Meet Terrianne Butac Zonca | Dancer, Stage Manager, Heart Survivor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Terrianne Butac Zonca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Terrianne, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
One of the most important lessons that my career has taught me is that what is meant for me will be for me. It never feels like that in the moment of being at an audition for something you want so badly and then get cut from. When I look back at my career and all the shows and events I’ve gotten to do, those were meant for me and the path I was meant to be on. The auditions that I heard “no” from, it would’ve been great to be a part of them but that wasn’t the path that was meant for me. The best example happened 2 years after I moved to LA. I had just dropped out of Chapman University because I wanted to dance and focus on my career (I went back to school in 2016 and graduated in 2018!). I auditioned for NCL to be a dancer on one of their ships and I booked the job. I was so excited to travel and dance, what a way to start my career! The company called me to confirm that they had received my signed contract but had a couple questions about the medications I had listed. A year prior I began taking medications for a heart problem that the doctors believed I had, it was a misdiagnosis and I was properly diagnosed in 2023, but because I had just started taking them, per NCL rules, I was not allowed to work on the ship and they rescinded my contract. I was absolutely devastated. To have been so close to an incredible first job and it was taken away. It took me a while to come to terms with it and so I went to another audition, this time for Walt Disney World’s Christmas show. I made it to the end of the audition and the casting director reminded us that the following week they would be having Aladdin auditions and to “go to each audition because you never know which job you’ll get”. This piece of advice has stayed with me through my career because it was so true! I went up to thank everyone before I left and I said to the casting director that I wouldn’t be able to make the Aladdin auditions because I would be visiting my family in Hawaii. I asked him if I would be able to be considered for Aladdin with every inch of my body believing that unless I went to the audition there was no way I would get into the show. He looked at me for a couple seconds, nodded, and as he wrote “ALADDIN” at the top of my sheet he said “yup, absolutely”. Just seeing that made me so grateful but little did I know that 3 months later I would receive a call not for the Christmas show but for a sub position in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. It changed my life as it was one of my dream jobs that I had on my list since I first saw the show. I was a part of the show for 8 years and grateful to be with the show until we closed in 2016. Aladdin was meant for me, not the NCL cruise ship.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
was born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii but I knew from a young age that I wanted to move to Los Angeles and be a dancer in the industry. That was the goal I was always working towards through middle school and high school. My junior year of high school I was accepted into a performing group that was a non-profit organization and I was so excited! I knew that was what I wanted to do after I graduated so it was also easier for me to look up colleges in the area that I could also attend. One part of my story, and career, that has been a struggle is my heart condition. I had my first fainting episode my senior year of high school and the doctors couldn’t pinpoint what had triggered it. My second episode happened a couple months into living in LA. I was in a dance class and I had another episode. This time they kept me in the hospital for about 3 days to run tests to figure out what was causing these episodes. They diagnosed me with Mitral Valve Prolapse, which we would learn 17 years later that it was a misdiagnoses. Since then I had about 4 more episodes. Last year in 2023 I had the biggest episode yet. I fainted at my Grandpa’s funeral in Hawaii and went into cardiac arrest. The doctors called it sudden death because my heart had stopped before I even hit the ground. As scary and crazy as it sounds, I am grateful that it happened where and when it happened. I was surrounded by family who stepped in and started CPR immediately. At the mortuary there was an AED device that they used to shock me before the paramedics got there. Without those 2 things happening, I wouldn’t have survived. The doctors also told me that they couldn’t properly diagnose my condition until I went into cardiac arrest. I finally have an answer to my condition and a renewed appreciation for my body and my life. The doctors told me that I needed to slow down and should probably stop dancing. In true dancer fashion, I have not stopped. I took the time I needed to for my recovery from surgery, but 5 months later I performed in my first stage show again and it felt incredible!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A full week with my best friend, there is so much to do and so little time! At least 2 days, I would pray for the entire week but there’s a lot of other things to do, would be spent at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. It is still my favorite place to be, the magic of it all, it truly is my happiest place on earth! There are so many food places to go to in LA but since my husband works in the restaurant industry we love going to these 3 places, Catch Steak (where he works), Catch LA, and Firefly in Studio City. If it’s winter time, going up to Running Springs/Big Bear area is a must as well. Our friend’s have 2 great places, Wild Olive Den and Wild Olive Lodge, that we’ve stayed at and loved both of them. We got to explore the area around the cabins but also enjoyed just relaxing and being away from the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are long list of people who I can dedicate this to but there are 3 very important people I want to dedicate this shoutout to. My Mom, Dad, and my late-grandfather. They have supported me and my dreams from the moment I had them when I was 7. Without their constant love & support and driving me to dance 4-5 times a week, I wouldn’t have gotten the training I needed to get me to where I am today. For the last 5 years, my husband Derrick has also given me so much love & support and he has been by my side through the changes and challenges in my career.

Instagram: TerrianneButac

Image Credits
GingerSolePhotography. Boivin Photographe. Joseph Esser Photography.