WOMAD

The Isonga Ballet of Rwanda

From Rwanda

The Isonga Ballet of Rwanda are a delight. Their electrifying performance is charged with the tripled positive attractions - infectious good humour, consumate skill and alluring grace. The male members of the troop bounce, laughing and smiling, behind a battery of large double-ended barrel drums as they pour their energies into high-speed games of musical tag and catch with the pounding, skipping rhythms. The excitement engendered by the thundering percussion is heightened further by the visually breathtaking performance. As the long drumsticks tumble like rolling breakers, occasionally synchronising into a unified sonic boom, the dancing line of red- and white-clad women flows elegantly by. The emotional content of the performance is brought to life by their graceful gestures and empathic features, as they faultlessly echo the beat of the drums on their bell-clad ankles. Sometimes the young men leap into action, joining in the dancing, leaving the drumming in the capable hands of the soloists, and the stage becomes a vibrant celebration of the beating pulse of Africa.