The music and culture of Ethiopia have been shaped by a myriad of influences, including its long history, diverse geography, and interactions with other cultures. Among the most captivating expressions of Ethiopian culture is Eskesta, a traditional dance with deep roots in the Amhara ethnic group.
Eskista performance
Origins and Meaning
Eskista (Amharic: እስክስታ) is a traditional Amhara cultural dance originated by the Amhara ethnic group in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian term “Eskesta” means “Dancing shoulders.” It is often practiced in the Northern parts of Ethiopia (Amhara group) where the indigenous tribes of Amhara, Wollo, Gondar etc. are still performing the dance of Eskesta.
The theme of Eskesta can be described as follows - expressing certain emotions and impressions from the life through a typical body movement dating back to an Ethiopian tribe (Amhara region), performing these mainly with their heads and shoulders. These significant movements are having a great impact on the Ethiopian indigenous society as a whole.
It also is said that this dance was invented because of the snakes. Ethiopian people were often observing the “dance”/movements of the snake, shaking in the same way their neck.
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Cultural Significance
Eskesta is a common sight at weddings, celebrations, and gatherings, serving as a vibrant expression of joy and communal bonding. Due to the widespread influence of the Amhara people, the dance is performed in almost every corner of the country and has gone viral internationally, becoming a global trend celebrated by diverse audiences. It is enjoyed by men, women, and children.
The dance Eskesta brings the dancer into a certain role of history and story-teller, who actually expresses and draws with his/her body the cultural traditions and life.
Eskesta performance
Like many traditional African dances, Eskesta is often accompanied by the practice of awarding money, known as shilimat (Amharic: ሽለማት), to the best dancer. Spectators typically stick the money onto the dancer's forehead as a sign of admiration and encouragement, adding a festive and interactive element to the performance.
Movements and Music
The dance is characterized by its rapid, rhythmic movements of the upper body, particularly the shoulders, but also the chest, head, and neck. Furthermore, other symbols and rituals that can be described are these connected with the costumes which each dancer wears.
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Eskesta is a dance performed both from men and women with their head, neck, chest and shoulders, shaking in specific ways; the music played during the dance is often produced with the traditional Ethiopian instruments like krar, flute, drums and mesenko. The dancers sometimes sing or in some places of the dance utilize the silence in order to stress out some prevailing moments of the dance.
Eskesta is typically performed to traditional Amhara music, but it is possible to incorporate the style of dance into modern forms of music such as the music played in modern Ethiopian music videos.
According to some analysis, the Ethiopian dances are not divided according to their function, but according to their uniqueness and individuality.
The motives and characteristics of the dance are often interchanged during the dance by the performers of the variety of war songs, hunting songs, Shepherd songs, love songs and work songs. The eskesta dance transmits ideas, religious beliefs, historical events, ancient stories, emotions, thoughts, through a ritual of shoulder dancing and body movements performed on a certain musical background.
Ethiopian Cultural Influences
Ethiopia is a widely diverse country with over 80 unique rich ethnic, cultural, custom and linguistic groups. One of the most significant areas in Ethiopian culture from which actually the other spheres developed further is the literature, representing Hebrew and Greek religious texts into the ancient Ge’ez, modern Amharic and Tigringa languages. This cultural heritage shaped some of the Ethiopian dance motives.
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The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has played a significant role in shaping Ethiopian music, with its rich liturgical music tradition. Ethiopia has a long history of interaction with the Arab world, and this has resulted in the influence of Arabic music on Ethiopian music. In recent decades, Western music has had a significant influence on Ethiopian music. This is evident in the use of Western instruments, such as the guitar and the keyboard, in Ethiopian music.
Eskista - Ethiopian Dancing
Interpretation ethics - while enjoying the Eskesta dance accompanied by the music one can truly start travelling back in the time. These music and dances are dating 3000 years back in the African history - so unique and undiscovered from us, the Europeans. Eskesta is very interesting to be observed - dancing in the beautiful Ethiopian nature, within the herds of animals making Eskesta an very expressive type of dance. Eskesta itself is providing positive emotions to the public and in the same time creating deeply spiritual atmosphere in which the observer cannot find his/herself easily.
Ethiopian dance is not something we, the Europeans can understand. Namely this cultural confusion serves as the one that hinders us exploring the dance fully.
