Mother Africa at The New Victory Theater

Wowsa!

That's all I could say whenever I think of Mother Africa, the holiday show at The New Victory Theater that Aiden and I saw a couple weekends ago. And, to say the least, it's all kinds of cool. It's performed by Tanzania's Circus Der Sinne, which means Circus of the Senses in English, and it's a true celebration of Africa and it's many countries and cultures. Everything is deeply rooted in African culture -- the diverse acts, the band performing, the vocals done in the native language of different African countries, the vibrant costumes -- everything!

Don't expect to see elements of a tradition circus in the show -- there aren't any clowns, trained animals, or rings of fire. But what you'll get is so much more. Stilt walkers from Tanzania, jugglers from Ethiopia, and a contortionist from Kenya, to name a few. And that's just the acts.

You'll also get a mini-history lesson. Like from the charasmatic and energetic GumBoot Dance, which has roots in South Africa's gold mines. Or from the masked stilt dancers of the Zulu folks. Or from the instrument called the mbira.

And while you're getting that history lesson and enjoying the different circus acts, you'll be sitting at the edge of your seat. I mean, the entire time you'll be wondering if the unicyler is going to push the limits and go higher, or if the human foot juggler will be able to continue throwing 12-year-old Tomas Teka Alemu into the air while he's [Tomas] doing back flips. I mean... how on Earth are they doing those things?

That will be the question of the hour.

During the slow and sustained "African Flute" act, when contortionist Ersi Teame Gebregziabher squeezed his entire exceeding flexible body into a tennis racket (what the what?!?!), this was the conversation that ensued between Aiden and me:

Aiden: [Looking puzzled] Why is he doing that?!

Me: Umm... I think the better question is HOW is he doing that?

Aiden: Yeah... HOW is he doing that?

Me: I have NO idea!

Autographs with the performers after the show

When we got home, Aiden drew pictures of his favorite parts of the show: the unicyle act, the six-chair balancing act, and the foot juggler/12-year-old back flipping act.

But in case you need a better visual than that of a six-year-old budding artist, feast your eyes on these:

 

Mother Africa is playing at The New Victory Theater from now until January 5, 2014, with tickets ranging from $17 to $70. The show is 100 minutes long with one intermission, just the right amount of time for little who may get antsy during a show. Visit the website to purchase your tickets and get you some African entertainment and culture!

Thank me later.

Oh, and leave a comment below if you'd like to check it out because I'm giving away Mother Africa tickets to ONE lucky Mommy Delicious reader.

You're welcome.

(Disclaimer: I was provided with tickets to Mother Africa in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own. The giveaway is sponsored by Mother Africa.)