Volkspele

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Volkspele is a South African folk dance tradition.

Directly translated, Volkspele means "folk games" and can be translated to folk dance. Folk dance was the brain child of South African, Dr. SH Pellisier who was visiting Sweden in 1912 with a friend to become more proficient in carpentry. After finishing their day's work they met with other young people in their respective country's national dress to practice their folk singing and dancing. The South Africans were the only one's left out as they did not have any traditional dances.

Back in South Africa, Pellisier translated four Swedish dances and taught them to pupils at the Afrikaans High School in Boshof where he was Deputy Headmaster. During a Sunday School picnic on the farm Vuisfontein near Boshof on 22 February 1914 they performed the dances for the first time. The picnic games became known as volkspele.

With the help of the Reddingsdaadbond, an organisation which was established to assist poor Afrikaners after the Anglo Boer War, groups called laers(groups) were established throughout the country.

Get togethers called saamtrekke are usually organised where all the groups get together to sing and do folk dance. The folk dancers also do displays and have courses on different levels, seniors - people out of school and juniors - learners in school, for either a weekend or longer. During the June school holidays there also courses for gr.5 - gr.7 pupils known as the Judith Pellissierweek (Named after the wife of Dr Pellissier), gr. 8-9 pupils known as the Vormings (Formative) week and for gr. 10- 12 pupils, known as The Pellisierweek. There are from time to time tours being organised going abroad or a folk dance group or two will tour with South African folk dancers in South Africa, doing displays at various towns. At these saamtrekke, displays, tours and courses the dress are as in the photos below, called volkspeledrag.

Tours has been conducted to Europe, The United States and Turkey, with groups from Italy, Germany, Belgium and others touring in South Africa.

The dress originated from the formal dress the pioneers or Voortrekkers worn. It is called national dress, as in the European countries, for all folk dancers in South Africa must use the same pattern, only the colors are different. And each group has their own colors for the ladies dresses and indigenous veld flowers embroidered on the men's waist coats.