ABSTRACT

As anthropology expands its methodological and theoretical kit to embrace performative modes, dance and choreography have become both means and model for conducting urban ethnographic research. The roots of a dancing anthropology are quite deep, and Katherine Dunham’s pioneering work stands as an early example of performative scholarship. In this chapter, based on work in Kampala, Uganda, I discuss how a series of choreographic and collaborative experiments provided the foundation for an exploration of a rapidly changing urban milieu. Focused through and around Ugandan youth, the changing politics of the street are especially salient, as the Museveni government seeks to modernize Kampala. The changes at work in Kampala are fueled by those remarkably similar to other urban centers, such as San Francisco, where a technology-focused economy, rapid migration, and a growing youth population create similar pressures and opportunities. A dancing and choreographic lens highlights the ways specific bodies move through space, and the terrain across which they travel. Yet choreography is also full of intent and attempts intervention, not just response. What potentials are there for social change and commentary in embodied and performative engagements with the city?