01
Stage Dance Crew & Stage Choreographer of the Year
Honoring the finest live-stage ensemble and the choreographer who commands it — precision, synchronization, and theatrical storytelling.
✦Nominations Open for 2026
Celebrating the Soul & Rhythm of Ethiopian Movement
Dankira Dance Award (ዳንኪራ የዳንስ አዋርድ) is the first-ever Ethiopian platform dedicated to honoring dance, dancers, and choreographers — from ancestral Eskista virtuosity to viral TikTok movement and the silver screen.
6
Total Auditions Received
Web & Telegram combined
4
Telegram Bot Submissions
Conversational onboarding
3
Shortlisted Finalists
Broadcast to channel
1,726
Public Fan Votes Cast
Worldwide community
Dance Heritage Preservation
Preserving and archiving regional shoulder isolations from Gondar, Gojjam, Wollo, and Shoa alongside Gurage, Tigray, and Oromo movement canons.
Modern Choreography & Fusion
Championing young choreographers fusing urban Afrobeats, hip-hop breakdance, and neoclassical contemporary dance with indigenous beats.
Direct Telegram Broadcast Sync
Every approved candidate is automatically formatted and published via bot to the official Telegram Channel for instant national voting and viral reach.
Seven Disciplines · One National Stage
The 7 Dankira Award Categories
From live stage crews to TikTok creators, film choreographers to lifetime icons — explore every discipline in the Dankira Dance Award.
02
Video Dancer & Choreographer of the Year
Celebrating the dancer and choreographer whose filmed performances define the year — creative direction, editing, and screen presence.
03
TikTok Dancer of the Year
The viral dance talent of TikTok — originality, challenge creation, and the ability to move a generation in seconds.
04
Theatre or Film Dancer & Choreographer of the Year
Dancers and choreographers who carried Ethiopian movement onto the theatre stage and the silver screen.
05
Dancer-Musician of the Year — Video & Choreography
Dancer-musicians who sing and move as one — musicality, rhythm, and performance charisma across video and choreography.
06
Lifetime Achievement in Dance
A lifetime of devotion to Ethiopian dance — honoring an icon whose legacy shaped generations of movers.
07
Dance Trainer / Coach of the Year — 5 Years Impact
The coach who, across five years or more, nurtured a generation of dancers — impact measured in the artists they raised.
Official Shortlist Gallery
Shortlisted Performers & Choreographers
Browse approved audition entries registered via our Web Portal and Telegram Bot.
Telegram Bot
YouTube
Theatre or Film Dancer & Choreographer of the YearHawassa
Mahlet Tsegaye
Style: Contemporary Cultural Fusion
"Bridging modern contemporary floorwork with Southern Ethiopian Wolayta dance and Shewa shoulder accents. Movement is my visual poetry."
1,420·389 votes
TikTok Audition ClipWatch on mobile or modal
Web Portal
TikTok
Video Dancer & Choreographer of the YearAddis Ababa (Bole)
Yared Dance Crew (Lead: Natnael Girma)
Style: Afrobeats & Street Choreography
"An 8-member youth squad uniting high-energy Afrobeats with rapid Eskista chest pops. We represent the modern beat of Addis Ababa youth culture."
2,430·615 votes
Telegram Bot
YouTube
Stage Dance Crew & Stage Choreographer of the YearGondar
Kalkidan Bekele
Style: Eskista - Gondar Style
"Trained from age seven in Gondar royal shoulder movements. My mission is to honor our ancestral war dances and prove that Eskista has the most intricate micro-isolations in world dance."
1,890·482 votes