Mokhibo

Origin and history: Mokhibo is a traditional dance of the Basotho people of Lesotho, performed by women and girls. It is one of a cluster of core Basotho dances in which song and movement are central to social and ceremonial life, alongside the men's mokorotlo (performed for the chief at political gatherings), the energetic men's mohobelo, and girls' initiation dances.

Cultural and social context: Mokhibo is a communal, social and ceremonial expression rather than a rite reserved for a single occasion, and it showcases the grace and coordination of Basotho women within a strong choral tradition.

Character and feel: It is graceful, rhythmic and communal, the dancers moving in unison to the sound of the group's voices and clapping.

Technique and movement: Distinctively, Mokhibo is danced on the knees. The dancers kneel and let the body rise and fall while the shoulders and torso undulate and the hands sweep upward, so that the whole upper body ripples to the beat. A choir stands behind the kneeling dancers, driving the dance with singing and hand-clapping.

Music: Accompaniment is vocal and percussive — call-and-response Sesotho singing and clapping, within a wider Basotho musical culture that also includes the morupa (clay drum), the lesiba (a stringed wind instrument) and the thomo (a woman's musical bow).