They are the "riel" deal and ready to take on California. This group of teenagers, called Die Nuwe Graskoue Trappers, from the small town of Wupperthal in the Western Cape, will board a plane on Sunday to jet off to the World Championships of Performing Arts. There, they will bring to the stage one of the oldest dance forms in South Africa - the Nama riel dance.On Wednesday, during one of their last rehearsals on home soil, dust hung in the air as the group moved in unison.The shy bunch of youngsters, all wearing their trademark red-leather "velskoens", come alive when they start dancing.Walking around each other, they suddenly explode into tango-like poses, impromptu jigs, Gene Kelly-like leaps - and their feet move in a blur.mini_story_image_vleft1Eighteen-year-old Zarion Samson said: "It's a dance of happiness. So when we come together, there's always happiness among us as children."But a lack of funding almost scuppered the trip. Choreographer Floris Smith said their bill to travel to and enter the competition came to R1.5-million.They received R150, 000 from Wesgro, the Western Cape's trade and investment promotion agency, and the Afrikaans language and culture organisation the ATKV. The rest came from crowdfunding."It's amazing to be part of the South African team," said Smith. "They're all dancers, models, vocalists in their own forms, but this is the oldest traditional South African dance, and that makes it special. This is the first time ... it will hit the world stage," he said.But the dancers shrug off praise for their impressive moves. "It's just something we do every year at New Year's and other occasions," Samson said."As young kids we learnt from our parents by watching them when the whole family did it. You learn it from your mother and she learnt it from her mother," said Samson.The dance - which involves stomping and shuffling, mimicking the movements of the Khoi and San around the fire - has undergone a revival in recent years.Said Smith: "It was dying a slow death, and the ATKV started a project to revive it. They launched a competition in 2006 and they had six groups. Last year they had over 100 groups."A self-taught dancer, Smith was discovered at a party in Bloemfontein, in the Free State, when he was 18 and studying hotel management. Since then he has travelled the country learning different styles of dance and incorporating them into his group's routines.The dancers rehearse two to three times a week, travelling an hour each way to the Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, where Smith works.story_article_right1Samson said: "Wupperthal is just a small town with a sense of community. We don't know what it's like to leave ..."So when we leave it's a real honour to show people what we can do buiteland [abroad]. We are very excited. We are counting every day."For many of the youngsters, the dance is an escape from the harsh realities of life."There are young people falling pregnant and [abusing] alcohol. So this helps keep us out of that," said Samson.The championship, in its 18th year, is a gathering of contestants from 60 countries competing in dancing, singing, acting, modelling and musical performances. Winners of the different categories share the $130000 (about R1.6-million) scholarship money.Jobry Swart, 17, hopes to have the world at his feet some day."My dream is to get a scholarship over there for dance, to teach them how to riel. I think they will all enjoy it, because it's our oldest dance," he said.Will the Americans be able to keep up with them? "I don't think so. Those people have very slow feet," he joked.sub_head_start How not to dance 101 sub_head_endNo, I don't think I can dance. But the infectious moves of Die Nuwe Graskoue Trappers made me think that I could.The riel dance is a form of courtship and is traditionally performed around a fire. The dancers also mimic the movement of animals. For this demonstration, I, thankfully, had to do none of the above.I was intimidated by what I call the "advance shuffle" as the dancers rehearsed ahead of my debut.They clapped, slapped, leapt and bowed as they performed their intricate moves. I just watched on in awe.Their first reaction when they were asked to teach me the routine was laughter.Then disbelief. Their faces seemed to say: "Are you serious?"full_story_image_hleft2It was not encouraging.But with the patience of the group and the guidance of dancer Zarion Samson, I got the hang of trying to move my feet at lightning speed. At least that's what I thought. Instead I became a walking manual on how not to riel.Walking suddenly seemed like a chore as I was told to shuffle back and forth, which I thought I had nailed, until things sped up and I bowed out - leaving the real hard work to the professionals. In my mind I felt as if I could riel as well as the Trappers, except for my hot coal dance interpretation.They make it look so easy. corneliusj@timesmedia.co.za..