PHYSICAL THEATER TRACES A 7 Fingers Production College of Charleston Sottile Theatre June 6 at 7:00pm; June 7, 8, and 9 at 8:00pm; June 9 and 10 at 2:00pm Creative Direction Les 7 Doigts de la Main/7 Fingers Direction and Choreography Shana Carroll, Gypsy Snider Acrobatic Designer Sébastien Soldevila Lights Nol van Genuchten Costumes Manon Desmarais Set & Props Original Design Flavia Hevia Set & Props Adaptation/Music & Soundscape/Video Les 7 Doigts de la Main/7 Fingers Prop Adaptation Bruno Tassé Head Coach (Acrobatics) Jerôme Le Baut Aerial Strap Isabelle Chassé Hand Balancing Samuel Tétreault Skateboards Yann Fily-Paré Single Wheel Ethan Law Piano Sophie Houle Cast Mason Ames Valérie Benôit-Charbonneau Mathieu Cloutier Bradley Henderson Philippe Normand-Jenny Tarek Rammo Xia Zhengqi Due to the physical demands of circus arts performances, the artists in each performance are subject to change. Presented by Fox Theatricals Tom Gabbard Amanda Dubois The Denver Center for the Performing Arts Nassib El-Husseini and Tom Lightburn Produced for Fox Theatricals by Kristin Caskey Mike Isaacson Advertising and Marketing aka Tour Marketing and Publicity Allied Live, LLC NYC Press Representation The Hartman Group General Management DR Theatrical Management PERFORMED WITHOUT AN INTERMISSION. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT A STROBE LIGHT IS USED IN THIS PRODUCTION. Support provided by the Albert Sottile Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Traces was originally co-produced by Centre National des Arts – Ottawa with the support of partners Conseil des Arts du Canada and Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec. 72 PHYSICAL THEATER TRACES ABOUT 7 FINGERS THE COMPANY What do you think of when you hear the word “circus”? For most people it’s a blur of high-wire stunts, dancing animals, and MASON AMES (Artist) moved to Montreal from New peanuts. Tents and elaborate costumes are nearly mandatory. Hampshire to train at the National Circus School, specializing in And who could forget the clowns? But what would circus hand to hand. Previous credits include Cirque Éloize’s iD, Cirque performers do if they had it their way? What kind of circus troupe du Soleil’s Viva Elvis, Circus Smirkus, and other productions of would they create if they were allowed to do more than just their 7 Fingers, notably joining them for their participation in the specialty act and push themselves to the furthest limits of their Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. abilities? Enter 7 Fingers. Founded in Montreal in 2002, 7 Fingers’ initial goal was to bring circus to a human scale. Les 7 Doigts de la VALÉRIE BENÔIT-CHARBONNEAU (Artist) trained for Main translates literally as “the 7 fingers of the hand.” It is a twist seven years at Montreal’s National Circus School, specializing in on a French idiom (“the five fingers of the hand”) used to describe hand to hand and banquine. Previous credits include Eclipse in distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one Shawinigan, Quebec, during two summers while training at the common goal. Here it refers to the seven founding directors of the National Circus School; Cirque Éloize’s iD (Korean production); and company (Shana Carroll, Isabelle Chassé, Patrick Léonard, Faon Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis. Benôit-Charbonneau also performed Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila, and Samuel Tétreault) in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. who, by combining their distinct talents and experiences, work towards their common artistic goals with the beautifully awkward MATHIEU CLOUTIER (Artist), originally from Gaspe, Quebec, dexterity of a 7-fingered hand. Their first show, Loft, rejected the spent three years at the Circus School of Quebec, specializing fanciful production qualities of standard circuses for the intimate in acrobatics, rollerblade, and diabolo. Previous credits include environment of an artist’s loft, all the while blending such diverse GOP (Munich, Münster), Cirque du Soleil (special events), Les forms as acrobatics, avant-garde dance, physical comedy, music, Grands Opéras de Québec, and more than 275 acrobatic shows at song, spoken word, interactive video projections, and live DJ-ing. Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York. Cloutier also The result was a brand-new type of show. Since Loft, 7 Fingers has enjoys playing guitar and writing music. created five shows—Traces, La Vie, Psy, Fibonnaci Project, and Patinoire—each show offering a distinct setting and yet carrying BRADLEY HENDERSON (Artist) was one of the original Traces the same 7-Finger-print. In addition, the 7 Fingers have developed cast members and has been touring the world with 7 Fingers a special events department through which they deliver a diverse since 2005. A San Francisco native, Henderson trained at the San range of custom projects. The 7 Fingers have performed for Francisco Circus Center, learning Chinese acrobatics with Master the Queen of England during The Royal Variety Performance, Trainer Lu Yi. In 2002 he moved