Dance. Dance, Dance

It was dinner and a show last night at the Ndere Cultural Center. And we witnessed some spectacular dancing, accompanied by a wide array of traditional instruments.  There were many styles and shapes of drum, stringed instruments, and pipes.  The event took place in a large open air amphitheater with seating at tables.

Uganda is home to several different tribes, each with different styles of dress, dance, and instrument.  The very funny MC kept us laughing as one tribal tradition after another strutted their stuff on the multi level stage.

. There was a lot of hip wiggling, mostly by the women.  

But these gyrations made the dances at the UCU graduation look tame.  

There was a dance in which the girls escaped from the boys in great leaping runs.  There was a "hug" which looked more like wrestling.  

There were enormous drums held on the head to play.  

The dancers glistened with sweat as they jumped and turned. The songs were haunting. And it was easy to imagine these dances around a village fire.

.  It was hard to tear ourselves away long enough to serve ourselves at the barbecue buffet.  The final dance featured clay pots which had been sitting innocently at the back of the stage.  The girls piled one clay pot after another on their heads until each was balancing a tower as tall as the dancer.

  Not a single pot fell.  It was a late night but an unforgettable experience.