Colombians prepare to celebrate important regional folkloric music and dance in the 44th International Joropo Tournament.
Joropo is a musical style with African and European roots that resembles the waltz. It is accompanied by dance, traditionally performed by inhabitants of the Colombia and Venezuela plains, starting in the late 1800s.
One of the biggest events of the tournament, the Joropodromo, an open air dance performance, will bring together 2,700 joropo dancers from both Colombia and Venezuela. Dancers are divided into three categories – children, youth, adults, and professional – and have the opportunity to win one of three monetary awards.
Other events such as art expositions, artisan work and a gastronomic festival will also be included in the weeklong celebration. The tournament will take place from June 27 until July 2 in Villavicencio, the capital of the Meta department, in central Colombia.