Afrique en Cirque at Nuits d’Afrique
Scene from Afrique en Cirque
This summer, the much-awaited international festival: Nuits D’Afrique starts strong with their major indoor event Afrique en Cirque, featuring Kalabanté productions. After having toured the world with Quebec circus troupes, Yamoussa Bangoura, Kalabanté’s founder, decided to incorporate his Guinean heritage into his own production.
I had the chance to attend their opening night on July 10th. Despite the horrible weather conditions, the theatre was packed and overflowing with energy. The show’s structure wraps traditional circus elements such as contortion and acrobatics into a theatrical recreation of a traditional African tribe. Each circus element is preceded by a change in scenery, going from a morning market to nighttime fishing. The performances are accompanied and followed by immersive live musical performances and sound effects that seamlessly manage to transport the audience into the world they’re illustrating. It is truly amazing.
Despite the incredible skill and soul that the performers put into their show, the most memorable part has to be the interactive nature of it all. As one of the performers said, “When you are watching a show in Africa, you become part of the show itself.” The entire process was packed with intermissions where the cast interacts with the audience. From clapping along to “call and responses” that allowed me to sing along to a traditional song, the cast truly managed to draw my undivided attention. I even walked away with a few phrases myself. I now know that “nani” means “four” and so much more!
The performers were skilled and charismatic, never failing to leave the audience in awe. Their cast consists of an insanely “bendy” contortionist, a performer skilled in hula hoop acrobatics, a juggler capable of handling six bowling pins, and several others. All of them also have incredible acrobatic skills, as well as surprising musical talent. There was never a dull moment.
Kalabanté’s incredible performance offered me an experience to remember, as well as a deep dive into Guinean culture.
If you’re in town from now till the 21st of July, don’t forget to check out the other shows that Nuits D’Afrique has to offer. You can find their full program here. You can follow Kalabanté HERE.
