One thing I did not know about Ethiopians prior to my trip, was their love of dance. I really enjoyed watching the traditional Ethiopian dances on the stage at the Yod Abyssinia Restaurant (that I went to 3 times I like the dancing so much!).
Ethiopian dancing is referred to as dancing from the shoulders. They can pop their shoulders better than any b-boy. I will hedge a guess and say break dancing has it's roots in Ethiopian culture.
Yod Abyssinia Restaurant hosts a full crowd every night. The crowds are there to see the performers demonstrate music and dance styles from the different ethnic groups within Ethiopia (Tigray, Gurage etc.). The highlight for me was always the Gurage women who spin their hair around at high speeds - that takes talent (and a really strong neck)!
As I spent time with the children in our programs, they would often dance using the cultural moves that have been passed down from generation to generation.
During one of our visits to Yod Abyssinia, a performer was kind enough to give me some one-on-one dance lessons. I was dismal. Due to my poor performance, I vow to return to Ethiopia so I can hone in on my shoulder moves.
Below is a collection of some of the dancing I saw - which was certainly a highlight of my trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment