Kalabanté Cir­cus Per­forms Africa in Cir­cus

The Africa in Circus show draws its inspiration from daily life in Guinea, which bursts with vitality, colour, music, dance and incredible circus artistry. The show has been on a triumphal tour around the globe and won unanimous praise from critics. The audience can expect to gasp in amazement as the artists defy the laws of gravity and physical possibility.

The music performed by the group is a fusion of afro, funk and jazz with instruments from West Africa such as djembe drums, balaphones and kora string instruments with more familiar instruments such as the saxophone, bass and drum kit.

“Makes Cirque du Soleil look tame” – The Sydney Morning Herald
“A celebration of diversity and dizzying fun”– Parra News
„Impeccably performed slice of family-friendly circus“– Culture Fix

The show is the creation of multidisciplinary artist and artistic director Yamoussa Bangoura. Bangoura's interest in the circus arts was sparked while growing up in Conakry in Guinea, where he learned circus arts through a European television programme. He then developed his method further by drawing on the Nyamakala tradition of circus practiced by the Fula People in West Africa. He subsequently joined the Guinean Circus Baobob, touring with it throughout Africa and Europe. In 2000, Bangoura joined the Cirque Eloize in Canada and during his time there also performed with Cirque du Soleil and the Cavalia circus. Yamoussa Bangoura made his dream come true in 2007 when he founded Kalabanté Productions and was joined by, among others, his twin sister, brother and cousins.

Kalabanté Productions runs its own studio and school in Montreal in Canada, and have also built the Kalabanté school in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. The goal of building the school is to give young people the opportunity to train in multidisciplinary arts and enable them to work with their skills.

Kalabanté Productions participated in the production of the Circus Without Borders documentary in 2010, since the film is a collaboration between Kalabanté and the Artcirq circus. The film's protagonists, Guillaume Saladin and Yamousse Bangoura, are best friends and world-class acrobats who share a dream to promote hope and improve their communities through circus arts education. In the film, the circuses visit the Canadian Arctic and Guinea, where they invite young Inuit and Guineans to get to know the magical world of circus arts to prevent suicide, poverty and despair.

 The show is 90 minutes and is for everyone, five years and older.