16
/ KESTA HAPPENING MAGAZINE
/ MARCH
2013
PERFORMING ARTS
By: Maria Veronica Cevallos
nother great show presented by George Mason University’s Center for the Arts is coming to town March 29 and 30th. PSY (pronounced “P,” “S,” “Y”), is a journey delving through the rich and surreal world of the human psyche through the exciting art of a contemporary circus or nouveau cirque. This exhilarating show, full of exciting and fast-paced acrobatic feats, takes a humorous look at the changing landscape of the human mind. Formed in 2002 in Montreal, Canada, the company known as Les 7 Doigts de la Main, translated to “the 7 fingers of the hand”, is one of the most recognized nouveau cirque companies in the world. The name emerges from a twist of a French phrase “the five fingers of the hand”, meaning the union of different talents moving perfectly to achieve a common goal. The seven founding members became this union for their vision of intricate and creative talents to convey their initial focus of bringing the circus to a human scale, where the action is character-driven, theatrical, and creating beautiful aesthetics. The seven founding members are Isabelle Chassé, Shana Carroll, Patrick Léonard, Faon Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila, and Samuel Tétreault. Their diverse backgrounds, some from circus families, some with a passion for performing despite other callings, and yet others from self-dedication to their dream, these seven individuals became producers, choreographers, directors, actors, and performers for this common project. In addition to PSY, this company of the seven
fingers has produced other shows such as Loft, Traces, La Vie, Projet Fibonacci, Patinoire, A Muse and Séquence 8. Moreover, the company has also produced diverse projects including participation in The Royal Variety Performance for the Queen of England, ceremonies of both the Turin and Vancouver Olympics, and large corporate events where the combined creativity of its members shines through. With their fourth creation, PSY, the Les 7 Doigts de la Main troupe merges acrobatics, modern dance, physical comedy, choreography, scenography, and live DJing to result in a lively show, full of eclectic energy. Probing into the changing landscape of the psyche of patients in a psychiatric office, where we see various states like insomnia, addiction, amnesia, paranoia, hypochondria, dark issues being dealt with through juggling, Chinese pole, German wheel, aerial rope, and teeterboard. Comedy, dark subjects and lively performances combine to make this into a unique experience for the audience. You can enjoy this amazing performance in our area at the GMU Center for the Performing Arts, March 29th at 2 p.m. and March 30th, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale on the Center’s website, http://cfa.gmu. edu. There will be a pre-performance discussion before each of these shows. Do not miss seeing these amazing performers live! █