Road To Identity: A Dance Analysis

Next, Absera plays six songs that she thinks would be best for this year dance once and asks the students to remember which one is there favorite. While Absera is playing the music the students are either on their phone or watching the screen. After playing each song once, she asks the students to come up to her one by one and tell her which song they favor the most. After everyone takes their own turn, the majority favored Hamsa Goma, Tembien, and Amanuel Girmay. Absera next explains that with this year theme will be “Road to Identity”. For the skit it’s going to highlight Tigray holidays. To display Tigray holidays, they will have three types of dances; Ashenda, regular guayla tigrigna, and awris. She mentions that the tigrigna portion of

From the beginning of January all the way until April, the ESA meeting consist of rehearsal for the show that they put on every year for the Ethiopian community and others. Each year there is a different theme and all the dances and skits are supposed to relate to it. This year theme is called Road to Identity. The skit is about a girl who has lived in America all her life and never fully embraced her background. She never wanted to speak her parents native language and would be embarrassed when they would speak it. However, on the day of her graduation party, her parents gift to her is a ticket back to Ethiopia all by herself. Her parents thought it would be the best time to go before leaving for college and truly forgetting her background. When she arrives in Ethiopia she is greeted by her uncle who she only has seen in pictures. In Ethiopia, she learns about the different holidays and cultures that Ethiopia has to offer while also learning more about her own roots. In the end, she begins to appreciate more of her Ethiopian Identity and her trip spent with her

To me, I believe that the ESA show that we have every year helps the younger kids in Ethiopian community learn more about where they come from. Especially with this year theme “Road to Identity” it will help kids learn more about the various parts of Ethiopia. More importantly, it helps unite Ethiopians all over Minnesota for one night.” Melat eloquently explains. It surprises me that she was only sophomore, yet, she spoke like someone who was a senior or even graduated. “Well for me, ESA impacts the Ethiopian community in various ways. We help by providing a Dr.Sirak scholarship which is open to seniors only with an Ethiopian background. The scholarship was created by doctor who became a chiropractor and he decided one of the best ways to give back to the community was by giving away scholarship. Another way it helps impact the Ethiopian community is during the ESA show we promote lots of Ethiopian business that many might not be familiar with so it also helps with Ethiopian business. I also agree with Melat says that it connects with Ethiopians all over Minnesota and help teach younger adolescents about Ethiopia.” Absera