Since she was a little tater tot in St. Louis, MO, Danielle Gennaoui loved to direct plays in her parents’ basement, climb every tree in sight, and spin around in circles until she fell over. Fortunately, not much has changed (though the falling over is fewer and further between).
Danielle began training Circus Arts in 2008 at the Actors Gymnasium under the direction of Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and completed Aloft Loft's Full-Time circus training program in 2014 under the coaching of Shayna Swanson and Helena Reynolds (Major: Aerial Hoop). Danielle specializes in theatre, aerial arts (aerial hoop, trapeze, silks, sling, Chinese pole, Spanish web), and partner acrobatics.
Danielle has been especially fortunate to perform and create with various theatre and circus companies in the U.S. including: Aloft Circus Arts, Actors Gymnasium, Circus Harmony, CircEsteem, MSA & Circus Arts, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Gravity Aerial Arts, Thodos Dance Chicago, Apple Tree Theatre, Dream Theatre Company, and Sussurus Performance Group. Danielle also studied and performed with the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, including portraying the title role in Pushkin's "Faust".
Danielle graduated with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre directing and performance from the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University. During her time at Butler she had the opportunity to practice various styles of theatre from Shakespeare and the Michael Chekhov technique to Viewpoints to devised and collaborative site-specific performances. She has received various awards and nominations for her work including the Jerome Hartwig Theatre Scholarship, Black Box Award for Best Actress in Philip Glass's "The Photographer," and five Black Box Award nominations for her original adaption of William Shakespeare's "Richard III". Danielle was also extremely honored to be chosen as a finalist and perform with the 2015 U.S. Aerial Championships in New York City.
Danielle currently is performing throughout the Chicagoland area and is proud to be a coach at The Actors Gymnasium, her first circus home, as well as at The Chicago Center for Dynamic Circus.
CV and full act videos available upon request.