December 2, 2014 - New York, New York

New York City Center Presents SÉQUENCE 8

By Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers)
A Unique Nouveau Cirque Spectacular

April 16 – 26, 2015

“Cool and sexy…This is a show that sets the benchmark for modern circus eye-poppingly high.”

London Evening Standard, UK

“A hell of a show!”

The Boston Globe

 

New York City Center will present the New York premiere of Séquence 8, the internationally celebrated nouveau cirque spectacular by Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers), from April 16–26, 2015.

From the spellbindingly inventive circus company behind Broadway’s Pippin comes Séquence 8, a nouveau cirque stunner that explores human emotions so intense that they explode into highflying acrobatics. Starring eight death-defying performers from the Montreal-based Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers), the emotionally intimate Séquence 8 redefines the meaning of the word “circus” through a unique fusion of acrobatics, hip-hop, humor, and propulsive music.

Directed by two of the company’s seven artistic directors, Shana Carroll and Sébastien Soldevila, Séquence 8 premiered in Lyon, France in 2012, and has been met with rapturous acclaim in 15 countries worldwide. Perfect for families and grown-ups alike, it will mark the company’s first full-length work for New York audiences since 2011’s Traces, which enjoyed an unprecedented yearlong run Off-Broadway and was named one of Time magazine’s Top Ten Plays and Musicals of the year.

Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers) was founded in 2002 by seven Montreal-based artists with the goal of making circus a transformative experience for audiences and developing shows in a collaborative creative process that nurtures new generations of circus artists. The company’s name is a twist on the French idiom “the five fingers of the hand,” used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal. Their work is characterized by the combination of traditional acrobatics with elements of theater, skateboarding, basketball, and parkour. Les 7 Doigts de la Main’s critically acclaimed shows include Loft, La Vie, Psy, and Traces. The company also developed circus choreography for the hit Broadway revival of Pippin (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards), and for the immersive New York nightclub experience Queen of the Night. For the 2014 Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony, Les 7 Doigts de la Main staged a 600-person spectacle that was broadcast to approximately four million viewers.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan’s first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center’s Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as “one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York.” In summer 2013, City Center launched Encores! Off-Center, a series that features landmark Off Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today’s most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater’s mission from the start — and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center’s identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre enhance City Center’s programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers through programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People’s Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors, and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

Séquence 8 will run for 12 performances, from April 16–26, 2015, according to the following schedule: Tuesday – Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 and 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Further information is available at www.NYCityCenter.org.

Tickets are $25-$110 and will go on sale to members on December 1 at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, and online at www.NYCityCenter.org. Tickets will be available to the general public on December 8.