Lea Hinz is a circus performer who specializes in aerial hoop. Her powerful acts combine a high technical level with character work. Lea is known for her unique spinning elements and her captivating stage presence. Her performances can be seen in arena shows, cabarets, circus tents and in theaters all around the world.

Where are you from, and how did you first connect with Teatro Zinzanni?

I’m originally from Germany but I have lived in Las Vegas since 2018. I was approached by Teatro ZinZanni during my first contract in Las Vegas (as the aerial soloist in Absinthe) – the creative team came to Las Vegas to meet in person and watch me perform live, we started taking about opportunities to collaborate which lead to my first run with ZinZanni Seattle (Welcome To Wonderland).

You have been a part of the Teatro Zinzanni family for a while now. Do you ever still get nervous before a show?

Yes…it is a bit different for this kind of show because it’s so long. And specifically before my act (which obviously is the main part for me – this is the reason why I am hired), I have two and a half hours. So it’s not that I’m sitting in my dressing room doing makeup and you know…Also, I am not a very nervous person whatsoever. I have, like, high shots of adrenaline. Even when I perform in Vegas in the summer, they still give me hand warmers, because my body just reacts in a way that two to three minutes before the act, blood flow just shuts off, and my hands and feet just get blue. That’s my part of nervousness, and that still happens after twelve years. And I think I somehow need that in order to perform well. If that didn’t happen, it kind of means that I don’t [care].

Yeah, no, that still happens, and specifically in the latest iteration, I did notice everything that was tremendously new for me – for example, the challenge “come up with a 2-line rhyme that times for the intro into a certain moment so you set Cunio up” – I’m talking about Spell On You. I have 5 minutes and then I need to present it – like, those are the moments that are different to aerial work, or dance work, that are challenging. I don’t know, you’ve probably seen me run around backstage because I’m not an improviser, because I’m not English-native – I do take the speaking part seriously, and like, speak out my lines clearly before every show, before every stage moment. I do vocal warm-up before every show. So long answer short, yes, I do get nervous. It’s just not the cliche nervousness, of you know…a little girl having shaking knees. It’s different. 

What would you consider your greatest accomplishment as a performer?

I think it’s a difficult question. But I think I’m quite proud of how I found a way to combine my past career, which, you know, I was [on the] National Team for Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Those past skills, learn this whole new skill, which is the aerial work, aerial hoop…I started with it 13 years ago. Before, I couldn’t hang from both arms, I couldn’t do a pull-up or whatever. I think, you know, combining ground skills with aerial skills is quite an achievement. And I did somehow invent this new style of aerial hoop, which is fast spinning, which is not anymore the small, really strong girls, but I work with what I have. I work with my long body, my flexibility, my lines. So I think combining skills, finding a new style for this discipline, and bringing a whole lot of character work in there – I think that’s something I’m proud of. That’s…well, maybe I can’t say unique, but it’s rare. Many performers do acrobatics instead of telling a story, and that has always been my focus. If I don’t have anything to say, I may as well not be on stage. I don’t like to speak out acrobatic words if they do not form a phrase. So I think the combination of the skill level, the new aesthetic, so to speak, and storytelling is what I’m proud of. 

What is something you still hope to achieve? Do you have a future goal or something you haven’t gotten quite right but want to in the future?

Well, I’m working a lot on vocals. I couldn’t tell ya if I really want to sing, and certainly not in a way that professional singers do, but it is something I want to get out there. The other thing, even though it’s always been my hobby and in a way sometimes it’s good to keep your hobby away from any kind of work-related situations, I would love to find a way to become a bit more musical on stage. I play ukulele, and I’m working on a glass harp situation, which I have not figured out yet because it seems to be impossible to tune right. But again, I work very hard, and I’m a little bit of a perfectionist, so sometimes something starts as a little project and once I find somewhat of the key it can go really far. So those are maybe three things that I hope to achieve, and let’s just see how it goes! 

How do you think the Teatro ZinZanni show experience differs from other productions or shows you’ve been part of?

ZinZanni has a very intimate and warm feeling to it – that’s true for guests and performers. I personally love the open approach of every new show – as a performer you’re asked to get creative not only with your specialty act but also with character work, animation ideas and much more. You’re able to work closely with many other creatives and you’re encouraged to keep exploring your material as the show runs. That makes ZinZanni a specifically lively experience for everyone – as a performer you never do the same show twice since no audience is the same and as an audience member you’ll never see the same show twice either. The only thing you know is that your evening will be filled with Love, Chaos & Dinner.

Do you have any pre-show rituals to get you in the zone?

Yes! So during the day it’s definitely half an hour of vocal class, vocal warm up. That’s at home because I don’t want to annoy my poor coworkers [LAUGHS] with my still-missing skills. But that belongs to every day – even before matinees. Unfortunately the alarm has to ring very early to fit it in. And then when I come into the theatre, it’s make-up for me, very clearly, where I stop talking a little bit and I just put my face on. It’s a form of transformation but also protection in case something goes wrong in the show.

It’s nice afterwards to be able to take it off. I do not get recognized, for example, in the elevator down. And that’s a nice, protective feeling – that at least in my case, I put just enough on to be different. I just said before that a lot of myself goes into the character, and that’s still true, but of course it’s a heightened self. That’s also different every day depending on how I feel or what happened to me, and it’s good this way, because it’s live entertainment and it should not be robotic. Yeah, I think makeup for me is very ritualistic. And warming up, of course, that follows a very, very clear pattern. Even the way that I go into my costume, what I put on first, how I organize things on the table in front of me…it’s a pattern, but it’s less of a ritual whatsoever. What’s super important for me is the moment after Cunio is changed into his dress, I always have to put my hands straight to see if my hands are shaking, if they are level. After that’s done, I start jumping a few times because I need to get the adrenaline, like, really cooking. And we just always have one task for each other: depending on how we feel, we look deep into each other’s eyes, kiss, and hug, and then we go out. That has just… that’s this show. That’s with this performer. Without, we would never go onstage – that’s a very clear ritual. 

Describe Teatro Zinzanni in 5 words or less.

Teatro Zinzanni in five words…Alive. Intimate. Love. Chaos. Dinner.