Words: Elodie Marriott

5 stars

“Welcome to Africa in Edinburgh!”

The cast of Afrique de Cirque do something that’s unique in a circus act. They make the audience feel relaxed. That’s not to say the tricks weren’t jaw-dropping, they most certainly were, but they performed with an ease and stability that made you question whether gravity had stopped working or perhaps that they’d learnt to fly.

Yamoussa Bangoura’s show depicts daily life in Guinea, scenes of fishermen and builders set to smooth afro-jazz played by the on-stage musicians. Afrique de Cirque is incredibly joyful, with colourful costumes and interludes of dance and drums. They don’t seek to heighten the tension, through their lyrical transitions and beaming faces they dissolve it completely, making the audience completely certain they will succeed.

With one inhale, a member of Cirque Kalabanté sucks his lower stomach in until it disappears from view. During flips, you may look to the ground for a hidden trampoline as surely reaching those heights from the ground alone is impossible. But they really do, unaided! From backflips starting and landing atop another’s shoulders to balancing with one leg planted on another’s head, the group barely falter. Their energy is infectious and their stamina immense. Afrique de Cirque is spectacular, and the last stunt made more than one audience member scream…

Afrique en Cirque
Assembly Hall, Main Hall
17:10
Aug 5-6, 8-13, 15-20, 22-26