Learning Dance In Uganda - The Embaga Dance of Buganda
Embaga was created during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga II (circa 1887). He used to enjoy music and dance from Busoga, and so invited artists from there to his palace. This inspired palace artists from Buganda to create a new dance called embaga.
Today embaga is performed for weddings, and through dance and song newly wedded couples are advised about marriage: about sex, raising children, cooking, house- keeping, etc. A typical performance will consist both of choreographed dances for eight or more dancers, and free-form sections. Underpinning all the dance styles is a fast-shaking hip movement, which is emphasised by a cleverly designed costume.
Albert Ssempeke told us that the dance used to be called ngoma by'ebisoko, which means "drum with many variations", and today the dance is constantly evolving. Each group will add newly created variations to their choreographies, often by first creating a drum variation, and then finding a new movement to go with it. Also, the dance allows individuals to express their own personality whilst maintaining the basic hip movement.
During my first three weeks I trained intensively with Betty Namata and her husband James Ssewakiryanga, the leaders of the popular Tebifanana Abifuna group.
I quickly learnt the group's choreography, but it was clear that the movements would take much longer to internalise and master. At first I wasn't able to shake my hips whilst keeping my upper body still and relaxed. However, after the first few performances, I began to get the feel of it, and by the end of the second week, I began to master this.
It also took time to get used to the complex music and recognise the drum variations that match each movement. In embaga the choreography is not fixed; instead it is up to the lead drummer to choose the next variation, and the dancers must listen carefully and follow.
In one lesson Ssewakiryanga really tested me by making me dance without any music at all to check if I had internalised the beat. At other times, I was asked to lead the dancing to check that I could correctly follow the drum language.
Tebifanana Abifuna is one of the busiest traditional groups in Kampala, and often the group will split up to cover several bookings at the same time. These will be a mixture of events: weddings, introductions (engagement parties), naming ceremonies, graduation parties, as well as large state functions.
In a typical performance, there will be around eight musicians, playing drums, xylophone and fiddles, as well as eight dancers. At a wedding, when the bride and groom are about to arrive, the dancers go to the entrance and greet them with a movement called nze saba katonda akumpe, which roughly means "we are happy they are coming so we can perform for them". The couple then sit at the head table, and embaga dancing begins.
Performances were great fun, and I learnt a lot from other dancers. They encouraged me by smiling and calling out webale nnyo! which means "thank you". They interact a lot with each other and with the audience. In one section of the dance, the dancers will go up to members of the audience to tease and show off their skill. They seemed confident and relaxed in their body, and their faces seemed to express calmness and pride. I began to copy their attitude, which the group praised me for.
During the fourth week, we travelled with Albert Ssempeke to Kidinda village, about two hours from Kampala, to meet some royal musicians who played a large akadinda xylophone in one of the royal music ensembles. The village is actually named after the group's instrument - the group was given the land by a previous Kabaka for growing food when they were not on duty in the palace. We were there to deliver royalties from Topic Records, who recently released a CD of royal music recorded by Andy's father, Peter Cooke.
I was lucky to meet Juliet Nagawa, the wife of one of the musicians, who was a dancer some fifty years ago in Kabaka Muteesa's palace. This was a time when palace music was flourishing - the royal traditions are only now starting to recover from years of turmoil in Uganda in the 1970's and 1980s.
I asked her to check my footwork and she told me I had learnt it well, but that I should remember not to raise my feet of the ground - footwork should be small and precise so as not to raise the dust when dancing for the Kabaka. It was great to meet her and I felt it put everything I had been learning in Buganda into perspective.