Traces high energy acrobatic show preview/post coverage in Hollywood now through February 20, 2011
TRACES
HIGH ENERGY ACROBATIC SPECTACLE
COMES TO HOLLYWOOD FOR ITS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
THE RICARDO MONTALBÁN THEATRE
SIX WEEKS ONLY ● NOW THROUGH FEB. 20, 2011
This spectacular show is a must see. It is Cirque du Soleil meets dancing, comedy and fun with an intimate setting where you get to know all the cast by name and their specialty skills, which are plentiful. From the Mason (the 220 lb male with fantastic flexibility and Valerie (the only female in the show and what a talent)dance/acrobatic first skit duo to other acts with a basketball, skateboards, walking/climbing up a pole and full actobatics, flips and dancing over/under each other that will keep you on the edge of your seat, every act and performance is incredible. Xia has a variety of flips and aerial moves that are ridiculous along with his flipping a giant sized yoyo on a string and catching it on the string like it is simple. Phillipe does some things that are off the charts on skateboard to flips while Bradley’s talents with the basketball and climbing like a monkey having you drop your chin. Mathieu and Florianadd much firepower with jumps and flips I have never seen anything like it before. There is no margin for error as most acts are accomplished above the concrete floor. The finale of jumping through hoops had me in awe. add much firepower with jumps and flips I have never seen before.
All the performers are so multi-talented as they pretty much all participate in every skit and many play the piano. The show is very casual with a bare, wooden stage like a rehearsal stage. The cast wear sweats and interact with the crowd as a microphone is dropped from time to time as they introduce themselves and tell the audience some of their hobbies, issues and pet peeves. It is very clever, creative and funny with a multitude of talent and artistry.
Hollywood, CA – January 14, 2011 — TRACES, a high energy acrobatic spectacle which blends circus, physical theater, music and dance is coming to Los Angeles. TRACES is now playing at The Ricardo Montalbán Theatre playing a limited six-week engagement through February 20, 2011.
The name of the Montreal-based performance group that gave life to TRACES – 7 Fingers – is a twist on a French idiom ("the five fingers of the hand") used to describe distinct, individual parts moving in coordination towards one common goal. Founded in Montreal by seven seasoned circus performers, and now with five touring shows, this collective has charmed audiences across the globe with their strikingly human and unprecedented multi-disciplinary approach to circus, moving their distinct parts towards common artistic goals.
TRACES amazes with high-energy urban acrobatics that are at once poetic and explosive, humorous and thoughtful. Combining traditional acrobatic forms with street elements such as skateboarding and basketball, mixed in with some theatre and contemporary dance, it surprises, awes and delights at every turn.
The troupe of seven artists which include Mason Ames, Valérie Benoît-Charbonneau, Cloutier, Bradley Henderson, Philippe Normand-Jenny, Xia Zhengqi and Florian Zumkehr deliver gravity-defying displays of skill which include traditional Chinese acrobatics such as balancing on each other’s heads, tumbling through hoops, and scaling giant poles without the use of hands.
Critical acclaim in Paris, London and Toronto for TRACES was considerable. The show was a breakout hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where the Edinburgh Sun enthused, “the audience was left gasping for more. This is unadulterated showmanship and talent at its very best.” The Toronto Stage said TRACES is “a show not to be missed, TRACES is a permanent etch that celebrates eye-catching generational inventiveness” and exclaimed this show is “instantly addictive.”
TRACES takes place in a make-shift shelter, with an unknown catastrophe waiting outside the doors of tarp and gaffer tape. The audience learns that the characters have constructed this clubhouse to live to the fullest what they believe could be their last moments, hoping to leave nothing unsaid or undone.
With creation the only antidote to destruction, they engage in fleeting impulses and desires that extend through their bodies and unfurl onto the stage. Told through music, song, dance, speech, illustration and high-risk acrobatics, the performers use every mode of expression available to them – hoping to leave a lasting mark, their traces, as best they can.
The North American Tour of TRACES is produced by Fox Theatricals, Tom Gabbard, Amanda Dubois and Denver Center for the Performing Arts and it is presented locally by Broadway/L.A. as part of its 2010-11 Season.
The performance schedule for TRACES is Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm.
Regular tickets for TRACES range in price from $25 – $69. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Tickets for TRACES may be purchased online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by phone at 1-800-982-ARTS(2787). For added convenience, tickets may be purchased in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard. Tickets may also be purchased at all Ticketmaster ticket outlets. The box office for the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre is not open for advance sales, and will only be open during the 2 hours before each scheduled performance.
For more information on TRACES, please visit www.TracesUSA.com.
For tickets or more information about TRACES’ Los Angeles engagement, please visit the Pantages Theatre’s official website, www.BroadwayLA.org.
LISTINGS INFORMATION FOR TRACES
Dates: Now Through February 20, 2011
Theatre: THE RICARDO MONTALBÁN THEATRE
1615 Vine Street, Hollywood (1/2 block south of Hollywood Blvd.)
Schedule: Tuesday – Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm
Price Range: Regular: $25 – $69
Ticket prices subject to change without notice.
Tickets: Online: BroadwayLA.org
Phone: 1-800-982-ARTS (2787)
In Person: All Ticketmaster Ticket Centers
Box Office: The Montalbán Theatre Box Office is NOT open for advance sales. However, tickets may be purchased at the Pantages Theatre Box Office (6233 Hollywooe Blvd.) between 10am-6pm daily. The Montalbán Theatre Box Office will only be open for business during the two hours prior to each scheduled performance.
Description: 7 Fingers (Les 7 doigts de la main) is an astonishingly talented young French Canadian company that has pioneered a whole new brand of circus. Their show TRACES was a runaway hit at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007 and now it’s coming to Los Angles for the very first time. Combining awe-inspiring circus training with infectious urban energy, six men and one woman give dazzling, gravity-defying displays of skill, balancing casually on each other’s heads, or tumbling through hoops and leaping spectacularly up giant poles without using their hands. TRACES is more than just a display of acrobatic brilliance as snippets of the performers’ real lives are revealed through film clips, narration and music. We are gradually drawn into their story, and by the final, dramatic climax of the show, the audience is on the edge of their seats, willing them to pull off the seemingly impossible.
This spectacular show is a must see. It is Cirque du Soleil meets dancing, comedy and fun with an intimate setting where you get to know all the cast by name and their specialty skills, which are plentiful. From the Mason and Valerie duo to skits with a basketball, skateboards, walking/climbing up a pole and full actobatics, flips and dancing over/under each other that will keep you on the edge of your seat, every act and performance is incredible. There is no margin for error as most acts are accomplished above the concrete floor. The finale of jumping through hoops had me in awe. All the performers are so multi-talented as they pretty much all participate in every skit and many play the piano. The show is very casual with a bare, wooden stage like a rehearsal stage. The cast wear sweats and interact with the crowd as a microphone is dropped from time to time as they introduce themselves and tell the audience some of their hobbies, issues and pet peeves. It is very clever, creative and funny with a multitude of talent.