Nambi: celebration of womanhood

National Theatre over the weekend played host to Batalo East Foundation’s 2023 dance offering. From the way the theatre foyer was designed, the grass thatch, the imaginery African mediaval, it was clear it was more than a dance show.

Nambi, the African Sheildmaiden, is a show inspired by African strong women leaders and others simply inspirational. The dance production seems to use their influence to celebrate all women regardless of their position in the society.

Some parts celebrate leadership while other parts of the show celebrate humanity such as motherhood.

But none of these is actually spoken, which makes Lillian Nabaggala, the show director’s vision, a wild one. Most dance shows tend to use the aid of spoken word, mixed media such as video or graphics to get their message across.

Not Nambi, the production entirely depends on movement to tackle hard topics, excite and get its audience emotional at the same time.

Starring performers Lilian Maximilian Nabaggala, Rachael Nakato, Sarah Natabi, Haula Namboze, and Shanta Nakawesa, the five women deliver a breathtaking dance routine that mixes a bit of Uganda’s ethno traditional moves with bits of street, Nabaggala’s forte that umbrellas a number of hip hop moves such as house and breakdancing.

Nambi the African Shieldmaiden, is a full length dance production that celebrates an everyday woman, who Nabaggala refers to as a queen without a crown.

She says this could be an everyday woman in the community, the kind that has a lot of power that her word on many issues is final.

The imagery of this crown was evident in the one hour performance, gestured at the different levels of the performance.

Draped in heavy white and red clothing, similar to those worn by nuns , the show opened with a synchronised routine featuring all the five performers.

Dancing to sounds chosen and produced for the show, they were neither electronic nor contemporary African, they were in a middle ground.

Once in a while, they took turns to perform solos and it’s at the time that the best of them shone the most. It’s the solos that got most of them in their comfort zones.

For a show celebrating women, the performers also had a daunting task of addressing a few stereo types - women are always fighting eachother. Yes, there were a few battles on stage.

But at the end of it all, Nambi is a production that wrapped perfection around itself from choreography, stage design by Sheila Nakitende and sound and lighting by ATS.

The production made you feel something and for at least one hour, they danced, locked, battled on rock, EDM and bits of Latina, yet not in any of the transitions did they lose the attention of their audience.