Angels In America:
Kenyan Fishermen Are Wal-Mart's Biggest Fans
Circus Chimera's newest stars hail from the far-off reaches of East Africa. The six members of the Black Angels (also known as the Mighty Jambo Acrobats) first began performing together as teenagers in the social clubs of the Mathare Valley district of Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya. 
There they forged their own unique style, an electrifying fusion of native African dance forms like the Chakacha, Lipala and Orutu, with contemporary dance and the stunning traditions of the traveling circus. The result? The most spectacular blend of balance, gymnastic tumbling, fire eating, and limbo dancing we've ever seen, and trust us ñ we've seen a lot.
Growing up in Nairobi, Saidi Jeffah, Mohammed Kidudu, Abdalla Mwahozi, Mohammed Mwandale, Juma Mwasahani and Abdalla Mwabata expected to be fishermen like their fathers before them. But in the wake of Mao Tse Tung's cultural revolution, the Chinese government sent its circus academy-trained acrobats to Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa to help develop native artists. The members of the Black Angels troupe were ten years old when they started training.
The Black Angels have toured the United States & the Bahamas with the Harlem Globtrotters. They've entertained the Saudi Royal Family and the President of the Russian Sakhan Republic, conquering the center ring in performance after performance throughout Africa, India, Europe and Canada before joining Circus Chimera
this year to bring our version of the beloved classic Alice In Wonderland to your town.
And what do they think of the States? "We love it here," says Saidi Jeffah. "Americans are the friendliest, most welcoming audiences we've ever performed for. We hope to be entertaining them for years to come."
And what do they like to do in their time off? Saidi laughs wickedly. "We ought to be doing our laundry or rehearsing or studying our language skills. But if there's a Wal-Mart in the town we're playing, we like to go there and brush up on the latest video games."
Circus Chimera tickets may be ordered by phone (1-888-663-7464) or online (www.circuschimera.com)