Cirque Kalabanté
See acrobats in gravity-defying moves and human pyramids, with colorful costumes and live Afro-jazz, percussion and kora music, plus free, family activities in the lobby before the show. will bring a breathtaking show of jaw-dropping acrobatics and live music to the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 6.
The show, “Afrique en Cirque,” is inspired by daily life in Guinea. See acrobats execute gravity-defying moves and human pyramids, with colorful costumes, scenery, staging and more, all accompanied by the pulse of live Afro-jazz, percussion and kora music. More than a show, it is a high-energy journey into the heart of African artistry, strength and joy in one unforgettable evening.
Arrive early for free, family-friendly fun, with hands-on activities in the lobby one hour before Cirque Kalabanté begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29, $10 for children. Buy tickets.
The Alys Stephens Center is part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for the Arts. Discounts and student rush tickets are available to UAB staff and students for most shows. Call the Alys Stephens Center Box Office at 205-975-2787 for more details.
Arts Circle member benefits including VIP parking and access to a pre-show reception in the Abroms Patrons Lounge one hour prior to performance for beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Learn more or become an Arts Circle member.
Kalabanté Productions was created by Yamoussa Bangoura, a multidisciplinary artist of Guinean origin. Bangoura’s dream was the founding of a school of circus arts, and to direct his own multidisciplinary company specializing in the African arts. He studied the circus performers he saw on European television 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, with whom he toured Africa and Europe. In the early 2000s, he was recruited to come to Canada with Cirque Eloize of Montreal, and while there he also performed with Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia (cirque with horses).
Bangoura realized his dream in 2007 with the opening of his own company, Kalabanté Productions in Montreal, and recruited many of his family members to join, including his twin sisters, brothers and cousins. In 2018, they opened their own studio and school in Montreal, where they offer classes in African dance, cirque and drumming. Kalabanté Productions shares their work, achievements and skills to inspire others and to assist with the humanitarian mission to help the Guinean community from which they come.
This performance is supported in part by the Dora and Sanjay Singh Cultural Arts Fund.
ArtPlay Community Education will present a Meet the Artist Series event with Cirque Kalabanté for local schoolchildren at 10 a.m. Friday, March 6, in the Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall. For more information about the Meet the Artist Series, call ArtPlay at 205-975-4769.