New Strauss Festival Dancers
Welcome Veteran Strauss Dancers
Specialty
and Production Team
L to R: Trayce Meany and Popi Rizzi-Dunn
What is Strauss
Festival?
The Strauss Festival
has been Elk Grove's signature culture event since 1987,
offering family entertainment to almost 300,000 people.
Through the years the production has garnered rave reviews
and been featured in Sunset, Comstock and Via magazines.
Each night's performance is free to the public, funds are
raised by generous donors, grants and fund raising events.
The Strauss Festival
of Elk Grove California comes to the stage Thursday through
Sunday of the last week of July each year. A marriage of
some of the greatest dance music ever written, richly costumed
dancers, dedicated volunteers and a live audience of over
30,000 passionate spectators.
The show features
elegantly costumed dancers and professional symphony musicians
playing the music of Vienna's "Waltz King," Johann
Strauss, Jr. and his family. The setting is a grassy knoll
at the edge of a lake surrounding a small island. Warm evening
breezes and lights reflected in the water add to the wonderful
experience of this free event.
Only the musicians
and sound/lighting technicians are paid. All performers
and stage crew gladly volunteer their services just for
the opportunity to help in the show's success. Dancers begin
rehearsals in March and devote hours to practice. Many who
have seen the show are surprised that our performers are
not professional. See for yourself in the Pictorial section.
History
Iris Zimbelman's
dream to recreate the wonderful Strauss music and dance
of Vienna in lovely Elk Grove Park began in late 1985. A
Board of Directors was formed and aided by wide community
support, the project was launched. A site was selected,
a small circular island in the Elk Grove Park lake, and
with the awarding of a grant by the Sacramento County Board
of Supervisors, a performance facility was built.
The dream came true with the first Strauss Festival in July,
1987. Since that time, nearly 300,000 people have shared
an enchanting evening of entertainment. The Festival, which
continues to be a free event that appeals to all ages, is
made possible by the generous support of many organizations,
businesses, and private individuals who have made substantial
cash and in-kind donations.
Compiled
from Comstock magazine and StraussFestival.com
Elk
Grove CA
