Circus troupe brings 'Traces' to Chicago

Since it was founded in Montreal in 2002, the French Canadian circus collective 7 Fingers has appeared internationally in countries stretching from Sweden to South Korea.

The company has performed for sitting royalty (Queen Elizabeth II in 2009), and for millions of Olympics fans both on TV at the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Turin Games and in person as part of the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad.

But one thing that 7 Fingers has never done before is a full-fledged U.S. tour. This all changes next week when the troupe launches an American tour of “Traces” at the renovated Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place in Chicago.

“An extensive tour of the United States is very important to us,” said Gypsy Snider, a San Francisco native and co-founder of Les 7 Doigts de la Main (7 Fingers' official French name). “We're right next door in Canada, but we've played more in Asia and Europe and even South America than we have in the States. I'm really excited about sharing our way of doing circus.”

When most Americans think about French Canadian circus, inevitably the lavish Cirque du Soleil spectacles pop to mind.

While 7 Fingers is also known for amazing acrobatics and aerial feats, the company's shows are starker and more intimate than those staged by Cirque.

All seven of 7 Fingers' co-founders were ex-Cirque performers who, as Snider describes them, were “sort of the rebellious teenagers of Cirque du Soleil and were really interested in creating circus in our own vision.”

That vision is more of a gritty, urban approach that is scenically stripped down so the spectacle is focused almost entirely on the superskilled septet of performers.

“The show is really what happens between the audiences and the artists on stage (and it) really comes from them,” said Snider, who originally co-directed and co-choreographed the first version of “Traces” in 2004 with fellow 7 Fingers co-founder Shana Carroll. “It doesn't come from the costumes, it doesn't come from the set. It doesn't even come from spectacular lighting. It has to do with how these guys are going to leave their traces in this moment with the audience.”

The second incarnation of “Traces” is currently playing in London, while Snider says this touring edition is being tailored to the individual talents of the new company.

“The company sees stuff that they want in the show and they hire you for that,” said “Traces” performer and New Hampshire native Mason B. Ames, whose specialty is what is known in circus parlance as “hand to hand porter” (an acrobatic balancer and supporter of other performers).

“For this show,” Ames said, “it is very appropriate to have more neutral costumes so the public doesn't feel as big of a separation between us.”

This back-to-basics and very personal aesthetic of 7 Fingers is what really caught the eye of Kristin Caskey, a Glenview native and president of Fox Theatricals, one of the producers of the “Traces” tour.

Caskey caught a Montreal performance of “Traces” almost entirely in French.

“I do speak broken French,” Caskey said. “But even with that language barrier, the experience of the show and there are only a few times where I've had this in theater was brought back to the experience of when you're 8 years old and something is so mystical and magical that you're brought back to that moment of complete awe.”

Luckily for American audiences, 7 Fingers makes an effort for its cast to speak the main language of the country they're performing in.

“I think what that does is develop a relationship so when the artist goes and does some sort of crazy feat in the air, the audience member has a real relationship with that person,” Snider said.

But Caskey says “Traces” is so physically universal that the language being spoken isn't of the utmost importance.

“You have these performers with unique talents doing it all without nets, without wires and a very urban and visceral setting,” Caskey said.

And what Snider is particularly happy about this U.S. tour is that “Traces” is set to play in much more intimate venues like the 550-seat Broadway Playhouse in Chicago.

“‘Traces' has got that big circus feel, but it's a really intimate experience,” Snider said. “The fact that we get to play a house like this is just great because every seat is a good seat.”

“Traces”

<p>Location: Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com </p>

<p>Showtimes: Performance schedule varies, but most shows at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and select Wednesdays from Tuesday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 19</p>

<p>Tickets: $50-$71.50 </p>

<p>Parking: Nearby pay garages</p>