Joropo started on the cattle ranches of Los Llanos hundreds of years ago. Cowboys would play after a hard day's riding, around an open fire, with whatever instruments they had. Over time the style spread to towns and cities, and now it is heard at festivals all over Venezuela.
The harp is the star instrument. A Venezuelan joropo harp has 32 or 33 nylon strings, and a skilled harpist can play it incredibly fast - both hands flying across the strings. The harpist plays a long melody with one hand while the other hand keeps a rhythm low down.
The cuatro is named that because it has four strings ('cuatro' is Spanish for 'four'). It is small enough to carry on horseback. The player strums fast complicated patterns that drive the dance forward. Maracas - hollow gourds filled with seeds - keep the beat.
Joropo dancers move in pairs, with the man stomping his heels on the ground in a quick complicated pattern, and the woman gliding and spinning around him. The dance is full of energy. Many Venezuelan children learn it at school, especially around Tradition Day in late January.