the names of the founders; derived from two Sanskrit terms meaning "creation" and "creative spark", with references to "play," it denotes the spirit of the performance...

Louie Foxx

Louie Foxx celebrated his interest in childish pursuits even before the birth of his child gave him "... a valid excuse to go to the zoo once a week and build forts out of the sofa cushions." He spent...

Luther Bangert

When he performed at the recent juggling convention in Portland, they listed him simply as "the enigmatic Luther Bangert". While touring India the arrival in town of this six foot juggler atop a unicycle...

Magical Mystical Michael

Magical Mystical Michael’s illusive and elusive logic still has some of his closest friends scratching their heads and laughing. You’ll see many of Michael’s friends at the Moisture Festival, he’s an easy...

Majinga the Magician

…You'll be "Wowed" by the Magical World of Michael Stroud, aka Majinga the Magician. Michael is a best-selling magic author, a twelve-time award winning magician and performance artist, and has been featured...

Maria Margiyeva

Maria was born in Kiev, Ukraine. At the age of 7 she began her career as an athlete of rhythmic gymnastics on the Club Dynamo of Kiev coached by Vera Kremer. A few years later Maria entered in the National...

Mark Ettinger

Comprehensivist, composer and performer Mark Ettinger plays with music in a variety of genres on an assortment of instruments, from joining Bo Diddley as pianist to conducting the Cincinnati Orchestra...

Mark Growden

Mark Growden is a singer, writer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, visual artist, and workshop leader. Mark has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Saint Judas, which...

Mud Bay Jugglers

Masters of levity is several senses of the term. Mudbay has brought their innovative approach to juggling for over 30 years now. They’ve passed some of their knowledge and experience on while passing clubs....

Naked Truth

The Naked Truth show band that will anchor all Burlesque shows and the two Variete shows presented at the Broadway Performance Hall is a new band made up of not-so-new musicians. We expect greatness. Their...

NANDA

The NANDA experience is a high-energy, unrelenting blast of action and excited humor. You will be enraptured by this dynamic show, a tidal wave of acrobatics, dance, juggling and crazy Kung Fu acro-fighting,...

Niels Duinker

Niels Duinker first thought of becoming a successful international performer when he was 12 years old, and well before the end of his teenage years his dream had become a reality. Niels won a Gold Medal...

Nu Klezmer Army

Nu Klezmer Army brings new life and energy to the traditional music of the yiddish-speaking jews of Eastern Europe. Melding together each player's diverse musical background, NKA brings forth an undeniably...

Onlies

The Onlies are a group of 14 year old musicians from Seattle who have known each other since they were toddlers: Samantha Braman, Riley Calcagno, and Leo Shannon. They "... sing original songs, play several...

Paper Doll Militia

Paper Doll Militia are pioneers in original Aerial Theatre who seamlessly weave dynamic physicality, aerial arts, and visual theatre. This unique performance company emphasizes mixing modern and vintage...

Patch Adams

You may have heard of Patch through the film starring Robin Williams. It was about Patch's life in medical school and called simply, Patch Adams. Patch is one of the founding members of the New Old Time...

Paul Nathan

Paul entertains audiences worldwide- from theater festivals in Hong Kong and Australia to festivals all over Europe- including Belgium's "Humorology Festival," Holland's "Limburg Festival," and England's...

Paz of Equilibrium Circus

PAZ has been performing and teaching the circus arts for over seventeen years. His performances have taken him to Asia, Australia, Central and North America, Europe, and the Caribbean and have included...

Peter Davison

Peter Davison's childhood idols were Alexander Calder and Batman, influences that led to training in visual art, juggling, and dance. While a teenager, Peter began his professional career street performing...

Poledello

Local pole dance artist Noelle Wood has performed in various events and shows in Seattle and beyond. She has placed in several pole dance competitions, winning first place in the National Masters Division...

Poppy Daze

Poppy Daze (Lara Lee Rasberry) performs locally, nationally and internationally on a variety of aerial apparatus, including her signature anchor. She is the founder and director of the Aerialistas. Considered...

Puppet Guy

Lee Zimmerman is a multi-talented veteran performer. Well known in the LA area comedy clubs and busking venues, he is known as The Puppet Guy to some and The Etch A Sketch Guy by others (his skill with...

Quynbi

Hailed as “one of the aerial world’s most glamorous artists, with a style all her own” by Aerial Arts International Magazine, Quynbi is a Seattle-based aerialist, dancer, model, multimedia visual artist...

Reverend Chumleigh

R. Chumleigh is a New Vaudeville legend who performs throughout the civilized world and in the Dominion of Canada. Comfortable in any persona and historical period, Chumleigh is capable of filling any...

Rick Ruskin

Rick Ruskin started playing guitar in 1962 and in just one year became a respected professional musician in his native Detroit, Michigan. In 1964, while still in Jr. High School, he was chosen to open...

Ron W. Bailey

There are many people whose hard work and creativity makes the Moisture Festival happen but there is one without whom it wouldn't have been an option. Ron W. Bailey is an entertainer, band leader, singer,...

Ropeworks by René

René Bibaub is a five-time world champion, ESPN commentator and former artist and coach of Cirque Du Soleil. We will present René as the dynamic entertainer that she is but she will, no doubt, carry with...

