Ethiopian dance group success overseas
Beita troupe founded by Ethiopian immigrants who studied at Haifa University
The Ethiopian-Israeli dance troupe Beita returned to Israel following a successful tour of the United States and an appearance at a dance festival in Bogota, Colombia.
According to Ruth Eshel, the group's artistic director, the six-member troupe (the group name means "house" in Amharic) began dancing together as members of the Haifa University student dance troupe, Ekstesta and wanted to stay together when they graduated, both to continue dancing and to contribute to society.
"The group holds open rehearsals in community centers in Ethiopian neighborhoods, and has even begun construction of an Ethiopian dance school," she said. Eshel added that the group focuses on meshing tradition with modernity and renewal.
"This is the only Ethiopian group trying to create something out of nothing – artistic, modern Ethiopian dance with a feel of tradition."
On their recent tour, Beita performed in Florida as part of a celebration marking 100 years of the Jewish community there, as well as Philadelphia, before continuing on to Bogota, where they competed against groups from Switzerland, Germany, Russia and China, in one of Central America's biggest festivals.
