Afrique en Cirque – Kalabanté Productions / Southbank Centre, London

Kalabanté Productions’ Afrique en Cirque is a showcase for Guinean culture as well as for the company’s impressive circus skills.

Afrique en Cirque

Wow.  Just wow.  I came out of Afrique en Cirque last night energised by a joyous, high octane, contemporary circus performance, a grin on my face and my hands tired from clapping.  The company, Kalabanté Productions, take inspiration from daily life in Guinea and blend it with North American circus skills (think Cirque du Soleil: founder Yamoussa Bangoura has spent substantial time in Montreal).  The result is exhilarating, not least because of the local dance, language and music which give it a unique edge.

Now, I am no circus expert.  I remember one or two I attended as a child, I saw one in Moscow once, and have been to a Cirque du Soleil performance many years ago.  But I know enough to understand that good contemporary circus comprises performers working in various circus disciplines (like acrobatics, fire breathing, aerialists etc), live music, and comedy, with an overarching theatricality. This is opposed to traditional circus where a ringmaster introduces different choreographed acts and there’s less of a narrative thrust.  Afrique en Cirque has all of the elements of contemporary circus, with their own added magic.  

Blending Circus and Music

It’s perhaps more music-driven than most.  Bangoura plays the Kora or percussion and sings, with an Afro Jazz saxophone, bass and drum accompaniment.  The music enlivens the narrative scenes of life in a Guinean village, and stitches them together. The musicians are adept at switching tones based on the scene or skills on display.  Kalabanté’s Guinean village is no imagined ‘traditional’ Africa, however, but modern life: some sexy construction workers are one of many clowning elements in the show.  The construction workers also demonstrate their acrobatic and gymnastic skills: Afrique en Cirque primarily focuses on acrobatics (individual and human pyramid-style), with a contortionist act by Mohamed
Ben Sylla that is out of this world (seemingly literally), some juggling and a Cyr wheel.  Perhaps just one more skill would have been perfection, but what we see is very good. And even when things go slightly awry, the good-natured comedy of the village set up helps to get things back on track quickly.

As performances go, this really is brilliant.  The audience was jubilant.  The performers were clearly having fun.  It’s impressive to see so much acrobatics without wires or other safety precautions. As a showcase of Guinean culture and talent, I can’t think of a better format.  A few performances remain, so gather up your friends and family and get over to the Southbank Centre.  Afrique en Cirque forms part of the You Belong Here Festival on currently, so you might even get a free warm up act between the indoor and outdoor stages.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4.5/5

Afrique en Cirque on until 28 July 2024.  More info and tickets here.