Abstract In Ethiopia, dance is an important aspect of intangible cultural heritage. Since 2010, dance shows in particular have become a popular form of entertainment and a significant tourist attraction in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Contemporary dance shows reflect a deep cultural heritage, encompassing decades of traditional dance forms, and serve to portray an image of the Ethiopian nation that is officially recognized and firmly established. This paper examines this popular form of expression and explores how dance has become a key component in the negotiation of national and ethnic identities over the last century and across three fundamentally different forms of governance in Ethiopia. It explores the role of dancers and the dancing body in the question of Ethiopian identity in a multicultural and multiethnic society, especially in the context of the recent civil war.
Kim Glück (Mon,) studied this question.