Riel Dance Tradition

The riel is among the oldest dance forms in southern Africa, with roots in Khoisan and later farmworker communities of the Northern Cape and Karoo. It is danced in dust, usually barefoot or in veldskoene, with the men courting and the women responding, and the movement imitates animals - the strutting of birds, the stamping of buck - accompanied by guitar, concertina, singing and clapping. It nearly disappeared through the twentieth century as the communities that carried it were displaced and impoverished. A revival from around 2006, driven by school teams and an annual national championship, brought it back: children in farm schools across the Karoo now train in it, teams travel to compete, and dancers who learned it from grandparents teach it formally. Watching it live means going to a competition or a community event rather than a scheduled tourist performance.

What's there

• The dust dancing - barefoot or veldskoen dancing on bare ground, by design.
• The animal movement - steps imitating birds and buck within a courtship form.
• The near loss - a tradition that almost vanished with the communities that held it.
• The school revival - farm-school teams and a national championship since around 2006.

When to go

The competition season falls in winter, with dates announced annually. An hour to watch.

What to expect

There is no permanent venue - you go to a competition or a community event, and dates need checking. It is not staged for tourists, which is the appeal and also means no schedule to rely on. Venues are in small Karoo towns far apart.

Nearby

Williston, Kenhardt and the Cederberg villages are the tradition's home ground.