to Montreal to attend the National performed during ceremonies for both the Turin and Vancouver Circus School and upon graduation was hired by 7 Fingers. Olympics, created performances for large corporate events, and much more. Each project is custom-made and approached with PHILIPPE NORMAND-JENNY (Artist) was born and the same hands-on creativity. raised in Montreal. He trained at the Circus School of Quebec, specializing in hand to hand, teeterboard, and trampoline. Other performances include GOP (Munich, Münster), Cirque du Soleil ABOUT TRACES (special events), Les Grands Opéras de Québec, and more than With Traces, 7 Fingers worked to take their trademark human 275 shows at Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York. and multi-disciplinary approach one step further by fusing classic acrobatics with such street forms as skateboard, TAREK RAMMO (Artist) is an acrobat, dancer, and former Dutch basketball, and parcours. Traces is a new circus experience— National Junior Team gymnast. He trained in circus, specialized one with an urban flavor, as young artists explode onto the in aerial straps, and discovered that he loved dancing while a stage with a renewed dynamic energy. Unlike classic circus student at the Codarts Circus Arts Academy in Rotterdam. Rammo where an artist specializes in one talent, the artists in Traces has performed with the Ulrike Quade Company in a visual theater have mastered a multitude of specialties. What results is production, Danceworks Rotterdam/André Gingras in Anatomica, a fluid narrative from beginning to end that highlights the and as a soloist in numerous shows across Europe. individual artist as much as it honors the ensemble effect. The people seen on stage are not nameless and faceless nor are XIA ZHENGQI (Artist), a.k.a. Daqi, was born in Anshan, China. they hidden by costume and makeup. The men and woman on At age six he joined the Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe. Daqi won stage are real, living and breathing artists with stories to tell the gold medal at the fourth National Acrobatic Competition in and astonishing talents to share. What results is a breathtaking China, toured the U.S. and Mexico with Ringling Bros. and Barnum array of human daring mixed with the personal charm of the & Bailey, and was the 2001/2005 gold medalist at the Festival individual artist. What are the Traces you’ll leave behind? Cirque de Demain. From 2006 to 2010 Daqi performed in Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion. 73 PHYSICAL THEATER TRACES SHANA CARROLL (Direction, Choreography) began her circus Modern Millie; Death of a Salesman; and Jekyll & Hyde. Fox career in 1988 when, at the age of 18, she touched a trapeze bar Theatricals is a member of the Independent Presenters Network, for the first time. A theater student from California, she decided to Broadway producer on Spamalot, The Color Purple, and Edward devote her life to this newfound art form. After apprenticing with Scissorhands, and operator of Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre. Fox the original Pickle Family Circus, Carroll furthered her training at Theatricals is a division of Fox Associates, owner and operator the National Circus School of Montreal and the Circus School of of The Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, and is led by President Rosny-sous-Bois. As a trapeze artist, she performed with Cirque Richard Baker and owners Robert Baudendistel and Mary Strauss. du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, in the IMAX movie Journey of Man, and many others. As a choreographer and director, she has created KRISTIN CASKEY (Producer) is President of Fox Theatricals. hundreds of circus acts and shows, among them three gold medal– With producing partner Mike Isaacson, current productions winning acts at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain de Paris; also include the national tour of Bring It On: The Musical. On an act with 30 trapeze artists for the Quebec 400th Anniversary Broadway, she has produced Red (Tony Award); Legally Blonde Show; the choreography for New Pickle Circus’s Circumstance The Musical (also national tour and West End; Olivier Award for (nominated for Best Choreography, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Best New Musical); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award; also Awards); and, with the National Circus School of Montreal, Il fait national tour and West End); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dimanche. After founding 7 Fingers in 2002, Carroll co-created (Tony Award); Death of a Salesman (Tony Award); The Seagull; and performed in Loft and La Vie; co-directed and choreographed ’night, Mother; Caroline, or Change; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Traces (nominated for Outstanding Choreography, Drama Desk Brown; and Everyday Rapture. Other producing credits include Awards); wrote and directed Psy; and created the Cabaret des 7 An Evening with Sutton Foster (Chicago) and the upcoming Mad Doigts de la Main. Beyond all of her circus projects, Carroll is a Hot Ballroom.