Dance to the Beat – Maldivian Style

Experience the beautiful island nation’s culture with Bodu Beru

Every night Veligandu has special entertainment for guests to unwind to after a day in the sun and what better way to spice up a Friday night than to dance to the beat of Maldivian drums.

The Bodu Beru drum performance is an occasion our guests love to participate in, they get to dance to the beat of the Maldivian drums, experience and appreciate the beautiful island nation’s culture.

Bodu Beru is the most popular folk music and dance in the country which produces a beat that had been appealing to people over the world and you can experience firsthand at Veligandu.

Bodu Beru is performed by about 20 people, including three drummers and a lead singer. The drummers are supplemented by a small bell, a set of drums and a small piece of bamboo with horizontal grooves, from which raspy sounds are produced by scraping. The songs may be of heroism, romance or satire. The prelude to the song is a slow beat with emphasis on drumming, and dancing. As the song reaches a crescendo, one or two dancers maintain the wild beat with their frantic movements ending in some cases in a trance.

The performing of the music is often referred as “vibrating the island”. As the rhythm picks up and the beat gets faster dancers come out to select audience to join. Guests can also participate through clapping their hands, gleefully singing or dancing together.