Cirque Kalabanté

Prepare for an unforgettable journey. Inspired by daily life in the West African country of Guinea, Cirque Kalabanté shares the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture. Acrobats execute gravity-defying moves, accompanied by the contemporary sounds of live Afro-Jazz, percussion and kora. The show vibrates with energy in its representation of the strength, agility and joys of young Africans through its colorful scenery, costumes and staging.

Kalabanté Productions was created by Yamoussa Bangoura, a multidisciplinary artist of Guinean origin. Yamoussa’s dream was to found a school of circus arts and to direct his own multidisciplinary company specializing in the African arts.

Yamoussa first became interested in the circus arts as a young man growing up in Conakry, Guinea, in the 1990s. He studied the circus performers he saw on European TV 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 Baobab, with whom he toured Africa and Europe.

In the early 2000s, Yamoussa was recruited to go to Montreal with Cirque Eloize. While in Canada he also performed with Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia (cirque with horses). In 2007 Yamoussa realized his dream and opened his own company, Kalabanté Productions, in Montreal. He recruited many of his extended family members to join the company, including his twin sisters, brothers, and cousins.

The company began doing shows in Quebec, and over the years expanded to all of Canada and the USA. The company now performs all over the world. In 2018, Kalabanté opened their own studio and school in Montreal, where they offer classes in African dance, cirque, and drumming.
Sponsored by Alaska 529 and KUAC