New performance from Canadian Circus set to premiere at Milton Keynes Theatre

A Canadian Circus company is gearing up for a UK premiere of its latest performance at Milton Keynes Theatre.

The international circus company called, The 7 Fingers, will perform 'Passagers', (which translates simply to passengers in English).

Having toured for over 20 years, Dance Consortium is excited to present The 7 Fingers’ first UK tour in 11 years.

A review of Passagers from New York described the show as: “Performances of death-defying feats…mixed with raw beauty and a celebration of the human body that was breathtaking."

An Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) spokesperson described the ethos behind The 7 Fingers, saying: "After performing with some of the world’s best contemporary circus companies including Cirque de Soleil, The 7 Fingers’ seven founders set up the collective in 2002.

"Their mission was nothing short of redefining circus, stripping the spectacle down to its thrilling essence and fusing it with dance, theatre, multimedia, music and storytelling. Since then, the company has gained a reputation for telling human stories with life-enhancing theatricality, warmth and humour."

The show debuting in the UK is directed by Shana Carroll, who co-founded the group 20 years ago. The theatre group advises that Passagers, plays with our fascination with travel, both nostalgic and symbolic.

The ATG spokesperson outlined the plot of the new show, adding: "A colourful and diverse group of strangers meet onboard a train. Through the course of their journey, in a temporarily-suspended reality, they get to know each other, sharing their stories and revealing their emotional states through virtuoso acrobatics - vaulting somersaults, breathtaking trapeze, daredevil balances on the highwire - along with contemporary dance, narrative, song and original music by Colin Gagné."

Shana said: “Passagers was originally designed as an ode to travel - departure versus arrival, chance versus choice, familiar versus foreign, confinement versus border-crossing. Those themes have taken on a new meaning for us all these days, with the very idea of departing or arriving feeling like a distant pipe dream.

"Border-crossing is now fraught with risks, regulations and complications and confinement was the unifying theme for everyone. The show has now taken on a whole other dimension I’m not sure I could ever have imagined. I hope it will make us treasure the days of simple, liberating travel and celebrate a return to greater freedoms.”

The 7 Fingers are based in the heart of Montreal’s downtown theatre district in a purpose-built studio which houses all their activities under one roof. Their many credits include intimate one-man shows, large-scale arena performances, Broadway musicals, artistic collaborations with renowned international artists and companies, production design and direction, special events, Olympic ceremonies, televised performances, fashion, art and music events, and immersive experiences, all bearing the company’s unmistakable stamp.

The performers are Louis Joyal, Anna Kichtchenko, Maude Parent, Pablo Pramparo, Samuel Renaud, Brin Schoellkopf, Sabine Van Rensburg, Marilou Verschelden and Lucas Boutin.

They perform live at Milton Keynes Theatre on 24 September.