July 25, 2019 | Theatre,

Seventh Heaven

It was two years ago when The 7 Fingers graced the city of Boston with their impassioned masterpiece, Reversible, a show that emboldened us to delve deeper into the history of our familial predecessors, essentially unearthing the roots from which we flourish. Performed with a mélange of acrobatics, theatre, and dance, Reversible, as the Boston Globe extols, “affirms yet again that the collective virtuosity of this troupe is something to see – and, crucially, to feel” and it is our pleasure to reflect on past 7 Fingers performances that have awe-inspired, challenged, enlightened, and exhilarated us as we eagerly await their return and arrival of their latest performance, Passengers, hitting the stage on September 25^th. 

Born from a kitchen conversation between co-creators Shana Carroll and Sébastien Soldevila, Cuisine and Confessions, perhaps the most sensory of 7 Fingers productions, married their trademark virtuosic acrobatics with heartfelt musings on food memories. This masterful mingle of circus and storytelling invited us into the kitchen as they intimately explored their profound relationships and the role food has played in that process — all while sustaining, as the Boston Globe believes, “a creative burst of energy that recalls a joyous dance-party vibe.”

In a remarkable showcase of physicality and candor, Traces, a TIME Magazine Top Ten in 2011, made a marked point in disarming the veil of performance by personalizing the essence of the show and relating to its audience. The performers introduced themselves by sharing intimate details with the audience before soaring into seemingly impossible acrobatic feats. Dispensing of all their creative will, the ensemble transcended the narrative context of looming catastrophe by deftly suffusing the performance with urgency, whimsy, and poetry, therein crystallizing the mantra of ‘carpe diem’ in time and space with an audience whom they forged a personal connection with.

During the 2012-2013 season, marking the 10^th anniversary of the 7 Fingers troupe, Sequence 8 left an indelible impression on the Boston audiences with Its rich blend of self-deprecating commentary and graceful artistry that pushed the bounds on what the human body was capable of.

The show that would begin the relationship between ArtsEmerson and 7 Fingers, PSY, critically praised by the Boston Herald for its capacity to “raise the bar on what cirque nouveau can do — not just physically, but emotionally,” beautifully explores mental illness and the individual psyche through the prism of circus art, acrobatics, and trapeze stunts. This performance was so critically admired that it received an encore engagement for two weeks during the opening of ArtsEmerson’s second season in the summer of 2011.

As mentioned above, to commence our 10^th Anniversary Season we are proud to welcome back The 7 Fingers and their latest multidisciplinary marvel, Passengers, a performance that champions the journey of life in its beauty, diversity, unity, and humanity, guiding us along as we suspend ourselves to an allegorical ride like none other. Climb aboard and join us in September as we present Passengers, where the journey is the destination!