East Coast Premiere

For many, the banjo conjures images of towns in Alabama where, as the folk song goes, men serenade women named Susannah with banjos on their knees. When others think of the banjo, their minds go immediately to banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck. THROW DOWN YOUR HEART is the result of Béla Fleck’s curiosity about the origins of this beloved instrument.  

Directed by emerging auteur Sascha Paladino (who is also Fleck’s younger brother), THROW DOWN YOUR HEART is Fleck’s enthralling journey through Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Mali to uncover the roots of the instrument that is now regarded as quintessentially American.

A multiple Grammy-winner for jazz, bluegrass and classical recordings, Fleck suddenly finds himself a wide-eyed novice in nations where the instrument may be fundamentally the same, but the language and rhythm of the music are essentially different. Fleck encounters a dizzying array of musicians who vary in skill and prestige, from superstars like the Malian diva Oumou Sangare, to humble families that make and play their own makeshift banjo, to one who has mastered a 12-foot xylophone.

As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once remarked, “Music is the universal language of mankind,” which rings true for Fleck and his African counterparts. Although they might not find common words, their profound and spontaneous duets speak volumes about music's ability to connect people across superficial divides. THROW DOWN YOUR HEART is an enchanting and ecstatic celebration of music, and indeed makes you want to throw down your heart, get up and dance.

—Sky Sitney