Yé ! | Water! - Circus Baobab in Abu Dhabi

The African circus is a captivating fusion of contemporary performance and age-old ritual dances. Acrobats perform hand-to-hand lifts, symbolic pyramids, and animal-inspired contortions while integrating traditional drumming and masked dances.

This unique form of art carries a profound dialogue with the past, incorporating history, heritage, and modern expressions to create a new and evolving poetry of movement. Yé! uses the African circus to highlight pressing environmental concerns, calling for collective action to preserve the world for future generations.

The project began in 2021 when Damien Droin and Yann Ecauvre worked with Bakala Camara of Circus Baobab in Conakry, Guinea. Their creative exchanges led to a performance that explores water, environmental change, and human responsibility in a modern world. The result is an evocative stage piece blending ancient traditions with contemporary environmental themes.

Through acrobatics and dance, Yé! invites the audience on a journey to explore environmental challenges, questioning reality, and reflecting on the changing world. The performers bring to life the environmental crises we face, questioning reality and our place in the changing world.

As acrobats and dancers are lifted high, they represent humanity’s defiance against nature's forces, portraying resilience and unity in the face of overwhelming odds.

The performers’ acrobatic feats represent humanity’s defiance against nature’s forces, symbolizing resilience and unity. They are lifted and flung across the stage, reaching heights of over twenty feet.