Driven by a desire to elevate their humanity, their ability to raise each other up and take care of the world they inhabit, seven individuals founded the 7 Fingers. 20 years after bursting into the circus scene through a fridge door, a few members look back at the company’s origins, values, and accomplishments with an eye toward the future.

The summer of 2002 was a colorful one for Montreal’s circus audiences. Under the burning sun were two big tops filled with characters and creatures flipping and flying inside mystical forests. Cirque du Soleil’s “Varekai” and Cirque Éos’ “Imaginaire” reinforced the idea that the circus is fantastical, disconnected from everyday life. LOFT Having performed in bright colors and on similar stages themselves, seven artists wanted to bring audiences in the exact opposite direction. When their show opened a hop, a skip, and a flip from the colorful forests, the contrast could not have been stronger. Dressed entirely in white, wi...