Sword dancing is a winter celebration practiced in the farming and coal-mining regions of northern England, where the annual visit of the local sword dancers to the village homes was thought to guarantee good luck for the year. Molly dance from Cambridgeshire. The founding National Association of Morris and Sword Dance Clubs, Morris Ring Film Archive - Public Online Content, North West Morris - Lancashire and Cheshire, Traffic Management Planning for Morris Processions, Plymouth Morris Mayflower Morris Muster Marine Ring Meeting Postponed from 2020, The Saddleworth Rushcart Ring Meeting - Postponed until 2021, Peterborough Morris Cathedral City Day Ring Meeting (Postponed from 2020). [4] They were banned under Oliver Cromwell, but revived when the monarchy was restored under Charles II. It is a dance of two halves performed to prescribed tunes, the first half containing standard longsword figures passing over or under single and double swords, followed by a brief pause, a song and a second half with a heys figure called The Reel and and … The first cup, presented to the tournament by Miss Jane Cowen in 1921, was pictured in the Illustrated Chronicle of 31 May 1921 (Figure 1). The dance is basically six or eight men in a circle, each holding the end of his neighbours sword. Longways and geometric sets appeared in Italy by the 15th century. The sword of the north east of England tends to be a double-handled flexible metal strip known as a rapper. [8] These teams generally maintain the traditions of their dances, such as traditional performances on Boxing Day or Plough Monday. The only crime a dumb action movie can commit is not being fun, and even The Scorpion King’s most vocal detractors can’t argue that the movie isn’t fun. From the complete … ‘There’s an annual event called Dancing England, which is a celebration of English folk dance traditions and has been revived recently, with … Dancing (10) Female Nudity (10) ... Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a worthy and noble knight, the champion of justice returns to England after the holy wars. All website content is copyright of The Morris Ring unless otherwise stated. The famous Stone Monkey sword dance side perform at the 5000 Morris Dancers Festival on Queen's Walk outside London's Southbank Centre. Sullivan's Sword is a mixed longsword dance team based in Nottingham- England: Sweet Rapper: No location details: highveld@lineone.net: Details to follow: Sweyn's Ey: Swansea: info@sweynsey.co.uk: The side was founded in Llanmadoc in 1966 and was originally known as the “Mighty Men of Madoc”. Tradition says the original Ghillie Callum was a Celtic prince who was a hero of mortal combat against one of MacBeth's Chiefs at the Battle of Dunsinane in 1054. This is a dance with a short sword and originated from North East England. [7], Unlike many traditional dances in England, which are mainly performed by revival teams, Long Sword dances are often still performed by their own village teams, such as Grenoside Sword Dancers,[1] the Goathland Plough Stots[6] and Flamborough Sword Dancers. The Long Sword dance is related to the rapper sword dance of Northumbria, but the character is fundamentally different as it uses rigid metal or wooden swords, rather than the flexible spring steel rappers used by its northern relation. The 18th-century French contredanse was at first based on English country dances and later evolved into independent varieties; by the 19th century it had spread to Germany and back to England. London: English Folk Dance and Song Society, 2012. No bells are worn. This website is not an extensive record of Redcar Sword Dancers’ dancing … Earsdon Sword Dance Song [ Roud 610; Ballad Index StoR154; trad.] We moved to Swansea in 1968. DERT 2021 may or may not be held on the 26th-28th of March. Although chiefly known for our revival of the Greatham dance and the associated mummers play, we perform Eston and California and other dances from the North East corner of Yorkshire.. > The Watersons > Songs > Earsdon Sword Dance Song. See also the list ofTraditional Morris Events. The Scorpion King is a dumb movie, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Related to the short sword ‘rapper’ dance but uses more rigid metal or wooden swords. The Longsword Dance The earliest written record of sword dancing in England - discovered so far - comes from Nicholas Blundell’s Diaries, written between 1702 and 1728. Rapper: History of the Miners' Sword Dance of North-East England Chris Metherell and Rhett Krause. [9], The International Sword Spectacular took place in Whitby, England in May 2004 and was held again in York in May 2008. The Sword Dance is the ancient dance of war of