Eskista (
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: እስክስታ) is a traditional
Ethiopian cultural
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
from the
Amhara ethnic group
performed by
men,
women, and
children
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
. It's known for its unique emphasis on intense shoulder movement which it shares with the shim-shim dance of the
Tigrinya people in neighboring
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
. The dance is characterized by rolling and bouncing the
shoulders, jilting the
chest, and thrusting the neck in various directions. Eskista is typically performed to traditional Ethiopian 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. The complex nature of Eskista dancing is what makes it arguably one of the most technical forms of
traditional dance.
There are at least 20 regional varieties of the Eskista, all of which have their own, old, history and unique origins, although most are based on the hard life of the average farmer in the
Ethiopian highlands.
References
African dances
Ethiopian culture
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