Agwara (dance)
Dance of the Alur people of Uganda From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agwara[1] is a royal dance of the Alur people of Northern Uganda, performed in the presence of the king (Rwot).[2] It is performed by both women and men during social occasions. The dance is performed to drums, and uses linear and circular formations characterized by leg and waist twisting while wearing ankle bells to emphasize their footwork.[3][4][5] The dance is named after the sound of trumpets.[6] It should be noted that the dance evolved during the process of Alur people mixing and smearing mud on their houses.[7]
Performance
In the past, Agwara was performed at rituals organized by communities in order to worship or appease the gods, in order to ask for a good harvest before sowing, at the occasion of midsummer or midwinter festival, or just on the occasion of entering a new lunar phase or if there was need of rain. Additionally, there are two types of agwara, "Kwaya" or "Mbaka" which are danced for two days especially for clan competitions and "Selewa" which is ordinarily for thanksgiving.[8][9]
See also
References
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