Conclusion

Abstract

Having spent a lifetime choreographing and performing many genres of ethno-identity dances— dances that are specifically prepared for presentation and representation—I have passed the last part of that time contemplating the multiple meanings of these dances, which were so compelling to me and thousands of others. This volume has focused on the motives that impel individuals to perform, create and view ethno-identity dances. As I have attempted to demonstrate, people have multiple, sometimes conflicting, reasons and motives for performing these dances. Individuals dance for fun, for profit, to create identities, to preserve cultures, because it is sexy, because the aesthetic components of the dance are compelling and alluring, because the contexts in which we can participate and view ethno-identity dances are inviting and exciting.