Indians to showcase interesting cultural dance at Uganda international culture  tourism fair

By Watchdog reporter

Every now and then the Uganda International Culture Tourism Fair continues to get more interesting.

The three day fair which was opened up yesterday by Tourism Minister Godfrey Kiwanda at Uganda Museum has attracted thousands of revelers who swam in to experience the vast cultural activities all over Uganda.

The latest addition to the interesting activities taking place at Uganda Museum is the Indian cultural dance known as ‘Kalbelia’.

The Goodwill Tourism Ambassador of Uganda to India Renu Varun  together with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, the Indian High Commission and Rajasthan Association have brought in a team of 10 Indian tribe professional dancers direct from India and are ready to rock revelers tomorrow on Sunday 30th July which will be the closing day for the fest.

The Kalbeliaor Kalbeliyaor Karberia, as it is sometimes spelled is a dance form that is associated with a Rajasthani tribe of the same name. The dance form consists of swirling, graceful movements that make this dance a treat to behold. The movements associated with the Kalbelia also make it one of the most sensuous forms of folk dance in India. The Kalbelia dance is generally performed for any joyous celebration and is considered to be an integral part of the Kalbelia culture. Another unique aspect of the Kalbelia dance is that it is only performed by women while the men play the instruments and provide the music.

As previously mentioned, the Kalbelia dance is closely associated with the Kalbelia tribe of Rajasthan. The Kalbelia tribe follow Hindusim and are a nomadic tribe and are considered to be a fringe group in society. They prefer to live in paces just outside of villages and cities in makeshift camps called Deras. One of the most well known aspects of the Kalbelia tribe is their expertise as snake charmers and snake catchers. This connection to snakes can be seen in the Kalbelia dance as the costume, as well as the dance movements, resemble the movements made by serpents.