presents

TracesLES 7 DOIGTS DE LA MAIN

PRODUCTION Les 7 doigts de la mainDIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY Shana Carroll, Gypsy SniderASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTION Francisco Cruz

ON STAGE

Presented with support from:

FESTIVAL 2014

June 24, 25, 26, 27 at 8pmJune 28 at 1pm & 5pmUniversity Theatre

Lucas Boutin, Mathieu Cloutier, Hou Kai, LJ Marles, Fletcher Sanchez, Renaldo Williams, Naomie Zimmermann-Pichon

Sponsored by:

Credits

TOURING TEAM Tour Manager Anna CasselSound Sébastien MarionLights Olivier Rosa Rigger Stéphane Beauchet

ARTISTIC CREW (DESIGN)Lights Nol van GenuchtenCostumes Manon DesmaraisSet & Props Original Design Flavia HeviaSet & Props Adaptation, Music & Soundscape Les 7 doigts de la mainVideo Paul Ahad (MEDIA FX), André Biron (NEO6) et Les 7 doigts de la mainProps Adaptation Bruno TasséHead Coaches Jérôme Le Baut and Francisco CruzCoach for the Sofa and Aerial Strap Acts Isabelle ChasséCyr Wheel Coach Krin HaglundPiano Coach Sophie Houle et Francisco CruzStage Manager Patrick LoubertMusics for Hand to Hand and Aerial Acts Seth Stachowski

With the support of SODEC

About the Company

LES 7 DOIGTS DE LA MAINLes 7 doigts de la main translates literally as “the 7 fingers of the hand”. It is a twist on a French idiom (“the five fingers of the hand”) used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal. Here it refers to the 7 founding directors of the company (Isabelle Chassé, Shana Carroll, Patrick Léonard, Faon Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila et Samuel Tétreault) who, by combining their distinct talents and experiences, work towards their common artistic goals with the beautifully awkward dexterity of a 7-fingered hand.

12 YEARS9 TOURING SHOWS2 SPECIAL CREATIONS IN NEW YORKMORE THAN 4100 PERFORMANCES301 CITIES in 39 COUNTRIES

TRACESCreated in 2006, Traces has been presented almost 1600 times before 900,000 people in 25 countries and 200 cities around the world. Traces has won multiple awards, been invited to America’s Got Talent twice, was on TIME’s top 10 list in 2011, performed at the Royal Variety Performance in London, and was featured at the Union Square Theater in NYC for a whole year.

Traces takes place in a make-shift shelter, an unknown catastrophe waiting outside the doors of tarp and gaffer tape. In the face of an impending disaster they have determined that creation is the only antidote to destruction. Poetic and explosive, humorous and thoughtful. Combining traditional acrobatic forms with street elements such as skateboarding and basketball, mixed in with some theatre and contemporary dance, it surprises, awes and delights at every turn.

About the ArtistsLUCAS BOUTIN (performer) Lucas discovered circus arts at age six, learning to juggle and unicycle in a small town near Paris. His passion for movement led him to expand his acrobatic skills, entering the Châtellerault National Circus School at age 15, followed by the Circus Space in London at 18. Performing credits include the Generating Company in Hong Kong, the Circa Festival in France, numerous events, and the English National Opera.

MATHIEU CLOUTIER (performer)Originally from Gaspe, Quebec, Mathieu spent three years at the Circus School of Quebec, specializing in acrobatics, rollerblade and diabolo. Previous credits include: GOP (Munich, Munster), Cirque du Soleil (special events), Les Grands Opéras de Québec and more than 275 acrobatic shows at Seabreeze amusement park in Rochester, N.Y. Most recently, Mathieu spent over a year performing in the Off-Broadway production of Traces, and he is still on tour with the show. Mathieu also enjoys playing guitar and writing music.

