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This exuberant work of acrobatic circus was an early starter in this year’s festival of Sydney, and proved to be a real crowd pleaser. The energetic, fast paced mix of floor based acts, wrapped in hybrid resonating music and colourful sets, proved an arresting and family based 85 minutes of entertainment. 

There must have been over 25 items in the programs, by a cast of a dozen, and the mainstay was juggling, balancing, tumbling and acrobatic acts which gained virtually all the applause. The style is based on African based circus, however there is nothing culturally specific about most of the tricks, and the sequence could have been performed by many companies from many nationalities. There was little speech or stories, and songs were included but by no means a main element. 

The acts all seemed accomplished and highly skilled, and the music and rhythms (from traditional drums and exquisite Kora instrument, and a modern drum kit and sax) included Guinea rhythms, and provided a pleasing and aesthetic morphing of what a circus can be under African influence. Movements were more than physical but choreographed at times and even danced.The show is not specifically theatrical, and certainly does not pretend to offer cultural coherence or narrative, or pure African tradition. 

Despite traditional elements, it is a contemporary show, and the audience seemed more than satisfied with the mix of African elements and circus entertainment in a show that aims for immediacy and joy. The show was friendly, clear and boisterous and shared aspects of African style and physical theatre. The company, Kalabanté productions, are well resourced, under the long term and dedicated leadership of Yamoussa Bangoura, and years of experience were evident in the tight, on point execution.