the Scottish Gael and is said to date back to King Malcolm Canmore (Shakespear’s MacBeth). The earliest record of sword dancing in Yorkshire dates back to 1789, although it is highly likely that it was practiced quite widely well Inspired by the British competitions, Dancing England Rapper Tournament, we brought the idea of a rapper competition to the U.S. for the first Dancing AMERICA Rapper Tournament in October 2010. [2] Cecil Sharp and other 20th Century folklorists formed that opinion that the dances originated from a religious or magical ceremony that was performed around Plough Monday to promote fertile soil:[3] later researchers have cast doubt on such findings. [1], Although Long Sword dances are found scattered all over Yorkshire, there are particular concentrations of dances in East Cleveland, the northern part of the North York Moors and around Sheffield. Although commonly referred to as 'Sword dancing, there are two distinct forms. Long Sword dance from Yorkshire and South Durham, danced with long, rigid metal or wooden swords for, usually, six or eight dancers. The traditional time of performance is Christmas and after, although, as with all the other dance forms, nowadays many teams may be seen throughout the year at festivals, fetes and concerts. Phil Heaton, with contributions from John Asher, Rhett Krause, David Lecisam, and Ian Craigs. 2 x DVD. The Royal Earsdon Team with Jimmy McKay on fiddle performed the Earsdon Sword Dance on the 1955 Columbia Records anthology, The Columbia World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Volume III: England. They perform circling and intertwining “figures” without breaking the circle or letting go the swords, except at the climax of the dance when the swords are interlocked to form the “lock” which is then held aloft. Index. Characteristically, one or more dancers execute precise, complicated steps over and between the swords. 59 talking about this. There are other traditional teams at Grenoside and Goathland, and many revival teams. Competitions have always been a part of rapper sword dancing tradition, as Vince explains more for us. The Watersons sang the Earsdon Sword Dance … Redcar Sword Dancers perform traditional English longsword dances from the North East of England. [10], Boxing Day 2005 - The Grenoside Sword Dance Captain holds aloft the sword lock before placing it around his neck, Boxing Day 2004 - The Grenoside Sword Dance Captain is ritually "beheaded" as the dancers withdraw their swords sharply from around his neck, "Sheffield sword dancers perform at Belgium festival", "Kirkburton Rapiers celebrate 40 years of Yorkshire long sword dancing", "Elaine Bradtke's guide to five lesser-known English folk dances", "Sword dancers ready for Boxing Day tradition", "Continuity, Conflict and Change: A Contextual and Comparative Study of Three South Yorkshire Longsword Dance Teams", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Long_Sword_dance&oldid=996245967, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 December 2020, at 11:45. An aspect of the sword dance competition held in conjunction with the North of England Musical Tournament that has not received attention in the journal is the history of the challenge cups themselves. Morris dance, also spelled Moresgue, Morrice, Morisque, or Morrisk, ritual folk dance performed in rural England by groups of specially chosen and trained men; less specifically, a variety of related customs, such as mumming, as well as some popular entertainments derived from them.Similar customs are widespread throughout Europe and extend to the Middle East, India, and parts of … Longsword dances tend to be performed by their own village teams, e.g. Buoyed by The Rock’s undeniable charisma, the ridiculous, over the top-sword and sandals adventure culminates in a rooftop sword fight that involves not … Grenoside and the Goathland Plough Stots. [5], Long Sword dances vary in the way they are performed, with some being slow and militaristic,[6] such as the Grenoside or performed with pace and speed like Handsworth dances from near Sheffield. ISBN 978-0-854182-12-1. Menu. In Yorkshire the implement is more sword-like, being single-handled, and rigid and called a longsword. Sword dances were happening all over the world – not just in England. Dancing for only 5 months. The Flamborough Sword Dancers Longsword Dancing Although commonly referred to as 'Sword dancing, there are two distinct forms. In Ghillie Callum or "Scottish sword dance" the dancer crosses two swords on the ground in an "X" or an "+" shape,and dances around and … The earliest definite account of hilt-and-point sword dancing in England dates back to an article in 1715 describing a dance in the Tyne Valley to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne. The longsword dances are associated with specific villages and towns in England and feature weaving figures and patterns in which each of the six or eight dancers holds the hilt of his own sword and the (blunted) point of his neighbor's. Rapper dancing involves using two-handled bending swords, and is traditionally associated with miners in the north east of England. Rapper sword from Northumberland and County Durham, danced with short flexible sprung steel swords, usually for five dancers. 