What does a finger do? It traces…
(What do 7 — or in this case, 5 — fingers do? The same!)
On Friday I went to the new show by les 7 doigts de la main, called TRACES. I had seen the original show put on by the brand-new troupe in 2003 (I think) in Montreal, and loved it. It was so intimate, so innovative a concept (a small, loft-style performance space which the audience enters from backstage, through the back of the refrigerator! My Mom was in town and I heard about this new show, so I snapped up a couple of tickets at the last minute, not knowing much about it.
Well, first of all it was neat to see the TOHU (circus arts) complex, which has been around since 2003 (so now we have the national circus school, Cirque du Soleil, and TOHU). A beautiful complex — though a bit tricky to get to by public transit, for someone used to walking everywhere! But I was a bit disappointed to find out that this was a totally different group, only 5 “fingers” in this show, since the founders of “7 doigts” are still touring around the world.
There are four guys (from San Fran) and one girl (from Paris) in this troupe. Once the show started my doubts were blasted away. There was so much youthful energy, violence, angst, humour and pounding music that I couldn’t keep my heart from racing. It is always fun to see a smaller show…Cirque du Soleil is great, you truly see excellence in everything, but sometimes it’s just too big. Too much flash, show, and not enough intimacy. There is something special when you feel a real connection to performers — the fact that they were not playing “characters” certainly helped (they introduced themselves as themselves).
The show certainly has its American-inspired feel, with the general theme being almost apocalyptic — the end of the world is coming, our time is limited… What would you do with your last moments? What do you value? There was a great deal of play, and a great deal of angst, with aggressive dance numbers involving the performers throwing themselves at each other, bouncing around, tumbling like rag-dolls, dying on stage and coming back to live. The “circus stuff” is not, perhaps, as perfectly executed as some of the Cirque shows I’ve seen, but it feels real. It was very different from the other “7 doigts” show, and was in a somewhat larger venue, but still feels intimate compared to CduS. You empathize, you are moved. It’s different. It’s fun. Go see it.
[This new show TRACES is on at TOHU until November 11. Then it’s off to San Francisco. The original “7 doigts” show is coming back to Montreal (!), at the Corona Theatre from December 1 through 14 (six shows).]