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 7 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, the 7 Fingers 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 Loft, Traces, La Vie, Psy, Projet Fibonacci, Patinoire, A Muse and Séquence 8. 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 the 7 Fingers 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 Carroll is co-founding artistic director of Montreal’s Les 7 doigts de la main, where she has co-directed and choreographed the company’s major touring shows, whether together with the collective
(Loft, La Vie 8) with partner Gypsy Snider (Traces), with partner and husband Sebastien Soldevila (Séquence 8, Le Murmure du Coquelicot), or alone (Psy, Cabaret 2010, FeriAmuse).

In addition to her work within 7 Fingers, Shana’s circus directing and choreography credits include the Cirque du Soleil performance at the 84th Annual Academy Awards (2012), the acrobatic design and choreography of Cirque du Soleil’s show Iris at the Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre, creation of 4 gold-medal winning acts at the Festival de Cirque de Demain, Il Fait Dimanche for l’Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Montreal, and Quebec’s 400th anniversary performance with 40 trapeze artists (2008). She also received a Drama Desk Award nomination for best choreography for Traces (2008), and a Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle nomination for best choreography for Circumstance (2003).

A former trapeze artist, Shana performed for 20 years in the air, within 7 Fingers shows Loft and La Vie (2002-2008), and with a wide variety of circus and dance companies around the world, most notably 7 years as original solo trapeze artist for Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco (1994-2001).

Originally from Berkeley California, Shana first started circus at the age of 18 with San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus (1988-1991), and then furthered her trapeze training at Montreal’s Ecole nationale de cirque (1991-1993) and France’s Ecole nationale de cirque de Rosny-sous-Bois (1993-1994). She currently lives in Montreal with her husband and daughter, in a renovated convent with other fellow-Fingers.
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 on Psy and A Muse; 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 the 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 for three seasons with La Compagnia Dimitri. She has consistently developed her own amalgam of theatre and circus, going on to perform internationally with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Knie, Pomp Duck and Circumstance and Teatro Zinzanni.

Gypsy has been impassioned since adolescence by directing and teaching, and has been a guest teacher with the San Francisco Circus Center and National Circus School of Montreal and a director with the New Pickle Circus, Jamie Adkins/Cirque Eloize, the National Circus School’s show Crime and for various special projects with Cirque du Soleil ; she choreographed performances for the Queen of England’s Royal Variety Performance and William and Kate’s Canada Day celebration. Gypsy is directing the circus creation in the musical the revival of Pippin directed by Diane Paulus.

Gypsy co-formed Les 7 doigts de la main in 2002. She was an original performer in Loft and Mistress of Ceremonies in Cabaret des 7 doigts, a co-creator of Loft, co-director of Traces (nominated for a New York Drama Desk Award in Oustanding Choreography), and director of A Muse.
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.
Sebastien co-created Loft, La Vie and Séquence 8, co-directed and wrote _Le Murmure du coquelicot. 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
At the age of 14, Samuel began his training at the National Circus School of Montreal, determined to become a hand-balancer. During his seven years of training he developed a passion not only for the art of hand-balancing, but also for hand to hand, acrobatics, dance and acting. Eager perfectionist, Samuel travelled to France several times to train with hand-balancing master Claude Victoria. He started his career winning several awards in circus festivals, including a Bronze Lion at the Wuquio Festival in China and a Silver Medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris in 1996. After performing over 1,500 shows of Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria production, touring with Cirque Éloize’s Orchestra and appearing in some of the most prestigious cabarets in Germany such as Pomp Duck and Circumstance and Roncalli’s Apollo Variety, Samuel returned to Montreal in 2002 to become one of the co-founders of Les 7 doigts de la main. Since then, he shares his time between his work as an artist and his administrative and artistic co-director’s responsibilities within the collective. He is also highly invested in the promotion and development of the contemporary circus arts, most notably as Vice-President of En Piste, the Canadian circus professionals association. Samuel now devotes most of his creative energy to the direction of the Fibonacci Project seeking to develop intercultural dialogues and promote the diversity of human creativity through artistic expression. On stage Samuel appears in Les 7 doigts de la main’s production of Loft, La Vie and the Fibonacci Project.
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… Faon 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. Nassib is currently serving on the boards of the International Exchange for the Performing Arts (CINARS), and the Montreal Conseil for the Arts (CAM).