Magic of African Rhythms - Hillsborough Arts Council

The Magic of African Rhythms

The Hillsborough Arts Council is honored to bring a special performance of The Magic of African Rhythms 'Balankora' as a part of the Handmade Parade series. This special performance is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. The show will not only be an astonishing performance but will allow a broader audience to gain awareness of the community building Handmade Parade program and the upcoming workshops presented by the Magic of African Rhythms Saturday and Sunday October 9th and 10th.

The Magic of African Rhythms performs both locally and nationally. They have performed with notable groups such as the African American Dance Ensemble and the Broadway version of “The Lion King.”

The Balankora group includes Teli Shabu on Kora, guitar & percussion, Atiba Rorie on guitar & percussion and Mabinti Shabu on Balafan, Ngoni & percussion.

The Handmade Parade is a community participation celebration and we encourage this audience to bring their family and friends to these very special workshops and then join the Hillsborough Handmade Parade! Visit the Handmade Parade web-page for much more information about this upcoming workshop.

Baba and Mama Shabu, who have spent nearly 20 years studying and performing all over Africa, originally established this group in Africa as “Ngoma Sasa.”

The group grew with the addition of their children, Mabinti, Teli, and Taji, whose talents shine through the drums, various African keyboard and stringed instruments, storytelling, song, and dance.

The group’s form of artistic expression is “ngoma,” the blending of all the art forms into an organic whole

Balankora is a powerfull performance group featuring melodic instrumentation, drumming, and dance from West Africa.

The Magic of African Rhythms, Balankora performers will give the Jazz Fest audience a view into traditional African melody, movement, and rhythm.

The performance begins with song, quickly flowing into rhythm and movement as each artist gets an opportunity to share their particular skill with the audience. The group flows into melody, telling stories about the instruments they play, and share greetings and phrases in some of the languages they speak, giving you a more in depth look into the creation of the instruments.

The Magic of African Rhythms unforgettable performances display the vibrancy of Africa’s many rhythms. Meaningful stories are told in both authentic song and original dance choreography. In the midst of the drama, skilled dancers appear to fly, leaving onlookers in an awe of swirling raffia skirts and headdresses. Drums, dance, costumes, song and story carry audiences across the colorful spectrum of the entire continent. Acclaimed for their unique ability to communicate and engage multitudes of ages, races, and abilities, audiences join us onstage in jubilant celebration.

The Magic of African Rhythm is a pillar in the bridge that connects us to our African heritage across the ocean. Baba and Mama Shabu began working on the bridge in the 1960’s and the Shabu Family continues this cultural tradition today.

The African concept of Ngoma, the “rhythmic thread” that links drumming, singing, dancing, and visual arts together, is expressed in all their performances.

Learn more about The Magic of African Rhythms at their website.

... and check out their book Kpawo - The Bridge - Finding your Ancestral connection in Africa.