The Company

Les 7 doigts de la main translates literally as "the 7 fingers of the hand". It is a twist on a French idiom ("the five fingers of the hand") used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal. Here it refers to the seven founding directors of the company (Isabelle Chassé, Shana Carroll, Patrick Léonard, Faon Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila et Samuel Tétreault) who, by combining their distinct talents and experiences, work towards their common artistic goals with the beautifully awkward dexterity of a 7-fingered hand.

The Company

Founded in Montreal in 2002, Les 7 doigts de la main initial goal was to bring circus to a human scale. They began as artists on stage, creating collectively, and soon branched out, expanding their creative talents as directors, choreographers, writers and coaches, passing on their collaborative and unique 7 Fingers process to a new generation of circus artists.

Out of this emerged 6 shows, LOFT, TRACES, LA VIE, PSY, FIBONACCI PROJECT, and PATINOIRE. A relaxed and funky artist’s loft, a bunker, purgatory, or a psychiatrist’s office, an international collaboration of cultures or a solo clown show, each show offers a distinct setting and yet carries the same 7 finger-print.

In addition Les 7 doigts de la main have developed a special events department through which they have delivered a diverse range of projects, including participation in The Royal Variety Performance for the Queen of England, ceremonies of both the Turin and Vancouver Olympics, large corporate events for companies such as Caterpillar and BMW, directing the National Circus School end-of-year show 2 years in a row, and much more. Each project is custom-made, approached with the same hands-on creativity.