HOU KAI (performer) Hou Kai was born in 1993 in China and started his strict training at the age of five at the Shaolin Temple in Henan. This training gave him a strong foundation to become an amazing acrobat in the following years. At the age of eight he joined the China Acrobatic Troupe. Within nine years he acquired various acrobatic skills such as hoop diving, Chinese diabolo,

tumbling, juggling balls, juggling hat, Chinese pole, dancing, and martial arts. Hou Kai’s acrobatic skills have been seen and admired at the Tian Di Theatre for the past nine years. Hou Kai left the China Acrobatic Troup in 2010 to pursue his career as a performer. Apart from China, he also performed in the USA, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland, Czech, Germany, Japan, Australia, Hungary and Hong Kong.

LJ MARLES (performer) London-boy LJ (Kalyn) fell in love with the circus arts at the age of 18 after taking part in a youth project with the Bassline Circus. A self taught street and hiphop dancer, he spent the next three years at the Circus Space, specializing in aerial straps. After developing his skills and approach, he performed in projects such as Finland’s Turku Festival, France’s Circa Festival, and an outdoor series with the British National Theatre. LJ joined TRACES in 2012.

FLETCHER SANCHEZ (performer) With roots in classical dance Jazz and Hip Hop Fletcher started his circus formation at the San Francisco Circus Centre. From there he continued his formation at L’Ecole Nationale De Cirque De Montréal and completed their 3 year program. A generalist at heart he loves to try everything but specializes in Chinese Pole, Trampoline Wall, and Teeterboard. He has performed with many companies including: San Francisco Youth Circus,

About the ArtistsVau de Vire society, Haut Vol productions, Cirque Productions, Cirque du Soleil, and the 7 Fingers. He was performing for 2 years with Cirque Éloize in their new creation “ID” and works closely with the Catwall Acrobats as one of their main acrobats.

RENALDO WILLIAMS (performer)At the age of 12 Renaldo discovered gymnastics. Soon after this introduction to the world of acrobatics, he started circus, travelling and performing with the St-Louis Arches, a circus troupe under the direction of Jessica Hentoff. After completing high school and a year stint in university, Renaldo decided to continue his circus education and was accepted to national circus school of Montreal. Specializing in hand to hand, Renaldo and Naomi graduated as a duo in 2013. They have since been featured in gala events across the globe for several companies including Cirque Éloize and Les 7 doigts de la main. The two have just finished touring Australia with Spiegalworld’s production of “Empire.”

NAOMIE ZIMMERMANN-PICHON (performer) Naomi started gymnastics at the age of five years old and discovered the Quebec circus school where three years later, she integrated into the program until the end of high school. In 2010, Naomi auditioned to the national circus school of Montreal and was accepted in the DEC program specializing in hand to hand.

She graduated from the national circus school of Montreal in June 2013. After participating to a few corporative events around the world, Naomi worked with the company Spiegelworld in the show Empire performing hand to hand in the Australia tour. She is now working for the company 7 Fingers in the show Traces.

Friday, June 2710am (1hr)

An interactive class for all ages exploring acrobatics and clowning, with the Acrobuffos.

Southern Connecticut State University Lyman Center - Kendall Drama Lab (Black Box Theatre), 501 Crescent Street

Master Class: Family Acrobatics

Experience more with a Master Class!

For more information on this and other Master Classes, go to:www.artidea.org/masterclasses

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Wednesday, June 256:30pm (1hr)In this discussion, producers, artists, and innovators—including artists from 7 Fingers’ Traces—explore how inspiration from Quebec has resulted in opportunities for community-building, collaborative business models, and out-of-the-box artistry, with circus skills as a catalyst.

University Theatre 222 York Street

IDEAS: Contemporary Circus: Innovative Approaches

to Partnership, from Quebec to New England

Experience more with an IDEAS talk!

For more information on this and other IDEAS talks, go to:www.artidea.org/ideas

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PHOTO: VALÉRIE REMISE

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info & tickets for these and many other events at

ARTIDEA.ORG

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