Our Evening at Ndere Cultural Center

We had a free evening after returning from Chobe and Gulu so decided to take Megan to an evening of African dancing and music at the Ndere Cultural Center.  It was one of the best things we have done here... fantastic entertainment, equal to a BYU dance performance.  The costumes were great and the Master of Ceremony was very funny.  The women were beautiful and could really "shake their booty;" the men were fantastic entertainers as well. The dances and music were from different areas of Eastern Africa.

All the dances were to music created by drums and a musical instruments they called guitars, but they looked more like harps.  The dancers moved fast and the dances were very energetic. 

The women dance in a way that resembles the hula but their hips move much faster and the whole dance is fast and energetic.  They have a feather type girdle around their hips that accents the fast hip movement.

Can you see how beautiful the Ugandan women are?  Their smiles are beautiful.  

 

The men beat the drums as they entered the stage while balancing the drum on top of their heads.  They hit the top of the drum as well as the sides. 

These drums are hollowed out tree trunks and looked heavy.  

In this dance the girls shake their hips while balancing a clay pot on their head.  They start with one pot and dance a few minutes...then dance to the sideline and another pot is placed on their head.

Some of the dancers were able to get up to 8 pots balanced on their head while dancing.

 

The entire show was performed outside and a buffet was available for an additional price if you wanted to dine while watching the show.  We passed as it is all Ugandan food -- steamed bananas, rice, beans, fruit, and goat meat.  We have not yet acquired a taste for Ugandan food...but we still have time.