The Fingers

Shana Carroll
Shana began her circus career in 1988 when, at the age of 18, she touched a trapeze bar for the first time. With a background primarily in theatre, Shana decided to devote her life to this more alternative art form and in 1989 apprenticed with the original Pickle Family Circus. After several seasons with the Pickles—including two seasons as solo trapeze artist—Shana furthered her training at Montreal’s Ecole Nationale de Cirque and L’Ecole de Cirque de Rosny-sous-Bois, outside Paris.
As a trapeze artist, Shana went on to perform with Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco, Cirque Éloize’s Excentricus, Circus Flora, Découflé Complices Ass., Les Gens d’R Echos, the IMAX movie Journey of Man, and the Solstrom television series, as well as numerous special events and performances around the globe.
While at Saltimbanco, Shana served as dance captain and developed a love for choreography. She has since choreographed hundreds of circus acts and several circus shows, including the New Pickle Circus’ Circumstance, for which she was nominated for Best Choreography by the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards.
In 2002 Shana co-founded the contemporary circus company Les 7 Doigts de la Main with six other friends. She has since performed in and co-created their shows Loft and La Vie, co-directed and choreographed Traces with fellow ‘Finger’ Gypsy Snider (for which they received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Choreography), and directed and choreographed, this time on her own, their newest production, Psy. Meanwhile, she has continued to teach, direct, and choreograph in numerous exterior projects. This work includes creating an aerial act with 30 trapeze artists for the Quebec 400th anniversary show, serving as the Acrobatic Performance Designer in the creation of Cirque du Soleil’s Iris, and choreographing three gold-medal-winning acts at the Festival Mondial de Cirque de Demain.
Isabelle chassé
At five, Isabelle drew a picture of a trapeze artist and stated this was what she wanted to be. At eleven, she found an ad in the local newspaper for a circus school and asked her mother if she could go.
The determined Quebec-countryside girl was quickly placed into an intensive contortion program at the National Circus School of Montreal. After two years, Isabelle joined Cirque du Soleil as part of a contortion act with three other girls. The quartet received gold medals at the Festival de Monte Carlo and the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Domain de Paris, and many other awards; and appeared The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Good Morning America, and many more.
In 1997, Isabelle explored solo work and a new apparatus, developing a contortion act on aerial silks for Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam.
Curious about many art forms, Isabelle participated in films Satie and Suzanne (Gold Medal, New York Film Festival; Grammy Nomination) and Martyrs (as ‘’The Creature!’’).
Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main, she has worked as a performer and co-creator on Loft and La Vie; assistant director and guest performer on Psy; and an artistic leader on The Fibonacci Project.
An avid gardener, Isabelle recently completed a degree in Horticulture.
Patrick Léonard
Despite four consecutive titles as Canadian Artistic Roller Skating Champion, Patrick rejected a life of glory to pursue a bachelor’s in chemistry. However, he could not suppress his ever-lingering passion for performing, and he soon abandoned his mad scientific career for the equally mad world of circus.
After training at Montreal’s National Circus School, Patrick performed as a comic character and diabolo artist at the Montreal Casino; in German cabarets Wintergarten Variete, Freidrichbau Variete, and Pomp Duck and Circumstance; in Teatro Zinzanni; and in the traditional Cirque Knie.
Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main in his native Quebec, Patrick has received special recognition for his comic performances (Newcomer Award, Montreal Mayor’s Foundation; Prix Nikouline, Festival Mondiale du Cirque de Demain de Paris). He co-created and performs in Loft and La Vie and collaborates in the Fibonacci Project. His love for creative projects leads him as a conceptor and performer for many events and projects, including the co-creation of the parapeze, a trapeze on a hang-glider.
In 2010 Patrick began creation for a solo show, currently under the working title of Patinoire.
Patrick’s proudest creations are his two daughters.
Gypsy Snider
Born into the circus ring, as daughter of the founders of San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus, Gypsy began her artistic career at age four. She has been performing ever since.
A graduate of Switzerland’s Scuola Teatro Dimitri, Gypsy performed three seasons with La Compagnia Dimitri. Consistently developing her own amalgam of theatre and circus, she went on to perform internationally (Cirque du Soleil; Cirque Knie; Pomp Duck and Circumstance; Teatro Zinzanni).
Impassioned since adolescence by directing and teaching, Gypsy is an invited teacher (San Francisco Circus Center; National Circus School of Montreal) and director (New Pickle Circus; Jamie Adkins/Cirque Eloize; National Circus School’s Crime; Special projects with Cirque du Soleil).
Gypsy co-formed Les 7 doigts de la main in 2002. An original performer in Loft and Mistress of Ceremonies in Cabaret des 7 doigts de la main, Gypsy is a co-creator of Loft and co-director of Traces (nominated Outstanding Choreography, New York Drama Desk Awards).
The proud mother of two young girls, Gypsy is also fluent in six languages.
Sébastien Soldevila
Well advanced in his studies in biochemistry, Sebastien would most likely have become a doctor had he not been so passionate about acrobatics. Growing up, the voracious athlete delved in trampoline, diving, acrobatic skiing, tumbling with the French Junior National Team, and sports acrobatics, where he and partner Emilie Bonnevaud maintained the title of French National Champions in Mixed Pairs fours years in a row.
After working as a choreographer for the Dutch National Team, Sebastien was recruited to perform in Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco.
Upon co-founding Les 7 doigts de la main in 2002, Sebastien joined forces with Patrick Leonard to create an award-winning duo (Prix Nikouline, Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain de Paris), since performed on over 15 television programs around the world.
In 2007, he and Emilie Bonnevaud developed a new hand-to-hand act, choreographed by Sebastien’s wife and fellow 7 doigt Shana Carroll. The act won the gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain de Paris and has since been presented over – times.
Sebastien co-created and performs in La Vie (as Master of Ceremonies) and Loft. He coaches acrobatics with many 7 doigt shows and at the National Circus School of Montreal.
A native of Paris, Sebastien lives with his family in Montreal.
Samuel tétreault
Montreal native Samuel passed by a number of ambitions as a child—racecar diver, hockey goalie—before settling on hand-balancing and enrolling at Montreal’s National Circus School at 14, where he studied for seven years.
His solo hand-balancing act debuted to receive immediate international recognition (Silver, Festival Mondial de Cirque de Demain de Paris; Bronze, Acrobatic Art Festival of Wu Qiao China). After performing throughout the world, (including 1500 shows with Cirque du Soleil Alegria), Samuel returned to Montreal in 2002 to co-found Les 7 doigts de la main.
Possessing a dual nature of both an organized leader and a creative artist, Samuel immerses himself in many projects. Passionate about multidisciplinary creation, he dedicates much of himself to Les 7 doigts’ Fibonacci Project, of which he is Artistic Director. He can be seen on stage with Les 7 doigts in Loft and La Vie.
Finally, among other achievements, Samuel holds the Second Place World Record for a ten-meter one-arm race in Japan!
Faon Shane

Co-founder of the 7 Fingers, Faon was born and raised in the circus world.
She took her first steps on stage at age seven with the Cirque du Soleil and remained there for 15 years, playing in five different shows.
Throughout her career, she excelled in a variety of disciplines (rope, Korean plank, hand to hand, trampoline, artistic bicycle, and others). Her increasing creativity led her to obtain a grant to develop a new aerial apparatus, the aerial chains, later integrated into the shows LOFT and LA VIE.
Faon has long had a passion for osteopathy, and in 2009 she decided to follow that voice and began studying osteopathy with great success.
Unable to reasonably juggle her role as mother, artistic director, and student, Faon decided to leave the 7 Fingers, but still joins her former collective when she gets the chance.
In 2010, Faon moved to Berlin to join the father of her daughter. There, she found herself again immersed in the circus and cabaret, and decided that osteopathy must wait a little… Fawn then developed a new passion: the Chinese pole. She is currently forming a new company with colleagues Maximillian Rambeack and Alessandro Di Sazio in Berlin.

CEO

Nassib El-husseini
Political scientist, author (L’Occident Imaginaire, PUQ Editions), advisor and volunteer for dozens of national and international organizations, Nassib fell under the charm of a modern day tribe: Les 7 doigts de la main. He ran away with the circus, as the saying goes, and took on the general direction of this jewel of the Montreal stage.