Cirque Kalabanté
"Afrique en Cirque"
June 14, 2021
Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 7:30 PM
Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre
This performance will last approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
*Run times listed here are based on information provided at this time and are subject to change.
THIS PERFORMANCE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.
"Explosive drumming and dance routines, the group delivered mind-blowing acrobatic sequences with extraordinary precision."
— Vice Magazine
Co-sponsored by the Black Cultural Center
Inspired by daily life in Guinea, this spirited performance highlights the creativity, movement, and music of African culture. Featuring vibrant scenery, costumes, and staging — as well as plenty of audience interaction — Afrique en Cirque is an energy-filled show that will delight the entire family.
Daredevil acrobatics, human pyramids, and lively dancing is driven by Afro-jazz, kora, and thunderous djembe drums, showcasing the strength, agility, and energy of the young African diaspora. Guinea-born Cirque Eloize and Cirque de Soleil performer Yamoussa Bangoura founded the troupe in Montreal, recruiting his extended family members to join. Cirque Kalabanté has since become the world’s premiere West African cirque company.
About Cirque Kalabanté
Bangoura first became interested in the circus arts as a young man growing up in Conakry Guinea in the 1990s. He studied the circus performers he saw on European TV and practiced on the beach and dirt around his home. He also studied the Nyamakala tradition of circus practiced by the Fula people of West Africa. He eventually joined Guinea’s original circus company, Circus Baobob, and toured Africa and Europe.
In the early 2000s, Bangoura was recruited to come to Canada with Cirque Eloize, a Montreal-based Canadian cirque company. While in Canada, he also performed with Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia (cirque with horses). In 2007 Yamoussa realized his dream; opened his own company, Kalabanté Productions, in Montreal; and recruited his extended family members, including his twin sisters, brothers, and cousins.
The company began doing shows in Quebec, expanded across Canada and the United States, and now performs all over the world. In 2018 Kalabanté opened its own studio and school in Montreal, where they offer classes in African dance, cirque, and drumming.
This is Cirque Kalabanté's first performance at the Moss Arts Center.
This performance is supported in part by gifts from the Easels and Mrs. Candi M. Kelly and Dr. J. Michael Kelly. It is dedicated to the memory of Patricia Buckley Moss.
This engagement of Cirque Kalabanté is made possible in part through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from the Québec Government Office in New York.
