The dance of the eastern plains: fast zapateo footwork, swirling skirts and the music of harp, cuatro and maracas.
Joropo is the music and dance of the Llanos, the vast plains shared by Colombia and Venezuela. The llanero harp, the four-stringed cuatro and maracas create a driving rhythm, and singers improvise verses about cattle, horses, rivers and love. Couples dance in close hold with rapid zapateo — tapping footwork — and quick turns, the woman’s full skirt spinning around her. Joropo is celebrated in festivals and contests across Meta, Casanare and Arauca, such as the Torneo Internacional del Joropo in Villavicencio. UNESCO has also recognised the plains’ cattle-work songs as heritage in need of safeguarding.
