Watching members of Latin Flavour Uganda Dance Company fuse Ugandan traditional music and dance with the popular Latin American Salsa at one of their monthly performances was testimony that these dance forms share a common African heritage.

During the performance titled Latin Goes Traditional, held at the National Theatre in Kampala, the dance company fused Latino and Ugandan traditional dance, music and rhythms much to the appreciation of the fans who paid Ush10,000 ($3.1) for the show.

The troupe received the loudest applause after performing their fusion of Salsa with the Ekitagururo dances performed by both the Banyankole and Bakiga communities of southwestern Uganda. The performance was Ekitagururo rhythms accompanied by the Fruko y sus Tesos’s classic Salsa hit El Preso (the Prisoner).

Latin Flavour Uganda chose to incorporate Ekitagururo with Salsa because it is characterised by energetic stomping of the feet and this blended well with the arm movements of the Salsa, a dance that originated from Cuba — where dancers shift their weight using their legs, and the upper body remains level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. Weight shifts cause the hips to move. Arm and shoulder movements are also incorporated.

The Cuban Casino style of Salsa dancing involves significant movement above the waist, with up-and-down shoulder movements and shifting of the ribcage. In the Salsa dance, the arms are used by the “lead” dancer to communicate or signal the “follower,” either in “open” or “closed” position.

Released by the famous Colombian salsa band Fruko y sus Tesos in 1998, El Preso, was a dance hit all over Latin America and tells the feelings of a prisoner awaiting death. The prisoner, who is serving a 30-year sentence, laments about living with pain alone in the cell and with no contact with the outside world.

Although the Spanish language lyrics of El Preso, one of Colombia’s most popular songs, are depressing, the audience enjoyed the fusion of the two cultures.

According to the dance company’s leader, Samuel Ibanda, Salsa and African music and dance share the same roots. “They both have an African heritage, and a Bantu connection and also have a lot of percussion, both very expressive, eliciting feelings of openness and togetherness.

Among the other performances was the Ekizino royal dance by the Bakiga people from southwestern Uganda that was fused with the popular social dance from the Dominican Republic called Bachata.

The Ekizino-Bachata performance was accompanied by Kikiga rhythms fused with the Spanish song Amar Sin Ser Amado (Love without being loved) by the Mexican pop star José Luis Rodríguez. Composed by Rafael Ferro and Roberto Livi, Amar Sin Ser Amado appears on the album Distancia (2005).

The Bakiga people come from Kigezi, a hilly region known for its cold weather. During the cold season, Ekizino is the warm-up dance. Men, who go out for farming early in the morning, must jump around for a while to get warm.

This Ekizino dance to specific Kikiga songs. While jumping, the arms are spread wide following the tune that is played. The women dance along as well, with a more elegant display of their arms.

Bachata dance

Bachata is associated with bachata music, which has been influenced by Cuban Bolero, the Merengue (also of Dominican Republic origin), Salsa and Cumbia.

Bachata is danced solo, in two-hand holds, open embrace and close embrace. In social parties and dances, the first three are quite common, while in night clubs, close embrace is the vogue.

Bachata music has four beats per measure. In Bachata dancing, the dancer takes three steps to four beats of music. As with Salsa, the timing is three steps and then a one-beat pause. The knees are flexed on the steps. Given its humble origins, the steps are flat footed. 

As to why they came up with this production, Ibanda said: “It has been my longtime wish to have a production like this on stage as we at Latin Flavour Uganda decided to partner with different artists, poets and business people, among others, to bring the show to even more people.”

The popularity of modern dance has been on the decline in the country. And Ibanda suggests that dance companies need to reach out to potential audiences.

“I think we need to reach out more to our fans so that they can reconnect with their past. When I was in school, music, dance and drama were highly regarded and people related to them. Everyone needs to connect with the arts for health, community development and nourishment of the mind, body and soul.”

Founded in 2007 by Ibanda, the company performs at the National Theatre every last Wednesday of the month. The performances feature Latin dances such as Salsa, tango, rhumba and samba. The company also offers lessons in Latin-styles dancing.