Cirque Africa to bring the world’s best circus acts from Africa to the Australian stage this June.
Produced and directed by ‘Papa Africa’ aka Winston Ruddle, the show is a combination of acrobatics, theatre, song and dance. Cirque Africa is a celebration of African culture, both new and old.
The 90 minute show starts its national tour in Melbourne on June 24.
Cirque Africa has travelled to the USA, Germany, Costa Rica, Italy, France, Romania, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, performing sold out shows, before coming to Australian shores.
Show producer Ruddle said, “The show is a true delight for the senses and is sure to get the audience members’ hearts racing. We’ve worked extremely hard to present a show that will introduce Australian audiences to African culture, both traditional and modern, and leave them utterly mesmerised. We are striving for an energetic response from the audience – we want you to take your breath away and get you up out of your seat.”
Ruddle and his team are bringing to Australia 70 tonnes of circus and stage equipment, professional sound lighting, elevated seating for 1,100 people and a twelve metre high big top all the way from Africa. This is the first time the show will be performed in a big top and Ruddle is excited to see his spectacle taken to the next level.
The highly-skilled cast is made up of 38 of Africa’s finest aerial artists, jugglers, stilt dancers, contortionists, clowns and more. While the core of the cast hail from Tanzania, the show draws influence from the musical cultures of Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia and Zimbabwe. The cast will be dressed in over 200 one-of-a-kind African costumes and will be joined by an eight piece live band.
