Colourful and brash, bursting with infectious rhythms and bright colours, Sandunga is a dance troop in full swing and yet constantly evolving. Founded in 1999, it underwent a formative ‘roots’ period before passing through a traditional Cuban music phase. What you see now is Sandunga’s ‘Gangst’Afro – Latin Groove & Moove.’

The troupe was created by Dominique Violet, who grew up in the Ardèche region of France listening to his dad’s Santana and jazz LPs. He started playing the drums at 11 years old, inspired by the Djembé movement hitting France in the 1980s and junked economic sciences at Montpelier for music school at Salon in Provence. Extra-curricular activities included joining the theatre troupe the ‘Sardines Grillées.’ In 1999, Domi was asked if he could organise a small troupe to play a one-off date and he formed Sandunga for the occasion. Hit by a subsequent deluge of requests to play various carnivals, they decided to continue.

Sandunga’s direction has always been steered by the group of people involved and the 2005 performance in Aurillac consolidated the current line-up. Funk and groove are still common points for all the performers involved, but most of the musicians have their own preferences for African, Brazilian or Cuban music and regularly head-off in exotic directions to take music lessons from local teachers. This is, perhaps, the authentic ingredient which keeps Sandunga so innovative.