Photo Flash: TRACES Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

TRACES, the show that turns circus on its head, will conclude its New York engagement September 2, 2012, to embark on a European tour this fall. Created by the Montreal-based troupe 7 Fingers, TRACES has been playing the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street) since July 2011. Originally intended as a 10-week limited engagement, the show opened to rave reviews, shifted to an open-ended run and, by the time of its final performance, will have played New York for over a year. Last night, August 9, the show celebrated its one-year anniversary. Check out photos from the event below!

After concluding in New York, TRACES will play 12 cities in Europe this fall, beginning with Oostend, Belgium on September 14. Other cities on the European tour include: Chateauvallon, France; Marseille, France; Copenhagen, Denmark; Brussels, Belgium; Arlon, Lens, France; Lyon, France; Chambery, France; Rueil, France; Albi, France; and Ibos, France.

Beginning in 2013, TRACES will tour the United States, making stops in Tampa, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN; Sarasota, FL; Clinton Township, MI; Benton Harbor, MI; Bloomington, IN; Carbondale, IL; Amherst, MA; Schenectady, NY; Ames, IA; Springfield, IL; Arcata, CA; Folsom, CA; Ft. Collins, CO; New London, CT; West Point, NY; Princeton, NJ; Newark, NJ; Santa Barbara, CA; and Morgantown, WV. More US dates are to be announced.

Hiding just around the corner from New York’s Union Square is the city’s most acclaimed and groundbreaking circus. Stripping away everything you thought you knew about the Big Top, TRACES fuses the traditions of circus with the energy of street performance to create an explosive display of emotion and physicality set to the music of Radiohead, VAST, Blackalicious, and more.

TRACES features Creative Direction by 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de la Main) and Direction & Choreography by Shana Carroll & Gypsy Snider. TRACES is performed by Mason Ames, Valérie Benôit-Charbonneau, Mathieu Cloutier, Bradley Henderson, Phillipe Normand-Jenny, Xia Zhengqi, and Florian Zumkehr with alternate cast members Antoine Auger, Jonathan Casabon, Genevieve Morin, Tarek Rammo and Philip Rosenberg.

Les 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 seven founding directors of the company (Shana Carroll, Isabelle Chasse, Patrick Léonard, Faon Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila and 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.

Les 7 Doigts de la Main was honored by the Counseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec and awarded the Prize for the Best Canadian and US Tour for TRACES.

TRACES is produced by Fox Theatricals (Kristin Caskey & Mike Isaacson), Tom Gabbard, Amanda Dubois, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Nassib El-Husseini, and Thomas Lightburn.

For more about TRACES, visit www.tracesusa.com or find the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tracesusa.