Beta Dance Troupe beta is an Amharic word meaning house presents a unique program of traditional Ethiopian Jewish dance mainly “eskesta” – shoulder dancing – an Ethiopian traditional dance and original contemporary dance based on the culture of Ethiopian Jewry. Dr. Ruth Eshel and dancers went on a joint trip to uncover their communitys treasure of dancemovements, by focusing on their natural language of motion, imagery and history. Beta was established in 2005 by Dr. Ruth Eshel who ten years earlier created the Eskesta Dance Theater – composed of students of Ethiopian origin studying at the university of Haifa. The group is composed of 810 dancers living in the Haifa vicinity. Beyond its artistic goals, Beta has a strong commitment to Neve Yoseph, a large, underprivileged community near Haifa populated by Jews from the Diaspora, with a sizable number of new and old immigrants of Ethiopian descent. Beta has established its home and school in Neve Yosef and is fostering young Ethiopian talent.

Telephone: 972-4-8550738
Website: http://www.beta-eskesta.com/