Ruby Joyce

Ruby Joyce has performed as the torch bearer for the Olympic opening ceremonies of the Moisture Festival 2008. Her aerial hoop and trapeze acts have been seen at the Oregon Country Fair, Gravity of Kindness,...

Saffi Watson

Last summer, Saffi Watson completed a run of the family show In Tents at Teatro ZinZanni featuring the band Recess Monkey. She was the only kid in the cast, and performed as a hoop aerialist, a contortionist...

Sally Pepper

Sally has exercised a dizzying array of vaudeville skills ranging from aerial expertise to hula hooping, tap dancing, stilt walking, tumbling, group acrobatics, and roller skating. Working for years with...

Sandy

Our darling Sandy is a vaudeville chanteuse, Moisture Festival founding member, and all-around good sport.

Scott Land Marionettes

Scott Land is a puppeteer at the top of his game. His seasoned performing skills are on display in nearly every scene of Paramount Pictures' Team America: World Police (script by South Park writers Trey...

Shannon Gray and Mark Growden

When Shannon Gray performs, one thing is always clear - she loves to move. Discovering circus after a lifetime of movement exploration, it has become the ultimate combination of play, self-expression,...

Shayna Swanson

Shayna Swanson has been creating and performing aerial works that have been described by the Chicago Reader as “truly heart-felt and creative” for over 12 years. Renowned for her cyr wheel and aerial rope...

Shoehorn

Shoehorn is an original performance artist who creates music with his feet and dances with his horn. Michael Shoehorn Conley has combined organic body rhythms and sophisticated jazz forms and concepts...

Simon Neale

Simon Neale- One of the founders of the Festival, gained his sense of humor studying the art of English Music Halls. In his teens working at the Holiday camps, along the British coast, honing his skills...

Smerdyakov Karamazov

The brilliant vaudevillian, Ed Wynn, once said "A comedian is not a man who says funny things. A comedian is one who says things funny." As, variously, a solo performer (Samwise, Juggler Intraordinaire,)...

Snake Suspenderz

Snake Suspenderz, a quartet featuring vocals, ukulele, trombone, guitar, tuba and drums, call their music "cartoon jazz." They play a relentlessly quirky blend of novelty songs and hits of the 1920's...

Sourdough Slim

Ten gallon funny-man Sourdough Slim, transports us to a whimsical world where vaudevillian camp and cowboy lore intermingle to produce grins galore. Slim, aka Rick Crowder, is a well traveled veteran...

Spin Doctor

In Greg Palmer's brilliant PBS documentary, "Vaudeville", he presented a montage of old film clips and speculated dryly "Vaudeville audiences loved watching things spin." He would have loved this act....

Splinter Dance Company

Splinter Dance Company's mission is to extend thought-provoking dance performances to a broad range of audiences; making dance accessible to the public using site-specific work as well as maintaining artistically...

Stoil & Ekaterina

An award-winning magic act from Europe, Stoil & Ekaterina have performed on a number of TV shows, cruise lines, hotels and theaters all over the world. They present a fast-paced, high energy performance...

Super8s

The Super8s are a favorite Moisture Festival band. They are back again in 2013 to smooth out the transitions or make them lumpy if that's what makes more sense.

Tanya Brno

A local and international circus artist, Tanya has been an integral and innovative part of the Seattle aerial scene over the past seven years. She has collaborated with many other performers including...

Teresa Tudury

Teresa Tudury is an absolute original. From her San Francisco roots to the Greek Islands to New York and LA where she performs her music and/or as a comedian, she has a loyal following. One paper described...

Thomas John

Thomas John is excited to be returning to the Moisture Fest after taking some time off to compete in America's Got Talent and tour the German variety theater circuit. Thomas blends comedy and juggling...

Tom Noddy

Tom has done something unique in show business ... he created a new kind of act. When Tom Noddy first took his performance of Bubble Magic onto the Tonight Show in the early '80s (the first of 3 such performances...

Tune Stranglers

Recently referred to as "a circus that plays music", the Tune Stranglers have been entertaining audiences across the West since 2003. With a smorgasbord of stringed instruments, washboard and the occasional...

Uncle Bonsai

Uncle Bonsai performs original, contemporary folk/pop music. With their soaring and intricate 3-part vocal harmonies and biting humor, accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, Arni Adler, Patrice O'Neill,...

Vivian Tam

With dreams of dazzling since she was even shorter than she is now, Vivian began her beef cake aerial training at Hollywood Aerial Arts with Sagiv Benyamin. Previous confirmed sightings of Vivian dangling...

Wang Hong

Wang Hong’s name translates into English as “rainbow” and the spectrum of talents that she employs in her performance are as beautiful and delicate as that ephemeral play of light. She was raised in the...

Zebra Kings

As you can imagine, some of the Zebra Kings' band members will miss having their regular springtime positions around the watering hole but most readily agreed that this would be a worthwhile and educational...

Zipcode Man

Who out of the 6 billion people on this planet can juggle seven balls, invent very funny stories on the spot, and recite the location of every zip code in America and abroad? Meet David Rosdeitcher, an...

zoom ----- Moisture Festival Volunteer Staff

This is a cropped photo of a fraction of the many volunteers that worked together to staff the Moisture Festival last year. Many of these hard working happy folk will be back to work for the pleasure of...

March 21 - April 14, 2013

The Comedy/Varietè Artists