Every day at the Northwest Washington Fair, Riziki Mikongo fashions a tower from chairs. He climbs atop each new addition until the stack is high enough to resemble a game of Jenga — and then, perched atop this tower, he does a handstand.
The nail-biting display is enough to spark wonder and anxiety in equal measure. But spectators needn’t worry: Mikongo has everything under control.
“I want the audience to know when I’m up onstage … they just have to enjoy the show and not to worry,” he said. “Everything I’m doing is already practiced and rehearsed for years.”
Mikongo is a part of the Zuzu Acrobats team, an elite group of Tanzanian performers specializing in circus-style acrobatics. He’s been practicing this particular act for six years and has only fallen twice (albeit early in his training). Future falls aren’t likely — but even if something were to go wrong, his fellow acrobats would spot him.
The troupe learned their craft at the Baba Watoto School for Performing Arts, a performing arts academy near Dar es Salam specializing in East African-style acrobatics. Mikongo was recruited for the school after performing acrobatics in the streets of Tanzania.
According to Zuzu Acrobats’ website, this style of acrobatics is rooted in more than 2,000 years of history. It incorporates everything from Mikongo’s chair balancing to plate spinning, contortion, juggling and — the troupe’s specialty — a human pyramid. Their training regimen is intense, with acrobats often practicing for three hours on nights when they don’t perform.
A performer nicknamed Secky is the group’s choreographer, and Zuzu Acrobat’s booking agent, Stephan Huller, has known him for about six years. Huller said Tanzanian acrobats have performed at the Northwest Washington Fair for nearly a decade, but in 2020, Secky was the one to recommend this particular group come to America and perform.
The performers take their craft seriously: Mikongo said acrobatics are used in Tanzanian culture to “express how strong you are, how you can handle stuff, how you can beat your fear.” While this is his first year with the troupe at the Northwest Washington Fair, he’s been performing in the States with Secky’s troupe since 2020.
Outside of state fairs, the Zuzu Acrobats perform at schools, halftime shows and theaters across North America. Mikongo enjoys the opportunity to share their culture and describes American audiences as “very appreciative,” with spectators often lingering after the show to ask questions and chat with performers.
The Zuzu Acrobats perform twice daily in Lynden until the fair closes — once the tents go down on Saturday, Aug. 17, they’re off to Palmer to perform at the Alaska State Fair. Mikongo said sharing this craft onstage feels “amazing.”
“We’ve been together for more than 10 years,” Mikongo said of his troupe. “So we are like family now.
Zuzu Acrobatics perform at 3:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily at the Northwest Washington Fair’s Banner Bank Festival Stage. Info: nwwafair.com.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
