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The people who have brought the Villalobos Brothers, the Reduced Shakespeare Company and Julian Sands to the WSU campus are starting off the spring series of performers with the very high-energy show, Cirque Zuma Zuma.

The African-style, Cirque du Soleil-esque group was founded by acrobatic circus and street performer John Jacob. After traveling the world, he returned to Africa to audition talented youngsters from 16 African nations and founded a training school and circus, according to the Cirque Zuma Zuma website.

The WSU Performing Arts program is responsible for bringing Cirque Zuma Zuma to campus. Gail Siegel, director of WSU Performing Arts, believes bringing theatrical performances with cultural and educational aspects is important.

“This particular event has the best of both worlds because it’s high-energy entertainment,” Siegel said, “which is good for this time of year, and it also has an educational component.”

More than 100 people make up the family that is Cirque Zuma Zuma. Because the group of individuals is so diverse, the performances are able to deliver diversity as well, bringing various African cultures together.

While the styles and cultures behind each act vary, the spectrum of talents the individual performers have is just as broad. Some performers specialize in several different styles of dance, including limbo dancing and African Lion dance, while others perform traditional music through singing or percussion. Other performers are contortionists, perform pole acts or specialize in acrobatics.

This broad range of talent is one of the things that intrigues Siegel the most about this performance, she said.

“I think exposure to cultures that people otherwise would not be able to experience while here in Pullman is really important for not just students, but the Palouse community at large,” she said.

Cirque Zuma Zuma will perform at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in Jones Theatre at Daggy Hall. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $9 for non-WSU students and youth and free for WSU students with student ID.

“I think one of the ways we can learn about each other is through experiencing each other’s cultures through music and the arts,” Siegel said. “Music and the arts are something all cultures have in common, but they differentiate the cultures. Experiencing these cultures brings us all together.”