278 pp. But of course, England had its own types of sword dances, for example the Rapper Sword dance. Sword Dancing. A sword-dance recently discovered at Greatham, County Durham, is an interesting link between these two main types of sword-dances. The Long Sword dance is related to the rapper sword dance of Northumbria, but the character is fundamentally different as it uses rigid metal or wooden swords, rather than the flexible spring steel rappers used by its northern relation. The dance described closely resembles linked sword dances of the Yorkshire and continental type rather than the rapper 4 year old Bella, doing the sword for the first time in public at local library. The sword of the north east of England tends to be a double-handled flexible metal strip known as a rapper. The Sword Dance (Gille Chaluim – Gaelic for “the servant of Calum”) – One story said to originate from the times of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, recalls that when King Malcolm III (Canmore) of Scotland killed a fellow chieftain in battle, he celebrated by dancing over his own bloody claymore crossed with the sword of his enemy. The Greatest Sword Fighting Movies of All Time. 112.00. Others have different features including variations of numbers of dancers and distinctive movements. In Yorkshire the implement is more sword-like, being single-handled, and rigid and called a longsword. Bibliog. Dancing … Although the blacksmith has been a craftsman in England since the earliest days, it was only in the reign of James I (1603-1625) that an infusion of foreign skill made it possible for England to produce sword blades which compared in quality with those of the mid-European states. A distinctive feature of the Sword dances, which recurs a number of times during any performance, is the Lock or Nut, in which the swords … Five dancers use short, flexible… Crossed-sword dances are common in Europe (e.g., Scotland, the Balkans) and also appear in India, Borneo, and other areas. Nicholas was the Lord of the Manor of Little Crosby in Lancashire. The dances are usually performed around Christmas time and were believed to derive from a rite performed to enable a fruitful harvest. 115.00. Most of the sword dancing in Revels comes from two English traditions - hilt and point longsword dancing and rapper sword dance. In Romania, in a dance called Calusari, a sword dance similar to a Morris Dance, is part of a more complex ritualistic dance involving elements of fertility ritual and horse worship. Performance of sword dances in the folklore of Scotland is recorded from as early as the 15th century.. Related customs are found in the Welsh and English Morris dance, in Austria, Germany, Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania.. While teams wear a variety of costumes, the most distinctive is that worn by Handsworth, a traditional team from Sheffield. Courtly dances also were exported from England. The Grenoside dance is very formal and militaristic, although performed in a decidedly non-military kit including paisley jackets. Longsword – is a hilt and point sword dance recorded mainly in God’s own Country – Yorkshire. Illus. The points of interest in the sword-dance, for our present purpose, are its use of rimed speeches to introduce the characters, and its development into the mummers’ or St. George play, still to be seen in many rural districts of the British Isles. The Long Sword dance is a hilt-and-point sword dance recorded mainly in Yorkshire, England. Garland Films GAR027, 2012. Featured guests in past sword dance festivals: Last year (2017) the Sallyport Sword Dancers from England performed their entertaining dance scenes in the streets of Korčula and Vela Luka, while in 2016 the Boka Mariners from Kotor, Montenegro were the featured international guests. Rapper dancing is a fast-paced hilt-and-point sword dance originating in coal mining villages in northern England during the 19th century. As traditional performances on Boxing Day or Plough Monday sword and originated from north east England Revels... 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