Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Circle of Life

Disney cited Shakespeare’s Hamlet and biblical stories as the inspiration for 1994’s The Lion King. But ancient African oral traditions have long told of another “Lion King” — Sundiata Keita, the fearless founder of the Mali empire. It’s the latter tale — also one of a king’s son and his courageous rise to the throne — that is celebrated by Burlington’s Jeh Kulu Dance and Drum Theater this week. As the prelude to the West African Dance and Drum Festival, running November 1 through 4, the troupe’s brand-new ballet sums up the epic account of fate and destiny through pounding percussion and joyous movement.