B A N T A B A  BALLET
        

The name "Bant-aba" is from an enormous tree, which is called Bentennie in the language of a tribe called Mandinka.

The tribe uses the word "Bant" which means tree and they use the word "aba" which means, "Where we meet". If you put them together you get Bant-aba (*the meetingplace under the tree)

From the earliest times of Africa a big tree was the foundation and the base around which the villages were constructed.

Because of the shadow that this tree gives, a meeting place was founded where the most senior people of the village would have a resting place where they exchanged ideas concerning social and environmental issues. They would organise big gatherings so that everybody would join them under the tree.

So all big events took place in the centre of the village such as marriage, choice of a king, celebrating the birth of a child and birthdays. Because of these gatherings new relationships flourished.

Also the end of the harvest season was celebrated there to praise and thank God for all His goodness and prosperity that He has given to the land and the people.

Still today in some traditional villages in Africa they use the tree as their parliament house to discuss and celebrate. Because everybody is welcome under the tree the parliament is a true democratic parliament.

SHOWBALLET BANTABA

Bantaba is the old African word used to represent the tree in the village centre under the shade of which the people gathered to soak and share of the ideas and experiences thus furthering understanding through touching lives. Nowadays it has taken on meaning of Open Congress.

So today a new community of young talented artists adopted the name "Bantaba" in an artistic context to share and exchange their culture with the rest of the world, through music, dance and singing. They provide the heat of Africa through the rhythm of the percussion and their joy of dancing.

The circle of life and the destiny of the world create a movement of people in which today the sense of our life is cultural exchange. Therefore a lot of the young talented artists of West Africa are in Europe to participate and contribute in culture in European society.

Motivated by the art and the quality of their talent, Lampfall Promotion & Productions established in 1996 the "Showballet Bantaba" for these artists to preserve and express their artistic talent. Today "Bantaba" consist of 30 professional and talented artists full with energy and surprises.

Bantaba Ballet performs with various artists from among the most promising African young artists enacting some of the shared stories with percussions, kora, belafone, song, dance and acrobatic.

The music and dance that "Bantaba" shows are from Senegal, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. Part of the artists work and live in thr Nederlands and others throughout Europe, America and Southern Africa.

Bantaba is inviting special guest artists and groups to participate in performances, festivals and other events.

BANTABA - C. V.

Ruigoord Church Art exhibition and performance 1997 were the first formative steps of Bantaba - Ballet.

Followed by performances at:

Amsterdam Trance Bodha 1997
Amsterdam Akhnaton 1997
Duesseldorf Picadilly 1997
Amsterdam Melkweg 1998 "Les Danses d'Afriqe"
Amsterdam High School of Arts 1997
Amsterdam Melkweg 1998
Egmond aan Zee Hotel Zuiderduin 1999
Amsterdam Krater Kunstzinnige Vorming Zuidoost 1999
Helmond Dance School Hellendoorn ?1999
Amsterdam Akhnaton 1999
Amsterdam Opening of the Academic Year 2000
Aula, University of Amsterdam
Belgium Heritage Awareness Club 2002
Amsterdam Theater de Cameleon 2003

Upstage right vocal

1microphone

Technical details of the stage:
Floor has to be smooth so the dancers can dance barefoot, preferably a ballet floor should be roled out. The size of the stage should be minimum 8m x 5m. Light and other technical details vary per project.