Not your standard circus
7 Fingers troupe's 'Traces,' a modern circus production, is coming to Orange County starting Feb. 28.
Bradley Henderson in "Traces." (Michael Meseke / October 19, 2010)By Heather Youmans
from: dailypilot.com
February 16, 2012
Costa Mesa, CA--When the word "circus" comes to mind, you may envision clowns, circus tents, elephants and elaborate costumes.
But think again. This time, imagine a circus without exotic creatures and where the performers are not nameless, faceless or hidden by flamboyant costumes and face paint.
From Feb. 28 through March 4, 7 Fingers will present "Traces" —an eclectic fusion of the modern circus anti-spectacle with traces of traditional circus elements — during a limited, one-week engagement at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
After world tours of "Loft," "Psy," and "La Vie," 7 Fingers brings "Traces," one of the newest projects coming out of the troupe's workshop at its headquarters in Montreal, a circus hub and home to world-famous Cirque du Soleil.
The 7 Fingers of the Hand Co. — whose name is a twist on a French idiom, "the five fingers of the hand," used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination toward one common goal — is notorious for rejecting the production qualities of standard circuses.
So, this time around, the company's seven founding directors put their "fingers" to work and developed a modern circus production that would enhance how the audience could relate with the circus performers, who, historically, have been physically and socially isolated from onlookers and society as a whole.
"I just think they [7 Fingers] really wanted to cut down the boundaries and barriers between the audience members and the performers really making it clear to the audience members that we [the performers] are just like them," said Bradley Henderson, who joined the cast back in 2005.
"Technically, the tricks in the show are as good as any other circus. It's just more on a human level showing the audience we're not superheroes, we've just been training for this for a very long time."
In fact, "Traces" performers, including Henderson, who has been training for the circus since age 8, undergo years of rigorous training.
"This was the type of artist that 7 Fingers became attracted to," Henderson said in a phone interview. "People that were multitalented that couldn't just do one thing, but could survive on stage doing everything."read more:http://www.dailypilot.com/entertainment/tn-dpt-0217-youmans-20120216,0,6853659.story
But think again. This time, imagine a circus without exotic creatures and where the performers are not nameless, faceless or hidden by flamboyant costumes and face paint.
From Feb. 28 through March 4, 7 Fingers will present "Traces" —an eclectic fusion of the modern circus anti-spectacle with traces of traditional circus elements — during a limited, one-week engagement at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
After world tours of "Loft," "Psy," and "La Vie," 7 Fingers brings "Traces," one of the newest projects coming out of the troupe's workshop at its headquarters in Montreal, a circus hub and home to world-famous Cirque du Soleil.
The 7 Fingers of the Hand Co. — whose name is a twist on a French idiom, "the five fingers of the hand," used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination toward one common goal — is notorious for rejecting the production qualities of standard circuses.
So, this time around, the company's seven founding directors put their "fingers" to work and developed a modern circus production that would enhance how the audience could relate with the circus performers, who, historically, have been physically and socially isolated from onlookers and society as a whole.
"I just think they [7 Fingers] really wanted to cut down the boundaries and barriers between the audience members and the performers really making it clear to the audience members that we [the performers] are just like them," said Bradley Henderson, who joined the cast back in 2005.
"Technically, the tricks in the show are as good as any other circus. It's just more on a human level showing the audience we're not superheroes, we've just been training for this for a very long time."
In fact, "Traces" performers, including Henderson, who has been training for the circus since age 8, undergo years of rigorous training.
"This was the type of artist that 7 Fingers became attracted to," Henderson said in a phone interview. "People that were multitalented that couldn't just do one thing, but could survive on stage doing everything."read more:http://www.dailypilot.com/entertainment/tn-dpt-0217-youmans-20120216,0,6853659.story
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