Upon their founding in 2002, The 7 Fingers forged a new genre of contemporary circus, cited by critics as “the circus of the 21st century,” with their signature fusion of theater, dance, and acrobatics, stripped down to its raw, dramatic core.

A Montreal-based circus/dance/theater collective, their name refers to the seven founders themselves, who began as circus performers and evolved into a band of directors, writers, and choreographers, their varying styles showcased in an equally diverse array of creative projects. Telling stories using the physical, visual and visceral; taking circus out of the confines of specialty disciplines to create a new language of ensemble, ‘mixed media’ acrobatics; all the while holding true to their original mission statement of showcasing “the human within the superhuman:” The 7 Fingers leave their unique, multi-digit handprint on all they touch.

Shana Carroll is Co-Founding Artistic Director of The 7 Fingers, where she has written, directed, and choreographed 12 of their shows. Broadway credits include: Water for Elephants (Circus Design, Co-Choreography) (recipient of Chita Rivera Award; Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics’ Circle nominee). Paramour (acrobatic design and choreography). Cirque du Soleil credits include: Crystal (director); Iris (acrobatic design and choreography). Herself a trapeze artist for 20 years, Shana was inducted into the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec in 2023.

Isabelle Chassé, a trailblazer in Quebec’s circus arts, is a co-founder of The 7 Fingers and a celebrated performer. A former Cirque du Soleil artist, she gained global recognition with her iconic aerial Tissu act in Quidam. Isabelle has directed, co-directed, and collaborated on major projects, including the show on the Steel Giant in Montreal, Éclats, or Soul of the Ocean with Moment Factory in Hong Kong. A passionate creator, she continues shaping contemporary circus through innovative performances and leadership roles.

After graduating in electroacoustic composition from Université de Montréal, Colin Gagné worked in music and sound with Akousma, Mutek, TNM, and Cirque Éloize. A long-time collaborator with 7 Fingers, he scored and produced music for Vice & Vertu, Réversible, Passagers, Duel Reality, Mon île mon cœur, Riopelle: Grandeur Nature, and Géante. Combining sound design, music, interactivity, theatricality, and technical design, he also creates interactive soundscapes for C2 Montréal, composes for international events (Cirque du Soleil, Sochi Olympic Games), for films, and designs sound for musicals.

Based in Montréal, Ana Cappelluto collaborates with several Canadian theater and dance companies. She frequently collaborates with the 7 Fingers (7F). Her designs for 7F include sets for Passengers, Cuisine & Confessions, Réversible, Vice & Vertu, Mon île, mon cœur, and Le Géant. Her designs appear at numerous international festivals including Londrina International Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Le Festival d’Avignon. She is a Professor of Scenography at Concordia University in Montréal.

Camille Thibault-Bédard studied Fashion Design at LaSalle College in Montreal and started her career as a pattern maker and seamstress for various local designers. Since 2010, she has developed an expertise in the performing arts and especially the arts of movement. Her sensibility and understanding of the human body in motion led her to participate in the production of costumes for major dance and circus companies such as La La La Human Steps, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Washington Ballet, and Cirque Éloize. As a costume designer, Camille designed over 25 productions for various companies and choreographers including: The 7 Fingers (Triptyque – 2015, Vice & Virtue – 2017, Passengers – 2018, Mon Île, Mon Coeur – 2022, Riopelle Grandeur Nature – 2024), Machine de Cirque (Ghost Light – 2020), Projet Sanctuaire (Sanctuaire – 2021), Vìas (Flesh & Sound – 2023), Caroline Laurin-Beaucage (Underwater – 2023), among others.

Camille keeps a close connection between her work for the stage and the evolution of fashion trends, dressing and celebrating the body in movement.

Éric Champoux has designed the lighting for over a hundred productions. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1997, where he met Wajdi Mouawad, he created the lighting for nearly all of Mouawad’s works, including Incendies, Forêts, Seuls, Temps, Tous Des Oiseaux, and operatic works such as L’Enlèvement au Sérail at the Opéra de Lyon and Œdipe at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Emerging from Montreal’s theatrical scene, he quickly transitioned into the worlds of circus and opera. He has collaborated with Opéra de Montréal on acclaimed productions like Dead Man Walking and Samson et Dalila, and with other major productions such as Falstaff, Aïda, and Written on Skin. He works regularly with Les 7 Doigts de la Main, contributing to shows such as Le Murmure du Coquelicot, Cuisines & Confessions, and the acclaimed musical PubRoyal. Additionally, he has created lighting for Cirque Éloïze, including 3 Géants: Summerlove in Montreal. For Cirque du Soleil, he designed the lighting for OVO (both tent and arena versions), Crystal, Axel, and numerous other productions worldwide, including tributes to Les Cowboys Fringants and Les Colocs. Beyond theater, he is a painter and photographer, blending mediums to create unique artistic expressions.

Johnny Ranger is an interdisciplinary video artist and the founder and artistic director of Mindroots. His contributions to the arts and technology sector include collaborations with the Society for Arts and Technology, Cirque du Soleil and Moment Factory. He was the artistic director, at Oasis Immersion, designing innovative art-based exhibitions. He directed multimedia performances, 360-degree films, music videos, and he specialized in non-linear narrative and interdisciplinary creations involving unusual or multi-screen projections.