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Amakhosi: The Kings of Africa brings the spirit of cultural Africa to Downsview Park.

The show is a live authentic African performance that takes place in a big-top tent and tells the story of an African legend using traditional methods of storytelling that include song, dance and drumming.

Amakhosi thrills with its fast-paced action, dramatic dancing and heart-pumping sounds of the djembe drums.

The inspiration comes from producer and co-creator Thomas Wehrli, whose life work began with classical circuses in Africa. His love of African culture and his knowledge of circuses has served as the catalyst for this production.

However, the audience will not see the acrobatic acts in the Canadian performance. Instead, Wehrli brings to North America what he calls a more "raw" show. The show he's putting on here goes back to the basics of African storytelling.

And it works.

Amakhosi takes place in a round tent with the audience sitting around the stage at the same level as the performers. The cast ventures into the audience to look at members face-to-face.

In Africa, community matters, Wehrli explains, and main events are all handled in a boma - a circular area in the main part of town, much like a town square. And the boma is the heart of the village.

Amakhosi opens with several performers wearing larger-than-life animal masks and traveling into the audience. They come by and look you in the eye. They are checking you out. They are drawing you into the story.

This is followed by dancers visiting audience members. They sit beside you. They ask: "How are you, sister?"

However, it lets you know that you are not in attendance simply as a spectator; you are part of the story, too.

This may be unsettling to some who are accustomed to traditional North American performances, that is, where the cast remains on the stage and the audience is separate from the show.

There's even audience participation. Cast members select audience members to join them on stage and challenge them to try a few of the dance moves. To the untrained eye the steps appear simple. But once an audience member gives it a go the result becomes entertaining for cast and audience alike.

The cast of multi-talented artists helps express the primal rhythms and energy of Africa's culture through singing, dancing and drumming.

The costumes are not elaborate and do not represent Old World Africa, but are representative of various modern African cultures such as Zulu and Ndebele.

Overall, the performance is uplifting and you'll walk away clapping and singing, carrying the sounds and rhythms of Africa with you.

Two performances remain: Oct. 4 and 8. Tickets are $40 to $70 for adults and children's tickets are $20 to $50. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for both Saturday and Wednesday. Visit www.downsviewpark.ca or call 416-952-2222.

Downsview Park is at 1-35 Carl Hall Rd., near Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue.