The ecstasy of Eskista, an ancient Ethiopian dance

By mastering the Eskista, an ancient Ethiopian dance, TED Fellow Melaku Belay survived a childhood on the streets and became a voice for his country. He shares how traditional dances can connect the wisdom of the past to the energy of the future — and, after the talk, delivers a thrilling performance of Eskista accompanied by a free-jazz ensemble. (In Amharic with consecutive English translation by filmmaker Mehret Mandefro)Read transcript

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED’s editors chose to feature it for you.

Donate to Fendika Cultural Center to support indigenous Ethiopian performance arts and artists.

Participate

Support music and dance making at Fendika Cultural Center by subscribing to Fendika’s YouTube channel and watching weekly live-streamed concerts.

Subscribe

About the speaker

Melaku Belay

Choreographer, dancerSee speaker profile

TED Fellow Melaku Belay is a choreographer and dancer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *