Dance encyclopedia

Xibelani dance

Traditional dance performed by the Tsonga people in northern South Africa.

Xibelani dance
Image: Maxakadzi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About Xibelani dance

The xibelani dance (Shibelani, Shibelana, Shibelane) is an indigenous dance of the Tsonga women from Mpumalanga and Limpopo located in South Africa. The name of the dance comes from the native Xitsonga language and it can translate to "hitting to the rhythm", for example, the concept "xi Bela ni vunanga". The name "xibelani" typically refers to the dance style while the skirt itself is referred to as "tinguvu", however, the term "xibelani" is sometimes used to refer to both the dance and the skirt.

From the Wikipedia article “Xibelani dance”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.