After seeing “Traces,” the exhilarating acro-dramatic performance by Montreal circus group 7 Fingers, we wanted to know more about how these lithe artists stay in shape.

So we invited them over.

Four of the cast members visited The Denver Post’s photo studio and chatted about what it’s like to join the circus. The show turns the Space Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts into an abandoned warehouse taken over by a bunch of kids who ride skateboards, climb poles, toss basketballs (and themselves) through the gritty-looking set.

Creators Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll based their idea on four students at the San Francisco circus school run by Snider’s parents.

“They’d get on their skateboards and go to circus class and train for hours with no goal, it was really just for the pleasure of throwing themselves around,” Snider said during a preview of the show.

“It was very relaxed, it wasn’t performance — it was really urban and incredibly natural.”

“Traces” aims to convey that same feeling, as though the audience is hanging out with the crew, just watching kids having fun. But behind the easygoing performance lie years of preparation, leading up to a six-month training period before the “Traces” tour.

Because they make their living with their bodies, these performer-athletes don’t separate workouts from work, or from daily life. They do eight 90-minute shows a week, Tuesday through Friday nights, and two shows on Saturdays and Sundays.

When asked how they keep their abs strong, Valerie Benoît-Charbonneau says, in French-accented English, “Pilates.” Ames and Henderson drop to the photo studio floor and demonstrate the V-snap, which looks like it sounds. It’s like a sit-up: with arms extended overhead, they snap their extended legs straight up to meet extended arms, creating a perfect V.

“The core work is most important, I feel,” says Henderson as the others nod. His specialty is the Cyr wheel (named for Daniel Cyr, who popularized the acrobatic use of the single metal ring).

Henderson steps into the hoop and grasps it at 10 and 2 o’clock. A gentle push off his toe-tip gets the wheel rotating in a lazy spiral across the cramped studio floor. The aluminum circle picks up speed as Henderson makes minute adjustments to the tension in his arms and legs.

“Take it easy, Brad,” says Zumkehr, worried that his colleague is going to crash into the studio lights.

Henderson arches his back, and just before the ring seems out of control (it’s not), he steps lightly out of the motion, grinning.

“You have to push and pull at the right times to get the right spin,” he says.

Story continues after photos

Studio images by Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post. Performance photos by Stephanie Boisverg and Michael Meseke.

Team approach

As part of a collective, the performers are quick to share the spotlight, as they do in training.

“We kind of all coach each other,” says Henderson.

Watching Henderson slow the wheel down enough for the photo, Zumkehr explains that they each have their specialty. His is handwork— headstands and handstands, performed mostly on a plain wooden chair.

“It’s fun to try other disciplines. It’s fun to get better in other stuff, as well,” he says, “I really like the wheel, but I do like five turns and I feel like I want to throw up.”

While it may look like they are just messing around onstage, these performers have worked on the craft for years to arrive at this level. When other kids in Basel, Switzerland, were playing soccer or practicing an instrument, Zumkehr took circus classes from the age of 7. At 15, he went to circus school in Berlin.

“Being away from home at 15, you think it’s going to be fun, you are doing what you love and then you realize it’s not so easy,” he says.

Benoît-Charbonneau, who trained for seven years at Montreal’s National Circus School, and has performed with Cirque du Soleil and at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, agrees.

“You’re there 8 in the morning to 6 at night — it’s a lot of work. You realize it quick,” says the petite acrobat, the only woman in the cast.

She dances a powerful pas de deux with Mason Ames, the tallest cast member, whose broad shoulders and goofball stage manner belie his grace.

“Val is the only girl, so it’s like she’s one of the guys, but not all the time,” says Ames.

Their push-pull dance in the early part of the show is part flirtation, part competition as they cleave together and fling themselves apart.

Communal living

They spend a lot of time together off-stage, as well. The whole cast stays in the same hotel-apartment building, and they take turns cooking communal meals. They try to eat healthy, but with their intense schedule, they don’t really have to count calories.

“As long as you watch your portions, you can eat anything you want,” says Henderson, who admits to indulging in a Big Mac and chicken nuggets recently.

Ames is known as the chef of the group.

“I enjoy eating stuff that’s good,” he says.

Good — healthy or good — lots of butter?

“I like greens. My mom cooks a lot of kale, collard greens, Swiss chard,” he says. “I like butter, too.”

During their two-month stay in Denver, they plan to get to know the city by skateboard and bicycle, and explore local restaurants and grocery stores. You probably won’t see them at the gym, but you can catch them on stage.

The photo session ends much like the show — Henderson dismantles the wheel, Zumkehr throws his chair over his shoulder, Ames picks up the costumes and Benoît- Charbonneau tucks her jeans into her boots. Looking like regular mortals, they saunter out into the sunshine with just enough time to eat before hitting the theater.

Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com

---

Meet the “Tracers”

During the show, each “Traces” cast member steps forward and shares a little about his or her personal life, so without further ado, we give you:

Valérie Benoît-Charbonneau

Benoît-Charbonneau, top left, trained for seven years at Montreal’s National Circus School, specializing in hand to hand and banquine.

Age: 21

5-foot-2, 112 pounds

“Determined … Stubborn … Flirtatious.”

Mason Bryce Ames

Ames, top right, moved to Montreal from New Hampshire to train at the National Circus School, specializing in hand to hand.

Age: 24

6-foot-2, 228 pounds

“Affectionate … Uninhibited … Clumsy”

Bradley Henderson

Henderson, lower left, a San Francisco native, was one of the original “Traces” cast members and has been touring the world with 7 Fingers since 2005.

Age: 27

5-foot-10, 160 pounds

“Reliable … Considerate … Unflexible”

Florian Zumkehr

Originally from Switzerland, Zumkehr, lower right, began his training at a very young age at a children’s circus school, and continued his training at the Berlin Circus School. His specialties include hand balancing and acrobatics.

Age: 23

5-foot-7, 150 pounds

“Eager … Optimistic … Romantic.”

---

What is “Traces?

The Montreal-based “Traces” is an acrobatic entertainment in which seven performers tell real stories through hoop-diving, balancing acts, streetwise dancing and musical numbers, in a gravity-defying spectacle. For links to our preview story and review ofthe performances, continuing in Denver through May 14, see the links at the top of this page. Here’s a video montage introduction:

---

“Traces” ticket information

Intimate circus arts. Stage Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1101 13th St. Today (March 11) through May 14. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $18-$65. 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org