KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan dancer and musician Ritah Dancehall has opened up about her decision to stop performing as Sheebah Karungi’s queen dancer, saying the move was part of a deliberate effort to establish herself as a recording artist.
Ritah said Sheebah advised her to step away from her role as a dancer after she launched her own music career, arguing that continuing to dance alongside her could make it difficult for audiences to recognise Ritah primarily as a musician.
Speaking in a candid interview, Ritah said the decision was emotionally difficult because her relationship with Sheebah had been built around a shared passion for dance.
“I’m no longer Queen Sheebah’s dancer because she asked me to stop after I kicked off my singing career.”
According to Ritah, Sheebah told her that audiences needed to begin seeing her as an independent artist rather than continuing to associate her mainly with dancing.
“She told me that people now have to see me as a serious musician. If I continued dancing for her, it would confuse fans about where I belong—whether I’m a dancer or a musician,” Ritah said.
She said Sheebah encouraged her to focus on what could become a bigger career beyond dancing.
“She showed me that we had to stop that and chase the bigger goal. It hurt me and made me cry,” she added.
Ritah revealed that separating her musical ambitions from her work as Sheebah’s dancer was difficult enough that she briefly considered abandoning her plans to become a singer.
She said she struggled with the idea of watching Sheebah perform without joining her on stage.
“I reached a moment and told her whether I should quit my singing plans because I found it hard not to dance by her side whenever she performed,” Ritah said.
However, she said Sheebah encouraged her to persevere with music and give herself an opportunity to establish an independent identity.
“But she insisted and asked me to give it a try. Painfully, I had to stop being her dancer,” she said.
Ritah added that Sheebah currently performs without a dancer.
“She works alone,” she said.
Sheebah continues to support Ritah
Despite ending their professional dancer-performer arrangement, Ritah said her relationship with Sheebah remains positive and supportive.
She said Sheebah has continued to give her opportunities to showcase her music by allowing her to perform as an opening act at her shows.
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Ritah acknowledged that she has not yet secured many bookings of her own but said Sheebah has helped her gain exposure while also providing some financial support.
“I don’t have many bookings yet, but every show she performs at, she gives me a chance to curtain-raise for her before she performs, and on top of that, she pays me some little money,” she said.
The arrangement has allowed Ritah to remain connected to the performer who helped shape her dancing career while working towards establishing herself independently in Uganda’s music industry.
From queen dancer to solo artist
Ritah’s decision reflects the challenge faced by performers who transition from supporting roles into solo careers.
For years, her identity as a dancer was closely associated with Sheebah’s performances. Her current focus is now on developing her own musical identity while retaining dance as part of her artistic expression.
Rather than completely abandoning dance, Ritah says she intends to continue pursuing the discipline while building her profile as a musician.
Her next challenge will be turning the exposure and support she has received into sustained bookings and recognition as an artist in her own right.
