Dancing, dancing and more dancing!

If you ever find yourself in Kampala, the first thing you must do is head to the Ndere Cultural Centre.  At least, this is what we did on the first night we arrived – along with 60 of our closest foreigner friends from Australian, England, Denmark, United States, etc.  The Ndere Cultural Centre is located just outside the city and is home to the amazing Ndere Troupe, a traditional Ugandan dance/theatre group that performs songs and dances from all over the country.  We entered the outdoor amphitheater, ordered a couple of local beers (Nile Special!), and settled in for a spectacular evening. 

My, those wooden drums look heavy.

And, my, oh my, was it fascinating! The most amazing moments included (1) a drum dance in which the men pounded on heavy drums carved out of wood while carrying them on their heads and (2) the Acholi pot dance.  The Acholi pot dance is a traditional Northern Ugandan dance that starts with a lot of hip shaking and coordinated dance moves.  Then the dancers take it up a notch by placing a clay pot on their heads while continuing to shake their hips and wiggle around the dance floor.  They start with only one pot and keep adding them until they have five, six – no, seven! eight! clay pots balanced on their heads.  This dance is a strong testament to the control that these women have over their posture and torso as they continue to shake their hips.

These women have incredible balance.

The Ndere Troupe is made up of talented boys and girls from all over Uganda who learn and perform traditional music and dance in order to pay for their schooling.  As the maestro told us, every single person on stage is committed to not only a strenuous performance schedule but taking university level classes as well.  I can get behind this. 

If you want to see the dancers in action, here’s a video of the Acholi pot dance for your viewing pleasure.