All About Etighi Dance

According to Thomas Thomas, a popular columnist with Global Concord, an Uyo based community newspaper, “Etighi originated from Calabar Carnival organized yearly by the Cross River State government. The dance is a direct imitation of steps taken by a cripple with some colorful additions. During the carnival, those who are crippled (usually with one bad leg) are given a chance to parade. It is this special parade that provided a nucleus that metamorphosed into Etighi dance. This dance emanated immediately after the 2010 Calabar carnival.”

Although so many dance styles like Ekombi, Ebre and Abang have emanated from these two states, they have remained largely traditional dance styles with limited influence.  Observers of dance and cultural development in Nigeria can attest that the advent of western civilization in the two states equally shaped the emergence of reggae and highlife dance styles were great ambassadors from the region like Rex William, Peterside Otong, The Mandators, Christy Essien and Inyang Nta Henshaw projected the development of dance and music in that region, and its good to know that the region has successful provided the country with some wonderful celebrities like Kate Henshaw, Rita Dominic, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Moses Eskor, Ime bishop, Ini Edo, Spiderman, Yvonne Vixen, Eyo, and of course the Kukere master Iyanya who brought Etighi into the Limelight

Despite this seemingly impressive growth, Etighi is poised to dwarf all previous gains with its capacity to evolve a dance pattern that other Nigerian and indeed foreign artistes would eagerly try to imitate.

You are wondering about how to dance it , well Unlike the popular Calabar traditional Ekombi dance which involves the back, the waist and the hands, Etighi only involves the legs and the hips with a little bit of the hands. It is a dance style that sets the youth on fire while appealing equally to all ages.

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