260.EDO / Benin / Nigeria
EDO DANCE is a traditional dance from the Edo people from Nigeria and Benin, whose culture is rich in songs and dances. According to myths there are two hundred and one Edo dances, with some being thousands of years old. Some of the new ones have lost popularity very fast, but the old ones, which are indigenous to the culture, have survived in spite of the sweep of Western influence. A great number of them reflect the social and political experiences of the people, as they demonstrate their elegance and artistry. Some are religious, a few royal, and others social, each suited to its purpose. Ugho is the most danced Edo dance. It shows the temperament and the elegance of the Edo woman. The women take to the floor, while the men play the drums.
261.Efundula / Angola
EFUNDULA is the biggest party for girls at puberty and circumcision among the Lunda Tchokwe in Angola with a big drumming designated txissela. During this celebration the greater freedom between men and women becomes a main rule. The current dance evokes quite known prehistoric painting depicting women ritually dancing around a satyr, which represents the manifestation of the cult of fertility.
262.EGUNGUN / Nigeria / Benin / Togo
EGUNGUN is a unique cultural tradition practiced by the Yoruba of West Africa (Nigeria, Benin, Togo) and their descendants in the African diaspora, particularly in Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and the United States. It is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance, celebration, and blessings. Spirits constantly bless, protect, warn, and punish their earthly relatives depending on how they neglect or honor them. The appearance of Egungun in a community is invariably accompanied by pomp and pageantry, drumming and dancing, singing, and celebration. The ensuing festival goes on for several days and strengthens the bonds that unite families and communities with departed ancestors.
263.EKitaguriro / Uganda
EKITAGURIRO, also called COW DANCE, is a dance by the Banyankore people from Ankole land, in the western part of Uganda. It is an old dance performed by both men and women. They use it to tell stories, communicate vital cultural information, celebrate good harvest as well as fundamental life changes such as birth and marriage, but mostly to show appreciation of their cows. The dance depicts movements made by these beautiful long horned cattle and dancers sing to imitate the sounds made by the cows. The energetic stamping movements of men in this dance are similar to the walking movements of the cows, and the hands of women demonstrate their long beautiful horns. The dance is performed wearing traditional dancewear.
264.Electric Boogie / Global
ELECTRIC BOOGIE is a funk style of hip hop dance closely related to popping. It became the signature style of the dance group started in the 1970s, the Electric Boogaloos. It is characterised as a fluid leg-oriented style danced to funk music, utilising rolls of the hips, knees, legs, and head, which was later combined with popping. Characteristic moves are called: crazy legs, fresno, neck-o-flex, old man, twist-o-flex and walk-out.
265.Eleggua / Cuba
ELEGGUA is one of the Orisha dances. Eleggua is the trickster deity, a child, very playful one. Eleggua also exists in the form of a wise old man. He is omniscient, everywhere at once. Eleggua is one of the most powerful and important deities within the Yoruba pantheon, known as the god of roads and the god of fate. In the dance context, Eleggua is unique because he seemingly has “no rules”. The keys to Eleggua’s dance is the garabato he holds. The garabato is a weeding tool and one of Eleggua’s signature props.
266.El torito / Guatemala
EL TORITO is a folk dance from Guatemala with its origins in the 17th century. It is a dance that tells a story related to vaqueros (cowboys) fighting with a furious bull. This is a religious tradition that is celebrated in different provinces such as Chimaltenago. The dancers wear colorful costumes and masks decorated nicely with a variety of ornaments.
267. EMOTIONAL DANCE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / France
EMOTIONAL DANCE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is a dance performed by Dakota and Nadia on France Got Talent 2018. They performed a very emotional contact dance on the subject of domestic violence against women, to raise awareness about this subject and they left the whole audience in tears.
268.Entogoro / Uganda
ENTOGORO is danced by by the Batooro and Banyoro people of western Uganda. The dance takes its name from the pod rattles (locally known as “ebinyege”) that the boys tie on their legs to make different rhythms as they dance. The dance is both ceremonial and cultural and it is mainly performed by the youth from this tribe when it is time to choose their partners.
269.Erik Dalı / Turkey
ERIK DALI is a dance from Ankara, the Central Anatolia, usually performed at weddings.
270.Eskiska / Ethiopia
ESKISKA is a traditional Ethiopian dance, native to the Amhara region, performed by both men and women. The dance focuses on rolling the shoulder blades, bouncing the shoulders, and contracting the chest. It is one of the most complex traditional dance forms in Ethiopia due to its technical nature. Eskista is well known among the various tribes in central and northern Ethiopia. It is believed that the dance mimics the shaking of a snake’s tail.
271.Estonian Folk Dance / Estonia
ESTONIAN FOLK DANCE is considered to be collective, peaceful and dignified. There are no big leaps or fast and varied movements, and acrobatic elements are uncommon. It can be best characterised as a series of repeated motifs and simple patterns of movement. Repetitive motifs are actually characteristic of all Estonian folk art—they can be found in folk poems, ornamentation on belts, woodwork. Old Estonians thought that dancing had a powerful and magical influence on the surrounding world. Dance was an inseparable component of festivities. Estonian folk dance consists of simple steps in a circle or in a line. A lead dancer or a pair of lead dancers would show the others the direction of steps or the sequence to be followed. Typical Estonian folk dance is Labajalavalss.