"Shangwe, le bal": a dance project full of joy

On a sweltering afternoon in the French city of Lyon, around 60 dancers fully ignored the heat to immerse themselves in a festive performance brought to them by Kenyan-American choreographer and dancer Wanjiru Kamuyu.

"Welcome, everyone, to Shangwe, le bal!"

Wanjiru Kamuyu's voice clearly rings out over the audience's heads and the relaxed beats of the music.

Despite the heat in the city in south-eastern France, the cultural space "Les Subs" near the river Saône is buzzing with chatter, music and laughter on this July afternoon.

In the middle of it all is Kamuyu, dancer and choreographer born in Kenya to Kenyan and African-American parents, and who has been living and creating in France for the past 19 years.

This afternoon, around 60 amateur dancers and participants from the audience will perform her latest work: "Shangwe, le bal".

"This new project that I have, Shangwe le bal, actually brings in all of who I am into the space, and particularly my East African heritage, where I was born and raised and which is so home for me," Kamuyu explains.

Multicultural, multilingual

The performance is in fact a collaborative project with three choreographers from the region: Pretty Lodenyi from Kenya, Joyeux Ntsinzi from Burundi, and Halima Masoud from Tanzania, whom she was able to commission.

The project's title, mixing Kiswahili (Shangwe = joy) and French (le bal = the ball, dance, party), is emblematic of the whole performance. Alternating between French and English, Kamuyu teaches the audience words in her first language, accompanying them with movements that the audience are happy to repeat.

And the linguistic inclusion goes even further: two deaf dancers also participate in the performance, thanks to French sign language being included in the show.

Throughout the evening, "Shangwe", led by Kamuyu, keeps illuminating faces and brings dancers and audience alike on a journey of cultural discovery.

But while the performance takes place in a French city, its roots remain firmly anchored in East Africa.