LOFT

Soaring, somersaulting, contorting, balancing, catapulting -- there are no boundaries to their modes of expression -- and in this ordinary setting the extraordinary never fails to surprise.

Imagination is the jet-fueled vehicle of travel, and the strange lands visited are the desires/ dreams/ impulses/ follies of the characters themselves, as they strip down layer by layer to their own idiosyncratic cores. The action unfolds in a loft, as seven close friends employ every object at their disposal — apples, shoes, bathtubs, flashlights, knives, lampshades, Barbie dolls — to entertain themselves in the monotony of their daily lives. The eclectic score orchestrates the various mood changes, from swing to rap to techno to tango, and occasionally the members of the cast explore their own musical talents live on stage. A mix of state-of-the-art circus skills, intimate theatre, dynamic avant-garde dance, Indy soundtrack, and live video projections.

The Artists

ISIS CLEGG-VINELL
Isis started dancing at age two. Throughout her childhood, she competed in numerous dance festivals and performed in local musical productions, as well as training as a gymnast. At ten, she was named regional champion in gymnastics. However, it was in duo work, in acrobatic gymnastics and then in circus, that she found her true passion. Several times British champion in both Women’s Pairs and Mixed Pairs, Isis competed internationally with the British national team for three years including the European Championships in 2005 where the team came 3rd. She ran off to circus school at age 18, training in hand to hand acrobatics and banquine with partner Nathan at the Circus Space, London. Performing credits include the ‘Crece’ project in Spain, the Circa Festival in France, Latitude Festival in the UK, a feature Will Young’s music video ‘Jealousy’, modeling for the Online Circus Dictionary, and numerous shows and events across the world.
ANNA KICHTCHENKO
Born in Moscow, Russia, Anna was encouraged to explore circus from a young age. After immigrating with her family to Toronto, Canada, Anna’s passion for circus became more serious, and she headed, at the age of 14, to Montreal, leaving her family behind to devote herself to what she discovered to be all at once an accessible art form, a physical and creative outlet, and her place.
Anna spent six years at the National Circus School of Montreal, developing an approach to her specialty, aerial tissu loop, and acquiring numerous circus skills, including contorsion and hula hoops.
She has performed in “Dummy” at the German cabaret GOP; the “Eclyps” Show in Shawinigan, Quebec; Canada’s Turbo Fest; in special projects such a music video with Yann Pereau and the Daily Planet TV show on the Discovery Channel; and in special events with Les 7 doigts de la main, Cirque Eloize, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Fantastic, and many more.
Kaleen Mc Keeman
Kaleen’s unique performance expertise has brought her to the stage for events and collective creations worldwide. Drawn to the arts from a young age, Kaleen took rapidly to painting, drawing, and exploring circus as a young child in rural New Hampshire. Her interest in circus was furthered in a school program and with the youth troupe Circus Smirkus. She performed in group and solo acts as well as in duos with her twin sister, Kerren. Kaleen went on to become the first woman to graduate with a specialty in aerial straps at the National Circus School of Montreal.
From 2007 until 2010, Kaleen worked in Cirque du Soleil’s resident show, ZAIA, in Macao, China, where she played the principal character and performed a duo number in aerial straps 22 meters above the ground. She has performed in almost every continent and recently received a special prize at the WuQiao International Acrobatic Festival in China. Kaleen worked previously with the 7 Fingers on the Fibonacci Project in Copenhagen, Denmark.
NATHAN PRICE
Prior to catching and throwing the somersaulting Isis, Nathan spent several years of his youth as British national inline freestyle and speed champion, and in 2006 was ranked 18th in the world for Freestyle Slalom. At 15, he began his training as an acrobat, starting with three years with the London Youth Circus and then continuing for another three at the Circus Space. He has performed in shows, events, cabarets, and other projects throughout the world. Most recently, he and Isis participated in the “Crece” project in Spain, a music video with Will Young, the Circa Festival in France, and as models for the Online Circus Dictionary. Nathan also enjoys coaching acrobatics.
KAELYN SCHMITT
Kaelyn grew up kayaking, hiking, canoeing, surfing, and caving along west coast of British Columbia, Canada. The young athlete enrolled in competitive gymnastics at age five and quickly advanced to the National Open level. Kaelyn moved to Montreal at 18 and discovered a passion for circus. Upon graduating from the National Circus School, her dynamic style on her inventive apparatus, the double bar trapeze, has led her to perform in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. She has had the pleasure of working for many companies, including Les 7 doigts de la main, Circus Roncalli, Cirque Eloize, and les Improduits.
JACOB STEIN SHARPE
Were he not a world class diabolo performer, Jacob, a native of the Boston area, would likely still be analyzing moving objects in one way or another. A recent graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Jacob earned his BA in physics between serious juggling jaunts across the world. By the time he had his degree, his performing credits included theEdinburgh Fringe, the Kristallpalast Newcomer Show, and juggling and street shows in the US, Canada, Israel, France, Germany, Norway, and the UK.
As a child, Jacob was already based in unicyling and juggling from his father—a circus enthusiast—by the time he entered the children’s troupe Circus Smirkus at age 10. At 18, he and his partner and brother Nate Sharpe took home the Circus Kobzov, Circus Knie, and Jury prizes from the Festival Mondiale Cirque de Demain in Paris.
Jacob is also an avid writer, with a particular knack for stand up comedy.
Olaf Triebel
Interested in everything that happens on stage, 10-year-old Olaf joined the youth circus “Quamboni” in his hometown of Hagen, Germany. During his time there he performed a variety of acts, from juggling while walking on a barrel, to sword dancing, to hand to hand, aerial hoop, hula hoop, and flying trapeze. After attending university for a mere three days to study geography and sociology, his circus addiction took hold of him and he decided to move to Canada to study hand balancing at the National Circus School of Montreal. Olaf has since been touring the world, performing with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize, Roncalli’s Apollo Variete, Palazzo Colombino, and Spiegelworld’s Absinthe, as well as with several previous productions with Les 7 doigts de la main, including LOFT, TRACES and PSY.