Young Batwa Dancer, Uganda
Fujifilm X-H2, XF56mmF1.2 R WR, f1.6 @ 1/600 second, ISO 125

Think of Africa and invariably we think of lions and elephants. However, just as remarkable for me are the local populations and how they dance. Now, Africa is a big place and I don’t remember the Egyptians or Moroccans dancing so freely, but in the heart of Africa, in Uganda, we were treated several times to a fantastic ‘tourist dance’.

What I noticed about these performances is how much the dancers enjoyed themselves. Maybe they are just good actors, but I felt there was a genuine euphoria as they danced to the beat of their percussion instruments. It might have been a paid gig for them, but once they were into the performance, everything else was forgotten. It was their way of life.

This is a young Batwa enjoying the dance, mimicking his parents. In fact, I think he was doing a better job than his dad!

Living in a small village in Bwindi, the government has relocated his families so they don’t interfere with the mountain gorillas and the huge tourist boom that surrounds them. I don’t think the Batwa are particularly happy about the change, but the diminutive people are making the most of the tourism boom as well. Within their village, there were at least two competing dance troupes.

When we arrived for the performance, the troupe was dressed in what looked like ‘authentic’ dress. It probably wasn’t, but it was delightfully colourful  and appropriate. Everyone from a 90-year-old matriarch to this young boy was involved. Naturally I photographed an overview of the location and the troupe, but I found a moderate telephoto allowed me to concentrate on individual performers, their expressions and gestures. I’m using a 56mm f1.2 lens, the equivalent of an 85mm f1.4 lens on the full-frame format, and by shooting wide open, I was able to use differential focus to keep the subject sharp and the background suitably blurred.

It was late in the afternoon with no direct sunlight, but you can see how the soft skylight is lighting the dancer from above. I shot hundreds of photos of the dancing troupe, but it is this photo that I keep coming back to. It's not just a matter of camera technique and light, but the lucky timing to capture both the gesture and expression.

You can see more of my Uganda photos on my personal website - https://www.petereastway.com/portfolio/explorations/uganda?ct=2