by Samantha Andolina
Have you ever wanted to witness a group of people speak and teach about their culture in fun and exciting ways? The Kenya Safari Acrobats are a groundbreaking group of acrobats that extend their talent around the world. These acrobats constantly dazzle audiences and cause them to wonder more about the country surrounding the talent. The members of this group learned their craft as children on the beaches of Kenya, as a means to break free from an impoverished country. Now they serve as artistic ambassadors for Kenya as they travel the globe, entertaining and inspiring audiences of all ages. The acrobatic show is both educational and entertaining, beginning with a brief history of Kenya. Then, the Kenya Safari Acrobats take their audience on a non-stop thrill ride full of gravity defying human pyramids, breathtaking contortions, limbo dancing and hurling through hoops, all the while clapping to a joyful Benga beat. Combining artistry with humor and playfulness, these gymnasts have designed a unique and eye popping blend of traditional arts and circus skills in classic Kenyan style.
The Kenya Safari Acrobats have been performing for over thirty years–and twenty of these years have taken place in the United States. The acrobats have developed different styles based on the countries they are from. Some of the acts are not traditional African acrobats, such as a twist on the rolla bolla, a traditional acrobatic technique. The show also features a storyteller from Kenya who tells old stories about Africa, teaching the culture in a fun way. Their acrobatics is distinctive and incorporates Chinese skills from training in China as well as physical exercises. In general, there are two styles of acrobatic shows: street performance style and circus style. Both are eye grabbing and visually pleasing. The troupes that emphasize street style shows feature 3-6 artists who often perform traditional style dancing alongside acrobatics. Circus style shows are more like a show with a story. The individual performers and groups of acrobats do amazing acts of balancing, juggling, and gymnastics, and they are often amusing. These stories can be equal doses of emotional and happy; either way the audience is leaving pleased.
The Kenya Safari Acrobats perform very high paced and high energy shows including shows of strength and flexibility, chair stacking, and human pyramids. Some shows even feature storytellers that discuss African culture in fun and enlightening ways. Street performance style and circus style are the prominent ways in which these performers capture the audience’s attention and stun them. There are a couple people who are the highlights of the Kenya Safari Acrobats. Among these people include “Amina the Great,” a female acrobat with unbelievable strength who can hold up to five men as well as bend metal. On top of that, she is a fantastic dancer. In 2020 she even began spinning fire and huge cubes. There is also “Wallace Wallace,” the balancing man. He is an amazing acrobat, on top of performing chair stacking, rolla bolla (essentially this is when someone balances on top of a board that is balancing on a ball), limbo, and contortion. His talent extends up to an hour in shows. There are also the Kaka acrobatics, who are brothers that perform limbo, hat juggling, hoop diving, and also dance. Overall, the Kenya Safari Acrobats have a jaw dropping, eye grabbing show with enough variety that will please anyone.