Battuta at Zingaro

Zingaro is a theater experience quite unlike any other.

The owner of ICB Europe and our boss, Eric Wrobley, decided to get a little creative for the company Christmas party this year and instead of the traditional meal and champagne at the office, he decided that a night out at the theater would be something a little more memorable for the staff. So we all gathered at the Zingaro theater for a pre-show meal before checking out the production of Battuta.

First, the dinner. Instead of a set meal, we were allowed to order what we wanted to eat. I went straight for the chili, as I was starving and needed something with some calories. I also had a salad and some cheese quiche, which surprised me by being quite good. Mindy selected onion soup (they don't call it french onion soup here in Paris), a salad, and some lentil pottage. It was an excellent meal with excellent company as we dined with some fellow teachers and their spouses including Corine, Dave L., Tanya, Emily, and Caroline. Sorry about not having a photo of the group, I forgot my good camera and had to rely on the camera-phone which didn't have enough light for a dinner shot.

After the meal, we made our way into the main theater for the show. We knew in it advance that the production involved horses, however we had no idea the display we were about to see. The entire performance involved the performers riding horses at various speeds around a ring while vaulting on and off the horses and executing some unreal moves while riding. The performance was very impressive.

We are both truly grateful to Eric for the opportunity as it is most definetly something we would never have attended had it not been for him.

The stage. The band is on the left on an elevated stage. The blue light in the middle is actually a waterfall. The blurs in the front are the horses racing around the ring.

A girl on a while stalion rode around the ring to signal the end of the act.