With sprinkles of humor and not a trace of fear, the artists of Traces, featuring Creative Direction by 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de la Main) and direction and choreography by Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, put on a show of unimaginable feats of speed, balance and synchronization last night at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Traces, playing at TPAC through February 24, is most definitely not a circus, and though it is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil in its artistry, it is its own genre with the distinctly alternative personality of a street performance.
“This hit production features seven artists performing a variety of abilities, including music, song, dance, and heart-stopping acrobatics, so it’s the perfect fit for TPAC and our passion for inspiring artistic expression,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC president and chief executive officer. “TRACES will captivate and exhilarate you with its infectious blend of high-energy cirque and engaging artists.”
Set in what looks like a warehouse in a post-apocalyptic world, seven unique individuals go to incredible extremes to spend what may be their last moments on Earth making sure their lives won't be prematurely snuffed out without leaving a trace of themselves behind.
Imagine the chaos of seven acrobats rolling, jumping, flying, springing and bounding over, around and all but through one another, all in the confines of a stage, while lights are strobing and horns are blaring, as if in the middle of New York City during the busiest time. Add to this an overhead projector, piano, an easy chair and a microphone that flies down from the rafters at opportune moments and you have a heart-pounding, pulse-racing show of simple and poetic but emotionally gigantic proportions.
Bringing the circus to the level of a street performance, complete with skateboards and basketballs, the artists that make up Les 7 Doigts de la Main – or 7 Fingers (of the hand), bring their act to a personal level, beginning with the simple task of swinging that long corded microphone from one person to the other, introducing themselves with their hometowns, age, height, weight and a succinct description of their personalities, using words like flirtatious, romantic, ambitious, reliable, kind, and inflexible (obviously not meant literally.) As simple as it sounds, that was one of the best moments; the artists giving something personal of themselves to the eager audience.
And so the show could be called: Simple. Yet anything but. Yes, the words used were simple, as was the music, the theme and equipment, but that's what let the intricacies of the movements, emotions and poetic intent come shining through so fabulously.
It's a production that will appeal to young and old, classic and contemporary, alternative and conservative people alike. It's a show your kids will always remember, a show to inspire creativity and imagination, a show to bring a smile, a tear, a sense of awe. Most of all, it's a show not to miss. Playing through February 24, at TPAC – make reservations now; these tickets won't last long once word gets out.
“THE MOST FUN AND MEMORABLE 90 MINUTES
YOU WILL HAVE ALL YEAR.”
— Entertainment Weekly
“JAW-DROPPING!”
— The Denver Post
“Thrilling, Sexy, Sincere”
— TimeOut Chicago
- Traces YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/tracesusa
- Traces on America’s Got Talent 2011 (starts at :51 mark): http://youtu.be/ArXRyWIpC4 (The guy in the ring is BRADLEY, who is in the Nashville performances.)
- Traces on America’s Got Talent 2012 (starts at :33 mark): http://youtu.be/a-b3YoruPf8 (This is MASON and VAL, also in the Nashville performances.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TRACES, VISIT:
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