Africa in the circus | A change of scenery more musical than circus

Cirque Kalabanté Productions, whose DNA has been shaped by the culture of Guinea, returns to present at TOHU its flagship show, Africa in the circus. A sunny journey in music and dance, but where the circus performances lack flavor.

Stephanie Morin
The Press

Wednesday at TOHU, Yamoussa Bangoura and his band brought out koras and djembes for the premiere of a new series of performances byAfrica in the circus. The show has been modified for the occasion in order to testify with even more authenticity to West African life. The decor is reminiscent of a market, the sounds of birds fill the room. Even before a human sets foot on stage, the spectator knows that he is elsewhere.

Indeed, the troop takes us far from Montreal, from its spring greyness and its cold rain. There are songs sung in the Soussou language by Yamoussa Bangoura, charismatic ringmaster and founder of the troupe. Wild dancing too, performed by five energetic artists with sculpted bodies. The drums sounded. The musicians – a guitarist, a saxophonist and a drummer – added their grain of salt to the resolutely festive atmosphere. The music is undoubtedly the most successful element of this show.

We even play, in the theatrical sense of the term, fishing and market scenes which will further push the exoticism of the whole. These paintings, sometimes very realistic, sometimes dreamlike, are often of great beauty.

Only, there is a problem and it is a major one: the circus performances are not up to what one would expect in a show of this magnitude. Nor what TOHU and Montreal circus companies have accustomed us to. We have seen more impressive Cyr wheel and juggling acts, even Chinese pole. Acrobatic figures are too often repetitive.

Only the acrobatics on the ground (very explosive) and the number of boleadoras performed by the queen of the discipline in Quebec, Sarah Louis-Jean, arouse admiration. However, for the public, the pleasure of the circus also lies in these numbers which seem inaccessible to ordinary mortals, in a mixture of control and bravery which gives cold sweats.

What does not help is that the transitions between the numbers are sometimes laborious and come to increase the rhythm of the whole. Result: we end up finding a long show that lasts barely 75 minutes.

On Wednesday, the troupe celebrated the 105^and representation ofAfrica in the circus. Admittedly, the artists have changed over the years; numbers too. It remains to be hoped that the show will be tightened up a bit so that the trip will be more successful and that no one will think of getting off the train before the end.

Africa in the circus

By Cirque Kalabanté Productions

At TOHUUntil April 24

★★½